In the early hours of the morning on July 11 in Peachland a bathroom break for a Shih Tzu named Laynee turned into a rescue mission, saving the lives of two tiny three-week old kittens.
“When I let her out, she refused to come back indoors,” says Brady Verhaeghe, Laynee’s guardian. Laynee’s attention was locked onto something hidden beneath a bush. Brady went over to the bush to investigate and that was when he heard a faint “meow”. He looked under the bush and there was a cute little black face, nose to nose with Laynee. “I picked up the kitten and was walking away when I heard another faint ‘meow’. Laynee went straight back to the bush, and we spent a half an hour trying to get the other kitten to come out.”
Eventually the second kitten emerged and was gently scooped up by Verhaeghe. “Both kittens nestled into my arms right away,” he said. “You could tell they were longing to be helped – they didn’t hesitate at all.” Although Verhaeghe hadn’t seen a pregnant cat in the neighbourhood, he says that it is obvious they were left by their mother.
It was dark and the kittens were shivering so Verhaeghe brought them into his home. He placed them in a blanket lined plastic box and kept them by his bed. Laynee kept a close eye on her new companions. “They didn’t make much noise, but every time they did, Laynee would immediately check on them, she didn’t mind them crawling all over her.” Verhaeghe adds that this was the first time Laynee had been around kittens. “She’s usually shy around other animals. That is why I was super surprised by her reaction to these kittens.”
Still hopeful for a possible reunion with their mother, Verhaeghe returned the kittens to the bush where they were discovered, keeping watch for Mom to return. After a couple of hours, when no cat appeared, Verhaeghe brought them to the BC SPCA Kelowna animal centre.
“When we examined the kittens, they were really thin and their gums were pale, but they were bright-eyed and hungry which was a good sign,” says Shannon Paille, manager of the BC SPCA Kelowna. “They are so young they need to be bottle-fed. One of our amazing BC SPCA fosters is continuing the kittens’ care in their home, which is the best place for them to be.”
Paille adds the kittens have received treatments for parasites and have been vaccinated. The kittens will be available for adoption when they are eight weeks old.
“The finder did the right thing for these underweight kittens,” says Kim Monteith, the BC SPCA’s manager animal welfare and behaviour. “If you find kittens under eight weeks of age, in a safe place and they don’t look sick or injured every effort should be made to keep them with their mother. Often, she is out hunting and will return. However, if the kittens are sick or injured or not in a safe place or the mother does not return then the kittens should be gently moved in a blanket lined box and brought into care. If you are unsure of what to do or have any questions, contact your local BC SPCA.”