A tiny singleton was brought to a shelter in poor shape. No one knew if he would survive, but a woman gave him a fighting chance.
@a_cat_named_squirt
Metro Animal Care and Control (MACC) in Nashville, Tennessee received a little 5-day-old kitten who was brought in alone. He was struggling without a mom, and his prospects were getting grim by the hour.
Jade Beazley, a new foster volunteer, was at the shelter when she learned about the kitten's plight. "He needed to go to a foster by the end of the day. The shelter does not have the staff to be able to bottle feed the kittens around the clock, so they rely on fosters to volunteer their time," Jade told Love Meow.
The kitten wouldn't make it alone. Without hesitation, Jade took him home, and he became her first critical neonatal kitten.
He opened his eyes a few days after he arrived in foster care@a_cat_named_squirt
"This poor little guy was not doing well. He had eye infections in both eyes and wasn't eating enough. I couldn't name him because I feared he wouldn't make it, so I just called him tiny little Squirt."
Over the next few days, it was touch and go. Just when she thought the kitten was getting better, he quickly started going down hill. Jade refused to give up as she saw the little bitty fighter powering through with all his might.
@a_cat_named_squirt
Jade went from store to store to get supplies suitable for a neonatal kitten and continued round-the-clock feedings. She was determined to get the little guy back on his paws with or without sleep.
She got him a stuffed animal with a beating heart and placed him in a nesting area surrounded by heating pads. The kitten started to snuggle with his faux mama and fell asleep curled up next to her.
@a_cat_named_squirt
"He began eating and gaining weight, and even started to get some energy. I got some antibiotic eye medicine for his eyes and it started to work," Jade said. "I kept him next to me everywhere I went (even work) so I could feed him, potty him, and make sure he was still alive for well over a month."
With each passing day, Squirt's eyes became clearer and his tummy felt much better.
@a_cat_named_squirt
"He was delayed on every kitten milestone by at least two weeks. It took so much longer to get him to eat real food than any foster to date."
"When he finally started eating on his own, I cried," Jade told Love Meow.
@a_cat_named_squirt
The kitten never got a new name as everyone started to call him Squirt, and it just stuck.
Watch Squirt's journey in this cute video:
Rescued kitten gets second chance at lifeyoutu.be
"I adore him even though he ended up with the silliest name. He's curious, adventurous, super easy going, very clumsy, and so funny," Jade told Love Meow.
But most of all, he has become Jade's closest companion, perfect cuddle buddy and follows her everywhere she goes.
@a_cat_named_squirt
When it came time to find him a forever home, the little guy had already crept his way into Jade's heart.
Just before Jade started fostering, her beloved 14 1/2 year-old cat whom she found behind a dumpster, passed away. She decided to volunteer as a way to heal, and soon it led her to Squirt.
@a_cat_named_squirt By Nicholas Benik
A few months later, Squirt has grown by leaps and bounds.
"This tiny one stole my heart and became my sweet little foster fail, and I adore him and all of his shenanigans."
@a_cat_named_squirt By Nicholas Benik
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Related story: Couple Agreed to Foster 4 Kittens Without a Mom But the Kitties Had Their Own Plan