Those toes are too much!
And the kitten they come with makes a complete package of heart-melting ultra-cuteness!!
Meet Stella. Besides being cute, she’s one of the toughest little gray tabby tigers you’ll ever see.
Today, she’s a healthy polydactyl kitten with an extra toe on both of her front paws and two additional toes on her each of back feet. But Stella’s beginning came rough and her first two weeks of life kept foster mom Caroline Grace on her toes.
Rough Foothold on Life
Stella was born from an emergency C-section as her mom was quite ill. Sadly, she was the only kitten from her litter of six to survive. Complicating matters further, her mother couldn’t nurse her only surviving kitten, leaving Stella as a newborn without her feline family.
But thanks to Saving One Life and Caroline, Stella wasn’t alone. She would certainly need all the help she could get as a singleton newborn kitten. Caroline shared, “This girl was truly a miracle fighter baby. She had a difficult entrance into this world. Being a C-section baby, coming from a sick and stressed mom, not getting to nurse or get any colostrum, she had all the odds stacked against her.”
Stella’s first ten days were terrifying. The fact that she was a newborn meant round-the-clock feedings to keep her little body from failing and constant monitoring. But at five-days-old-things got worse. Stella fell ill.
“She started spiking high fevers and was unable to eat anything at all. She was completely lethargic and was struggling to breathe.”
Caroline rushed her to a critical care foster, who put the baby on oxygen and taught Caroline how to tube feed the sick kitten. For two days, Caroline doted heavily on Stella, administering antibiotics, tube feeding, and offering her so much love and support. The prognosis was good!
“I’m so proud to say that she no longer requires tube feeding and is nursing from the bottle all on her own!!!”
From then, the race to grow into her beautiful big feet was on!
OMG, Those Toes!
As sweet Stella grew strong and healthy, gulping down all the formula her round belly could hold, she developed the cutest quirk. Caroline reported Stella is “the sweetest little polydactyl ‘thumb’ sucker”!
Though a late bloomer, with her small weight and eyes which didn’t open fully until 15 days of age, Stella is a fighter. From a sickly newborn to a healthy kitten discovering toys and solid food, she serves as the most adorable reminder to never give up. Now, she’s been adopted into her forever home to live the happy life every kitty deserves.
“I feel like she went from my fragile little bottle baby to a strong and playful kitten in the blink of an eye! It is so amazing to see her healthy, happy and thriving”.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CC88X6vF_SS/
H/T: www.lovemeow.com
Featured Image: @carolinegrace111/Instagram
