ARL partners with community cat feeder to save homeless kitten’s life
A 5-week-old homeless kitten who was recently found cold to the touch at Berkley, Massachusettson a cool November morning as temperatures dipped below freezing, got a second chance thanks to the quick actions of a community cat food distributor and the Animal Rescue League of Boston (ARL).
The formerly homeless kitten, now named Applesauce, was discovered among a colony of cats by a resident who was monitoring and feeding the colony and was very alarmed when the kitten was found cold and listless.
The researcher took the kitten inside and contacted the ARL. Field Services Departmentand did their best to warm the kitten, using blankets and providing sugar water.
ARL responded to the home and transported the kitten to ARL. Dedham Animal Care and Adoption Center.
Upon ingestion, the kitten’s temperature was only 93 F – a cat’s normal body temperature is typically between 100.5 and 102.5 F.
The ARL veterinary team used an electric blanket to help raise the kitten’s body temperature and monitored it closely.
Within several hours, the kitten’s temperature had risen to 98F and he was beginning to perk up, indicated by a voracious appetite. Aside from nearly freezing to death, the kitten was otherwise in good health.
With the kitten stabled, ARL placed Applesauce in a foster home, where his foster family reported that for the first 24 to 36 hours, the kitten was lethargic and spent most of his time curled up in a blanket to sleep.
However, by the third day in foster care, Applesauce bounced back, being very vocal, attention-seeking, and purring for hours!
At just 7 weeks old, Applesauce is still too young to find his forever home, however, ARL is thrilled that after the quick actions of whoever found him, he will have the opportunity to find a family and live the life that ‘he deserves. He should be available for adoption in a few weeks.
ARL and community chats
ARL is the only large animal welfare agency in Massachusetts with staff specifically dedicated to community cats.
the ARLs Community Cat Program saves hundreds of community cats each year to help slow the cycle of cat homelessness, providing medical care, vaccinations, spay/neuter surgery, and determining whether each cat will be returned to the colony, returned to its owner if it is equipped with a microchip or admitted to an ARL Shelter to be offered for adoption if they are friendly.
There are approximately 700,000 community cats and kittens residing in Massachusetts, including 70,000 in Boston alone. ARL encourages anyone discovering cats living outdoors to contact ARL Field Services at (617) 426-9170 x563.