A little orphaned kitten named Diggory is now safe and warm in a BC SPCA foster home after being found outside in the cold without his mom or litter mates in Nanaimo. The Good Samaritan who found Diggory rushed the days-old kitten to an emergency veterinary clinic, and the BC SPCA was called to take Diggory into care.
“He was in grave condition,” says Lorie Chortyk, general manager of communications for the BC SPCA. “If he had not come into our care when he did, there is no way he would have survived. He is still fragile, and with no mom to care for him he requires around-the-clock care, including bottle feedings every two hours.” She notes that he will need on-going care for at least another eight weeks.
“We are so fortunate to have amazing foster volunteers who specialize in the care of very young, orphaned kittens,” says Chortyk. “These volunteers forgo sleep to do feedings every few hours, and put in so much time and effort to ensure that these kittens overcome the odds to survive and grow strong. We simply could not do the work we do without these incredible individuals.” The BC SPCA provides all the supplies and ongoing veterinary care for animals in foster until they are healthy enough to be put up for adoption.
In addition to foster homes, the BC SPCA relies on generous donors to help with the cost of Kitten Milk Replacement (KMR), and the other urgently needed supplies for the thousands of kittens who come into the SPCA’s care each year.
“We are now at the beginning of ‘kitten season’, where we see a huge influx of orphaned and surrendered kittens into our facilities across the province,” says Chortyk. “We are grateful to anyone who is able to help us care for these little ones, so that we can give them the best possible chance at life.”