Vet Tells Couple That They Should Let Rescue Kitten Die, Now He’s a Thriving Senior

Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/rescue-story-lucky-the-kitten/

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One day my husband, Mike, was driving down a one lane dirt country road, when he saw a kitten laying in the middle of it. He didn’t know if it was alive or dead. He didn’t want to drive over it, in case it was alive and he scared it, causing it to run and possibly get hit by his truck tires. He got out to check and saw that it was alive but too weak to even lift his little head to mew at him.

luckythekitten3 - Vet Tells Couple That They Should Let Rescue Kitten Die, Now He’s a Thriving Senior — KITTEN. PHOTO: PIXABAY / JILL WHITE

Mike thought his mother might have been moving her litter and he just couldn’t keep up. He picked him up and brought him home. I wasn’t home, and not knowing any better, Mike gave him some milk, which caused digestive problems. At 10 p.m., he drove into town to get some OTC cat-safe medicine. The next morning, I took him to the vet.

The vet said the kitten was 2-months-old and only weighed 2.75 pounds. He also said, “This is one you should have just let die, because there are others that need you worse.”

I replied, “I think he needs me really bad right now.”

luckythekitten2 - Vet Tells Couple That They Should Let Rescue Kitten Die, Now He’s a Thriving Senior — PHOTO: LYNDA HUEBEL

Needless to say, I never took any of our pets to him again. We named him Lucky. He was skin and bones. The white you see in this picture is skin. His hair was so thin, brittle, and dull that it made his skin and bones more prominent. He was so weak for so long. All he did was sleep. No energy to play like a young kitten should do. One of our cats was very jealous of the attention Lucky was receiving and kept picking on him, trying to get him to fight. Lucky would just look at her and turn his back to her, ignoring her.

Lucky is 13-years-old now, and he’s the most affectionate of all of our fur babies. I understand why the vet said what he did. Lucky has congestion problems. Every few months, he has to see our new vet for a shot to help him breathe easier. The new vet is a 1-hour drive, one way, and Lucky gets really carsick, but he’s worth it. He’s such a special member of our family.