The Irony of the Accquisition of KitKat: Part II (Click photo to enlarge (Repost for a new subscriber)

This was posted in Dcember, 2012. I am very fortunate to have a new subscriber and one who has a sincere interest in pets. She read Part I of Kitkat’s story but could not find part II. I am embarrassed to admit that I had forgotten that I had added a category that says The Vet’s Pets. So this is for: (Lunar Euphoria). She has a really keen blog. Be sure to check it out.

KitKat, the wonder kitty

KitKat

This is the ending of The Aquisition of KitKat, Part II   

This story is written by me  (Yvonne)  from my daughter’s perspective who told me the story and asked that I write about KitKat’s rescue. My daughter is a veterinarian in Austin,Texas and all of her pets are dogs and cats that she saved from certain death or euthanasia. I have written all of her pet’s stories from her telling me about the details, mood of the day, other vets and techs, meds, treatments, etc. Initially I wrote these in Word process in second person but I think the mood of the story seems better as first person. Some readers think these are my pets but I have made a notation at the beginning that these are not my stories they are “The Vet’s Pet’s.”

With Dr. “M” helping, we inserted an IV catheter into her itty bitty leg and bolused some IV fluids (calculated on her weight) to help alleviate dehydration. There was no response, so we then gave an IV slow push of dextrose for hypoglycemia (low blood glucose) and to my astonishment, the kitten sat up and began meowing non stop. With that development, I surmised that she was extremely hungry. I quickly prepared a small bottle of kitten formula, thinking she might take one or two ml but she latched onto the bottle with her front paws and sucked down the entire 60mls (2 ounces) with as much gusto of any animal I’ve ever seen eating.  We were astounded and I said, “wow, this kitten has a voracious appetite.”  The kitten then attempted to stand up and walk a few steps but rolled over on her back and could not get up. Her tiny head tilted severely to the left and I noted that her left eye was swollen shut. I then gently pried the eyelid open  and the pupil was tiny, fixed, (meaning there was no movement of the eye), and unresponsive to light. The kitten had clearly suffered severe head trauma. With each new development, I began adding more treatments. I continued the IV fluids and gave a slow IV push of Manitol to reduce swelling of the brain.  Toward the end of the day, the once almost dead kitten had shown significant and unbelievable improvement

At 6PM, tired and ready to go home, I went to my desk to remove my lab coat and to get my purse. WAIT -A -MINUTE! There was a box  on my desk. I peered inside and there lay the kitten on a small portable heating pad with food, bottles, and medications ready to go home. “Dr. “M” what is this kitten doing on my desk?” She answered and said,”I thought you knew that my husband is deathly allergic to cats. I can’t possibly take her to my house.”  I immediately realized that Dr “M” had tricked me. I was angry at her for more than a few days.

The kitten required bottle feeding and ate more that any kitten I have ever seen. Gradually she grew stronger and stronger. However, she had severe neuro deficits and could only take a few steps before tumbling over and then unable to get back up. There she lay, on her back, looking like a little fat doodle bug.

Months earlier, I had planned with some friends, a vacation to the coast. My dear friend, Dr. “A” took care of  her while I was away. Her two daughters love cats and helped feed and care for the kitten. They named her Kit Kat in honor of the candy bar. 

Kit Kat grew by leaps and bounds and eventually over came  most of her balance issues. At three months of age she had become a pretty kitten with a very sweet and lovable personality. So, with a heavy heart I put up a poster at the clinic describing the kitten who was now ready for adoption to an indoor “catdom” only. Initially she went to a home with one other cat, but the lady of the house said the kitten just did not seem to adapt and she was returned in two weeks . After that she went to another home where she stayed for about a week and the man of the house said the kitten was just not what he and his wife had expected. So for the third time she went to a wealthy young couple who returned her within about two weeks. I could not imagine why people did not find the kitten appealing. She was so lovable with a quirky personality. After the third failed adoption I decided that she was meant to be my cat. I pondered the thought that the kitten had come into my life as a serendipity moment. When I first saw her I had deemed her hopeless and then she made what I considered a miraculous recovery. So what had seemed utterly hopeless, ultimately turned into an unexpected good ending.

Needless to say, I believe all of this as ironic for she is my favorite cat. She has an insatiable appetite and is ravenously hungry always! And yes she grew into a rather obese cat. Cats get virtually the same diseases that humans do and her chances of becoming diabetic are a real possibility. No food is off limits to Kit Kat and she will dive into any plate of food and scour the floor for a mere morsel. She even brazenly attempted to eat with my two dogs but I quickly put a stop to that. No matter how much you might trust your dogs it is not wise to allow cats and dogs to eat in the same room together. One never knows when a dog might suddenly turn on the cat and with one bite can kill a cat. But back to the problem of obesity I put her on a reduction diet and last Christmas my mother said,” Kit Kat looks slimmer so you must be keeping her on the diet.”  I am keeping her on a diet but she must be fed separately from the other cats, to keep her from scarfing down more food. 

Kit Kit continues to make me laugh every day, no matter how fatigued I am. She has provided unexpected entertainment and still has a quirky personality. She gives kisses to any one that visits by greeting the visitor nose to nose. Kit Kat also loves to go for car rides. I simply put the carrier on the floor and she crawls right in and waits patiently to go for a ride around the neighborhood. At night she crawls on my head and “kneads” my hair until it looks like a rat’s nest. 

So if it had not been for Dr. “M” I would not have Kit Kat in my life. And by sheer luck or fate, no one wanted her when I tried to give her away. I sometimes wonder why I thought I had to give her away.  One more pet to feed would not have “broken the bank.”

My experience treating Kit Kat that first day she entered my life, taught me  a few things. I learned that the brain of a kitten has the ability fo heal, given sufficient time. Sometimes the brain does not heal completely and some of the balance issues remain.  It took several years for KitKat to overcome her neuro deficits. Her head tilted to one side and then after a few years,  I noticed that she was walking in a normal manner.  KitKat’s  has taught me both medically and spiritually. I learned never to give up, even when things seem hopeless. I have since applied that to my own life. As things have gone from bad to worse I look at KitKat and remember how sick she was years ago.

I feel fortunate that she is my cat and I shudder to think that I almost euthanized her. I can not put into words how much I love KitKat. And for certain, I think that she loves me.

Post and photographs: Yvonne