Orphaned Kittens

  Ark Kittens

The nurses at the Ark are currently handrearing a group of orphaned kittens. Unfortunately the kittens mother (known as the queen) rejected her kittens and also attacked two of them. The kittens were born on 29th May and all have now opened their eyes. (kittens are born with eyes and ears closed and can begin to open them at 10 days old). 

One of the kittens now named 'Kovu' (from The lion king II) meaning scar, has found a loving home with one of our student veterinary nurses. Kovu was one of the kittens that were attacked by its mother which unfortunatly resulted in a severely broken leg. After a few days of observation it became evident that the leg was so badly damaged it could not be repaired. It was decided it would not be humane to leave Kovu with this injury until he was old enough for a safe surgery so Kovu's leg was amputated in a risky surgery on such a young animal. Kovu has shown to be a fighter and is doing well. It is thought that all kittens will be rehomed within the practice as many staff members have come very attached to them. 

The nurses have found out first hand how much dedication is needed when hand rearing orphaned animals. The kittens started out needing feeding every 2 hours with a specially designed milk replacement formula. Now the kittens are slighlt older they can stretch to feeds every 4 hours- This also means throughout the night. The nurses have all worked really hard to get all the kittens this far and fingers crossed they all carry on friving! We will keep you informed of their progress and hopefully include some piccy's soon. If anyone needs advice regarding kitten or puppy care we wil be happy to assist. But we would like to take this opportunity to stress the importance of neutering your pet to prevent unwanted pregnancys.