A kitten left for dead in a plastic bag with his five siblings on a freezing cold night has miraculously survived – thanks to the love and care of a student veterinary nurse.
Sol and three of his surviving brothers and sisters were handed in to Rutland House Vets by a member of the public who found them by chance after they had been dumped in a plastic bag in Warrington. Two kittens had sadly already perished.
The tiny kittens, which were believed to be only two days old and had not yet opened their eyes, were drenched, freezing cold and distressed and were taken into Rutland House’s main veterinary hospital in St Helens for emergency treatment.
They were given fluids and medication, but sadly three kittens could not be saved, leaving Sol as the sole survivor.
The black kitten was fostered by veterinary nurse Seren Ditchfield, who took him home to give him round-the-clock care, including feeding him special milk by hand every two to three hours.
After a traumatic start to life, Sol, who is now six weeks old, is thriving and will soon be ready for rehoming by Cats Protection in St Helens.
He is the 12th kitten to be fostered and hand-reared by Seren, who has worked at Rutland House Vets for three years, and she is now hoping he finds the perfect home with a loving family.
Seren said: “As soon as I saw him, I knew I had to foster him. The morning after he was brought in, he was able to eat and had warmed up so there was a glimmer of hope that he was going to survive. I took him home with me, but I was concerned he would pass away within a few days. He was so young, he still had his umbilical cord. He was a bit sickly, so it was worrying at first, but within two days he opened his eyes.
“I’ve been going to bed at 6pm because I have to wake up and feed him every three hours. Hand-rearing a kitten is a huge commitment but he responded really well and, luckily, I don’t sleep well anyway!”
Seren, 25, admits it is going to be a huge wrench to say goodbye to Sol but is looking forward to him finding his forever home.
She said: “Sol has been a star to hand rear as he is a lovely kitten and fostering him has been a rewarding experience. He is developing a personality, and my dog Lily is obsessed with him as she loves licking and grooming him.
“He’s the 12th kitten I’ve fostered but it has been the worst situation to receive a kitten given the circumstances he was found in. It is going to be emotional to say goodbye but he will be guaranteed a good home through Cats Protection.”
Rutland House Vets has been serving the community’s pets for nearly 65 years, and is part of VetPartners, a respected group of veterinary practices and associated animal healthcare businesses. Rutland House Referrals treats pets from all over the UK, offering services in orthopaedics, dermatology, soft tissue surgery, internal medicine, cardiology, diagnostic imaging, oncology and exotics.