A feral cat mom brought her kittens to the door steps of the man that fed her feral colony. She left her babies there and never came back. One of them survived, but not without a hard fight.
Meet Prince!
Operation Fancy Free
When the kind-hearted man found the kittens on his porch, Prince was barely alive. The young mama cat didn't think she could help them, so left them to the human that she knew.
Operation Fancy Free, a rescue in Evans WV, took the kittens into their care. Prince's sister did not survive the first night, but he pulled through.
"They were critically ill, covered in white slime and flies. He was barely 6 oz, about 5 weeks old and near death. Both eyes were severely infected rendering sightless except for shadows. Both his eyes were on the verge of rupturing." Kat Null, foster mom, told Love Meow.
Operation Fancy Free
The little ginger boy came with a list of ailments, including pneumonia, and was gasping for air. He couldn't smell his food or see it very well to find it, but the tiny kitten refused to give up.
Kathy Stone of Operation Fancy Free had Prince for the first couple days but the kitten needed 24/7 care, and that's when Kat stepped in to help.
Operation Fancy Free
"In the beginning, Prince had to be syringe fed every hour without fail, until he learned to master the bottle. His feedings still remained every hour until he showed appropriate weight gain," Kat shared with Love Meow.
He required breathing treatments, enemas and had to have his eyes soaked, cleansed and medicated around the clock. The ginger boy frequented the vet clinic and was a champ throughout the ordeal.
Operation Fancy Free
Prince hovered death's door for several weeks. He had tremendous difficulty breathing. Kat kept him by her side the whole time, fearing that he might slip away. Her dog Koda wouldn't leave the kitten as if he knew that the little one needed to be guarded every moment.
Kat taught Prince to drink from a bowl, kept him fed and hydrated, and loved him unconditionally. The little ginger boy was finally on the mend.
Operation Fancy Free
As Prince got bigger and stronger, Kat expanded the size of his recovery pen. She added climbing scratch toys as playtime was good for him. Every day he could smell a bit better and see a little clearer.
As the cloudiness in his eyes started to clear up, his personality began to shine through. He attempted to escape from the nursery a few times as he honed his climbing and sneak skills.
Operation Fancy Free
A few weeks later, Prince graduated from his nursery pen and moved into the big kitty room, where he had tunnels, towers, hideaways, and all kinds of fun and exciting things to do. He was also welcomed by another foster kitty with open paws.
"We brought in one of our foster's, a young adult cat, Kirby, to be a Life Coach to Prince so he could learn appropriate kitty skills. Prince thrived and greatly improved under Kirby's guidance. It was the best thing we did for him. He began living, instead of surviving," Kat told Love Meow.
Operation Fancy Free
A month after the rescue, Prince made a complete 180. It is hard to believe that he was the same kitten the man found on his door steps. Prince came so close to crossing the rainbow bridge but his rescuers, Kat, Kathy, and Connie, turned his life around.
"Throughout his ordeal, Prince fought with everything he had to survive. And fight he did. Minutes to hours to days then weeks."
Operation Fancy Free
July 26, 2016 marched a new chapter of his life journey. Prince found his forever loving home.
"He was fortunate enough to be adopted by Dr P., his primary benefactor. Dr P will ensure that Prince (now known as Tyrion) receives the best medical… He is also well cared and provided for and loved by all. He's our miracle kitty," Kat told Love Meow.
Cuddling with his forever human dad!Operation Fancy Free
Tyrion got a new brother, Toby!
Here Toby tries to bathe the little bundle of energy who won't stop exercising his bunny kicks.
Toby took Tyrion under his wing, and now the two are inseparable friends.
The miracle kitty has made a full recovery and blossomed at his loving home.
Operation Fancy Free
"This little guy has come a long way since Operation Fancy Free first rescued him. Death knocked on his door several times and he chose not to answer. He's a little miracle that defied all the odds of surviving," Kat said.
"I can't count the times we stood by, with bated breath, praying Prince was going to pull through either the next few minutes or the night. And he did...every time."
A year after his rescue... look at him now!
Operation Fancy Free
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