With their feline fangs and fur of night, Lestat and Laszlo will haunt your dreams.
You won’t be fraught with fright though. Oh goodness no, these little vampurrs and their mischief-making will leave you full of joy and light because they’re just too cute!
But these brothers almost didn’t get the chance to stalk the night together at their forever home as little Lestat battled sickly beginnings. Thanks to rescue and foster magic though, Lestat and Laszlo are now strong and together furever with their devoted minions, otherwise known as their loving family. Rescued by Orphan Kitten Club of San Diego, the boys were part of a preemie litter fostered by FostersXYZ. In the care of their foster mom, Yige, the litter received fabric-inspired names. The boys were known first as Denim and Corduroy, but now they have become the catpires known as Lestat and Laszlo.
Corduroy became Laszlo, named for vampire Laszlo of FX’s What We Do in the Shadows.
And Denim became Lestat, in honor of one of the most iconic figures in vampire lore. But the journey to his forever home was a tough one. Brother Laszlo made sure he got there.
Tiny Vampurr Struggles for Life
When Lestat, Laszlo, and the rest of their litter were born too early, their mother disappeared. This can mean death for newborn kittens, but help came running in a hurry. As one of the Satellite Nursery Coordinators for Orphan Kitten Club, Yige knew these kittens were in dire straits and the next couple of days would mean everything in their struggle to live. While all the kittens needed help, one of them was in serious trouble as he was still covered in afterbirth and never tended by his mother at all.
Yige described baby Denim to be “cold, limp and barely conscious.”
On Instagram, she shared, “I put him on a heating disk immediately and put my hands over his body to warm him up. When he started to become more alert after about 20 minutes, I felt safe enough to make the trip home.”
The next week was tense, with little Denim showing little signs of improvement in spite of life support measures and a feeding tube, but he was trying as hard as his tiny body would allow. Yige told Love Meow, “He was the toughest little fighter. During that first week, I stayed up with him every night because I was afraid that I would lose him if I went to sleep.”
The vet suspected Denim had sepsis and this extreme reaction to infection “is the number one cause of death in neonatal kittens.”
A Brother’s Love
But Yige wasn’t alone in her vigil over Denim. Brother Corduroy was always keeping an eye out, even in moments feared to be the worst. “Corduroy would come over and nudge Denny’s limp little body and his heart rate would go back up right away.”
And suddenly, his vampire magic kicked in and tiny Denim come Lestat made a turn for the better when he finally hit triple grams on the scale! Not only was Yige proud, so was Denim’s protective brother. Yige shared a tender moment she had the pleasure of witnessing. “Cordy made his way over and gently put his arm around his brother as if to say ‘I’m proud of you buddy, you made it.’”
She knew when it was time for the boys to be adopted, these bonded brothers would need to be together always. “Cordy has been Denny’s unwavering protector since day one.”
Quirky Fur for a Catpire Kitten
Like his mini-panther littermates, Denim began life as a black kitten. But the sepsis caused a quirk in his fur coloring. Denim developed a fever coat, which usually happens to kittens when their mother develops severe illness during her pregnancy. But in Denim’s case, his dark fur faded to smoke thanks to the trauma of his own illness as a preemie kitten.
But as a happy kitten growing toward adulthood in his new home, little Denim has lost his fever coat, completing his transition into Lestat the vampurr. Brother Corduroy turned Laszlo is still by his side and together the pair stalk the house, terrorizing their minions with hugs and purrs!
H/T: www.lovemeow.com
Feature Image: @fostersxyz/Instagram & @lestatandlaszlo/Instagram