A palm-sized kitten who was rescued from life on the street, has blossomed into quite the character.
Early this year, a pint-sized kitten was found on the street, hungry and alone. A local animal rescuer scooped him up and took him to Wrenn Rescues (in Los Angeles) in the nick of time.
At four weeks old, the kitten (named Mouse) weighed just 8.6 ounces, about the size of a one-week-old. Erin and her son, Chris, both volunteers of the rescue, offered to foster him. "He was riddled with fleas, recovering from eye problems and significantly underweight," Erin shared with Love Meow.
The kitten was just skin and bones and so small that he looked like a little mouse.
"We syringe fed him as he all about stopped eating and wouldn't take a bottle. He battled an upper respiratory infection that we caught early and medicated for. He slowly gained weight, and it took him a long time to hit one pound."
As the kitten was nursed back to health, his personality began to shine. He would hop on his humans' shoulders after each feeding and curl up in their arms for some extra TLC.
Once he discovered a soft blanket, he started kneading away, purring up a storm. "His personality is really coming out. What he lacks in size he makes up for in cattitude," Erin said.
"Mouse is little but he sure does think he is bigger than he is. He is the epitome of perseverance. When he gets knocked down, he gets right back up. He leaps and misses but never gives up!"
The tabby boy has grown to be quite the character. At every weight-in, he will roll around in the weighing bowl and push himself until he falls out of it, then he climbs back in and does it all over again.
"He is quite busy with his many antics," Erin said. "At the end of the night, he stretches out on the office chair and shows his long lanky body and grows some more."
You never know what Mouse will do next. His endless shenanigans keep everyone entertained.
Watch Mouse in this cute video:
"He has so many old and new foster toys that he pulls out several and then can't decide what he wants to play with," Erin added. "He gets so silly that he knocks my phone out of my hand. He gets these crazy eyes, and will attack anything that moves."
Erin has gotten some help from her resident cats to socialize the rambunctious little kitten. O'Malley the ginger cat is incredibly patient with the tabby. He puts up with all his antics and makes sure the little one always has a pal to cuddle.
"Mouse never had a snuggle buddy when he was little, and he seems to soak up the snuggles he gets with O'Malley. You can almost always find these two together at nap time."
Mouse insists on "helping" his foster mom when she's working from home.
"He hides and jumps out to attack fingers and to generally let you know that is his desk. He pushes off the keyboard and mouse, and he sits just to look regal and remind you that he is watching."
Mouse is a ball of energy that only pauses when he naps.
"He is finally at a normal weight for his age but still on the smallish side! He is crazy as ever and keeps us and our new fosters entertained every day," Erin told Love Meow.
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