A kitten who collapsed and needed emergency treatment just a week after being bought online has been found a loving new home in time for Christmas by Blue Cross.
The kitten, then six weeks old, was rushed into the national pet charity’s animal hospital in Victoria, London, after he collapsed in his new home.
Vets were unsure the kitten would pull through as he was malnourished and had bad diarrhoea, alongside suffering from a serious ear infection after being taken away from his mum too early.
Amanda Rumball, London Welfare Officer at Blue Cross, said: “Poor Yoda hadn’t been weaned and couldn’t eat on his own, just taken away from his mum long before he could fend for himself.
“He had awful diarrhoea, an ear infection in both ears, was dehydrated, had a low temperature and low blood sugar levels. He went straight into intensive care and started to improve a little each day, but his prognosis remained very guarded for a while, as he was so poorly.”
Blue Cross is warning potential owners to beware of unscrupulous sellers and scams if they’re looking to buy a pet online.
The owner told vets they hadn’t been able to get the kitten to eat since purchasing him and said they had been told he was 6-9 weeks old when they bought him.
But vets believe the kitten had been sold at just five weeks old and unweaned. The charity advises never taking on a kitten under the age of eight weeks old.
Due to the level of treatment the kitten needed, the owner made the decision to sign the animal over to Blue Cross care.
Amanda added: “Poor little Yoda was in such a sorry state when he arrived in our care and we were unsure he would make it through. Unfortunately, pet scammers are continuing to look for every opportunity to cash in on demand for pets wherever they can with no thought for the animal’s welfare.
“We’d always urge people to consider taking on a rescue pet from a charity like ourselves but if people do make the decision to buy online then they really need to look into the person selling the animal before handing over any money.”
Once he was strong enough, Yoda was moved to the charity’s rehoming centre in Kimpton, Hertfordshire to carry on with his recovery and the team were quickly able to find him a new home.
Sarah Miller, Animal Welfare Assistant at Blue Cross Kimpton, said: “When Yoda arrived with us, he was really friendly and lovely from the outset. He would always want to come up to you and play.
“The team took it in turns to foster him so that he got plenty of time in a home environment and when he was at the centre, you’d always find one of us stopping by for 10 minutes with him – there’s nothing better for lifting spirits than a bit of kitten play. We joked that he may have been a parrot in a previous life, as he also loved nothing more than sitting on our shoulders and watching the world go by.”
After a further month of recuperation, Yoda was finally ready to start the next happy chapter of his life and found a wonderful new home where he’ll be showered with all the love he deserves.
Sarah adds: “Despite all he had been through, he is a little angel. We’re so happy he made it.”
To help Blue Cross help more sick, injured and homeless animals like Yoda make a donation this Christmas at www.bluecross.org.uk/christmas
