Every one deserves a chance

THE STORY OF MIRACLE

Early in April 2005, Kitten Action received a distress call from a family who had found a kitten. They said it was very tiny and they could see it wasn’t well. They were unable to care for it so they brought it to Kitten Action’s sanctuary.

Taryn Turner who runs Kitten Action’s sanctuary has seen some dreadful sights in the eight years she has been involved with kitten rescue work, but nothing could have prepared her for the sight of the kitten who has became known as Miracle.

One of the kitten’s ears was hanging by a thread and she had a gaping hole from the top of her head down to her shoulder blade – as a result of a bite from either a dog or an adult cat – but that wasn’t the worst of it. As Taryn carefully examined the kitten, she found that the wound was crawling with tiny maggots …. the kitten was actually being eaten alive.

Trying to recover from the shock of seeing the tiny animal in such appalling condition, Taryn had to make a decision. She was amazed that the kitten had survived at all and she knew that any caring vet would immediately recommend euthanasia. While she was thinking, the kitten started fidgeting in her hands … it had smelled the Pamper that was being given to the other kittens and wanted some!

Taryn was astonished that in spite of its shocking injuries, the kitten was showing a strong will to live. That was all it took to make the choice – Taryn decided she would treat the kitten and as long as the kitten herself wanted to live, she would be given every chance to do that.

The first gruesome task was to remove the maggots from the kitten’s wound. Taryn removed them one by one with tweezers …. she stopped counting when she reached 200! It was a really horrible job that took 2 hours but interestingly, once the maggots had been removed, the wound was completely clean. The kitten, who by this time had acquired the name Miracle for obvious reasons, also had a damaged nerve in her face which hampered the blink reflex in one eye. Taryn treated Miracle with homoeopathic medicines for dehydration and to prevent infection. The next task was to warm her up, as her body had gone into shock which had to be treated otherwise she would die. Once warm, Miracle was fed with a syringe every two hours to slowly build up her strength.

Miracle needed constant attention, and Taryn applied the principle of 'Kangaroo nursing' used by mothers with premature babies. Miracle was carried around everywhere with Taryn for the first few days, just to remind her of her will to live. She received remedies every two hours and had her wound washed out 5 times a day with a homoeopathic solution. The first 48 hours were the most critical, but once she made it through that, it was plain sailing. Miracle soon began to eat on her own and then there was no stopping her!

Six weeks later, Miracle is barely recognizable as the injured waif she was when she first arrived. The injury has healed perfectly, with not even one stitch required, and once the hair grows back, the scar will barely be visable. The nerve in her face has also repaired itself and Miracle’s cheeky face has been fully restored.

After using up more than a few of her nine lives, today Miracle is full of attitude, loves her food and is always a candidate for a cuddle. She may need more care in the future and will probably remain at Kitten Action’s sanctuary – a testimony to the organisation’s motto ….

…. every one deserves a chance.

Day1.. At Deaths Door	A hideous injury full of maggots	Over 200 maggots were removed from the wound	On the mend	Miracle today!

	Sincere thanks to
	who generously supply cat litter for the Kitten Action sanctuary.