Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/stolen-kitten-olaf/

Many kittens wind up at the shelter without their mothers, who are crucial for their offspring’s survival. But Olaf, a rescued kitten from Redwood City, California, was one of the lucky rescues who wound up at Whis-Purr Rescue Inc. with his mother, Olivia, and littermates Ollie, Olea, and Oscar in tow.

But just as Olaf and his family were getting comfortable at the shelter, the adorable four-week-old kitten was stolen from his cage. This would be a traumatic experience for any animal, but it was life-threatening for one as young as Olaf, who still depended on his mother for survival.

“It’s just so important for him to come back because he needs his mama still, he’s just he’s little,” Whis-Purr’s co-founder and director, Lucy Brock, told Patch after the kitten’s theft. “And a lot of times rescue cats don’t get that opportunity to have their mama with them — and it’s just really sad if that got taken away from him.”

Rescuers were so concerned about the kitten’s well-being that they offered a $2,000 reward to anyone with information leading to Olaf’s safe return. After Brock posted about the stolen kitten on Facebook, the rescue director was inundated with tips and messages online.

“It was just amazing,” Brock said of the community’s overwhelming response. “Everywhere in Redwood City, a lot of people knew about it and the community just showed us how much they were concerned,” she explained. “It just made you feel good.”

Finally, Brock got a tip from somebody who saw Olaf’s picture on Snapchat, which ultimately led her to somebody who knew the stolen kitten’s location. According to Patch, that person pointed her toward Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA, another Redwood City shelter, where Olaf had just been returned.

Now Olaf has been reunited with his family back at Whis-purrs, which Brock described as an “amazing miracle.” But even so, Olaf isn’t entirely in the clear. Rescuers are helping the kitten work through some health issues that developed during his terrifying ordeal.

“He came back with a really messed up tummy and so we’re working through that,” the rescue director told Patch. “He’s almost back to normal…He just wasn’t developed as well as his siblings and he had been eating things that he wasn’t ready to eat.”

Regardless, Olaf’s siblings are overjoyed to be reunited united with their missing brother, whose disappearance upset the little family so much one Olaf’s sisters had stopped eating. Now that her brother is back, the little girl’s appetite has resumed.

“She was so happy that he was back and it was a really good reunion for them,” said Brock. “Now he’s playing with all his siblings and hanging out close to his mom. It’s going well and I’m so relieved that it’s over.”

Olaf isn’t quite ready for adoption, but you can follow the kitten’s progress on Facebook if you’d like to give this sweet boy, his mother, and/or one of his siblings a forever home.

Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog