This is a picture of the two kittens I began fostering back in April (2014). They were about 3 weeks old and VERY sick. The black and white baby “Cuddles” was eating some formula, but her little sister (half her size as you can see) had to be tube fed. These two girls spent most hours of everyday for the following three days at my side. The little one surprised me with her strength to hang on, but eventually (after 4 days) she couldn’t hold on anymore. It was early morning and I heard the most awful cry I had ever heard come from a kitten – that’s saying a lot considering I’ve been in the veterinary profession for 21 years now. I knew as soon as I heard the cry what was wrong – the little one was dying. Cuddles was experiencing extreme emotional distress that I have never before witnessed – my heart wrenched for her and I did my best to provide comfort.
A strange thing happened on the Saturday just before Mothers’ Day. I got an email from someone in the neighborhood who found a baby raccoon on her back patio. This poor little girl had fallen two stories onto the concrete. Momma raccoon had made a nest for her babies in a portion of their attic that was inaccessible for us – no way to get the baby back to momma. I took the shocky little baby home with me and examined her for injuries. Shockingly, she seemed fine – just exhausted.
I now had two babies once again. I introduced Cuddles to Raccoon Roxie, and it was love at first sight:)
The two girls became sisters. It seemed they had no idea that they were different species. Thankfully, the kitten was finally getting over her illness and she was getting very close to weaning.
Raccoon Roxie grew about three times as fast as the kitten:
I am happy to report that today, August 25th, Raccoon Roxie was successfully released back into the wild and her dear friend Cuddles is ready for adoption. I miss them already, but I am grateful for the time I had to care for them and share in their journey.
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