This premature kitten arrived at her foster home weak and tiny, but with a little extra love and care, she found her voice and wouldn’t stop chatting with her foster mom when she was at work.
Small as a mouse
The kitten, Venus, was a micro preemie, a kitten that is born prematurely and is much smaller than it should be. She was only about 2.5 ounces at her first weigh-in, while most newborn kittens should weigh between 3-5 ounces.
Dannielle, an animal rescuer and foster mom, took Venus in and started to care for her. She bottle fed her on the clock and kept her clean and warm.
In a video by the Dodo, Dannielle said that it “was very touch and go for the first couple of days.” She described Venus as fragile and sick, and especially small:
“She was definitely one of the smallest premature kittens that I have ever seen. She was actually smaller than my computer mouse at work.”
Chatty Venus
But Venus pulled through, and she started to find her voice. She started purring when she was just 4 days old, which is rare for a kitten. She also started gaining weight and growing more confident.
Because Venus was small and still being bottle fed, Dannielle had to keep a close eye on her at all times. That meant bringing her to at-home work with her.
Venus loved to chat with Dannielle in her office, even when she was on Zoom calls. Dannielle told the Dodo:
“I think she got tired of hearing my voice all day and wanted to make her own opinion heard. I think she was trying to tell me that I had enough Zoom calls for the day, and it was time to go home.”
A labor of love
Dannielle is so happy that Venus is doing well now. It took so much work, but Venus went from being a tiny, weak kitten to becoming a “Chatty Cathy” filled with so much love and energy. Dannielle said:
“Fostering her was definitely a labor of love and just a reminder that sometimes things need to just cook a little more and develop a little longer, but the end result is definitely worth it.”
Now all Venus needs is to be adopted. Dannielle is hoping to see Venus being as spoiled as she deserves with a forever family “that just helps grow that already amazing personality of hers.”
