A tiny kitten was abandoned by his cat mother but saved by a young couple who nursed him back to health.
Meet Panda the cat!
Laura Macaluso spotted a tiny kitten in a field and he was in desperate need of help. The fur baby didn't have the strength to meow but was making very quiet noises trying to get help.
"I think because of the stress, he lost the ability to meow," Laura told Love Meow.
She looked around for other kittens and the cat mother who never came back. Panda was less than 2 weeks old at the time. His eyes couldn't open due to an infection. "He was severely dehydrated, so I took him in."
When Laura's boyfriend Vincent saw the little kitten, he was completely smitten. "He's not going anywhere," he said to Laura.
As Laura wrapped the kitten in a towel to keep him warm, Panda started suckling on her finger like he would with his cat mother. It was that moment they knew the kitten had chosen them.
"You are my mama now."
Panda was covered in bot eggs and ticks. Laura cleaned him up and got him on a kitten formula.
"He is still small for his age but is growing everyday. I suspect he was the runt due to his size," Laura said.
Little Panda climbed onto Vincent's shoulder and drifted off for a nap. He let out a tiny purr as he nuzzled into the crook of his neck. Once he was settled, his purrs reverberated in Vincent's ear.
It was the sweetest sound.
They gave Panda a plush toy to cuddle with so he is always accompanied by a friend.
"He thinks it's his mother."
It was touch and go for a while, but the little tuxedo boy fought hard to get better.
"On July 3rd we had a terrible scare. He suffered seizures and at one point was completely limp in my arms. Due to the efforts of my boyfriend and I (who gave him CPR) he recovered," Laura told Love Meow.
Panda is on the mend.
"He's the sweetest kitten. He hates being alone but sleeps while we're gone.
"He wakes us up to him playing with our toes in the morning. He sleeps on or next to my boyfriend and I every night."
Panda is never far away from his humans.
When Vincent dozes off for a nap, Panda follows suit.
Panda was left behind by his cat mother because he was the runt. Now he is 6.5 weeks old, still very tiny for his age, but he is catching up in size.
He adores his humans and loves snuggling with them whenever he gets a chance.
Panda gives happy purrs and meows every day. He knows he's got a loving family for life.
Watch little Panda in these videos:
All cleaned up! No more bot eggs and ticks.
Panda learning to walk!
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