The Tiniest Kitten Grows Up
Approximately three months ago I had the opportunity to adopt a kitten that was 1 week old and found in a shoebox in some bushes by a friend who rescued him. The time since caring for him and raising him has been an extremely fun and rewarding experience, and he’s the apple of my girlfriend and my eye! Raising a pet from such an early age and having to bottle feed have definitely brought out my “Fatherly” instincts! I am extremely emotionally attached to Greywind and feel a sense of pride watching him grow up and love watching him experience each new thing. He has also imprinted with us and treats us as his parents, following us around the house and wanting to know what we’re doing every second.
Shortly after adopting him we did a little photo shoot here at Found Animals. You can see more pictures of baby Greywind in our Tiniest Kitten Photo Album but here are a couple of him and his Father.
Here are some updates on the little guy! He’s super healthy, playful, intelligent, and affectionate… and a bit of a troublemaker. Kittens raised from such an early age without the benefit of their mother have an extremely high mortality rate, so we’re thankful that our dedication to our Greywind has paid off! Here he is today at 12 weeks old!
We have realized that because Greywind had no “feline” mother, father, or siblings, he needs socialization to help him be the best cat he can be. Plus, the experience of helping to raise, and save, a kitten has been astoundingly positive and is something we would like to continue with for as long as we’re able. We are waiting on our first batch of foster kittens so that he will have some friends to help him learn about bite inhibition. If you are thinking about fostering an animal, read our blog to get started and stay tuned for our Greywind and friends follow up.
Aw! Such a cutie! Greywind has the same story, colors and markings as my precious Jellybean. Some friends and their rottweiler mix found Jellybean in a vacant lot overgrown with weeds. They couldn’t find her mom or siblings so they rescued her and we adopted her on Mother’s Day 2011.
We rescued Hansel and Gretel at just a hair older than Greywind when our daughter found them under the bush at the Church. They are a happy and healthy duo still in our household who sleep with us nightly, afterall that’s where they started. We love all of our animals, but you are correct, raising them as we did does create a special bond.
My husband has also had a very similar experience with a 3 week old kitten that we named AK (for abandoned kitty). Some not so very nice individuals threw AK from their car onto our front lawn last May. How cruel to do this to a helpless young animal that would have had zero chance of survival on his own. Since that time, AK has grown into a whopping 12 lb., 14 mo. old member of our family with his 3 other feline companions, which we affectionately now call “The Herd”. They are all rescues and we love them all so much!