Jacks Story

We were first alerted to Jacks plight when we were contacted by a member of the public who had found a young kitten (estimated to be 12 weeks old) cowering under a car in a car park off a very busy road in a Derbyshire village one Friday night. A dark, cold December night come to that. Fortunately, the person who found the kitten took him in doors over night and contacted us the following day. At the time we were totally full, our foster unit was full to the limits with cats and our volunteer fosterers who take particularly needy cats into their homes were also all full. Fortunately, a cat cabin became free during the afternoon as we re-homed another cat. For the third consecutive Saturday night, our foster unit manager made a trip out to rescue a cat/kitten. She settled him into his warm, snug cat cabin complete with a fresh bowl of water and a lovely meal and left him to adjust to his new surroundings.

Before long the volunteer who was on duty at the Foster Unit that Saturday night alerted the Foster unit Manager that she suspected that the kitten may have cat flu. He was sneezing and had runny eyes and his nose was also runny. The kind volunteer immediately whisked him off to the nearest 24 hour vet hospital in Derby where they were able to accommodate him in an isolation pen until his condition was assessed. The next day the vet confirmed what we suspected, the kitten had cat flu. It was not an option for the young kitten to return to our Foster Unit as we do not have the luxury of an isolation pen. So one of our fosterers collected him a couple of days later and was sent packing with enough medication to fill a medicine cabinet - perhaps a slight exaggeration but certainly more medication than you would like to inflict on a young kitten.

The fosterer soon gave the kitten a name – Jack. Despite suffering from cat flu and having been abandoned, Jack was still very playful and very affectionate indeed. He took his medication without any quibbles, even his twice daily eye drops. He seemed to be making slow progress but eventually his eyes and nose became free of any discharge. However, over the festive period he seemed to take a turn for the worse. His sneezing bouts became more frequent and he was full of mucus. He loved to climb up the activity centre and sit on one of the platforms, which was lovely for him but not for his fosterer who had to wipe up the remnants of his sneezing bouts off the wall! He began to wheeze badly, so once again, the fosterer made a trip back to the vets. You wouldn’t have guessed so from listening to the sounds he was making from his chest but the vet insisted that his chest was absolutely clear which was good news for Jack and his fosterer. More antibiotics were prescribed along with a powder to clear up his mucus. He soon began to improve again following his latest round of tablets

His fosterer became so attached to Jack that she decided to offer him a permanent home. He will always be a flu carrier now that he has suffered a bout of cat flu, however this doesn’t mean that he can’t enjoy a rich, fulfilling life like any other cat. It just means that he’s always going to sneeze more often than other cats. The vet advised that his condition will most probably be aggravated following stressful situations such as moving house, having a stay at a cattery etc. His owner just accepts that it will be normal for Jack to suffer sneezing bouts once in a while.

Jack has settled into his new home really well, his elder brother and sister adore him. Though they play fight a lot, they also love to snuggle up together for a snooze. His sister takes great pleasure in pinning him down and giving him a really good wash.

It’s clear though, that Jacks turbulent start in life has left its mark on him. He’s approaching six months now and his owner has started to take him out on a harness to get him associated with the various sights and sounds of the outdoor world. However, Jack is totally petrified of being outdoors, a complete contrast to his new feline family who couldn’t wait to be let loose outside. His feet are completely glued to the floor and when he finally plucks up the courage to move, it’s only to alter his position as close to the floor as possible to slink into the house asap. It’s going to take a lot of time and patience to reassure Jack that the outdoor world is a place where he can play and have fun. If he chooses to be an indoor cat then that’s fine too, he has the option to come and go through the cat flap if he so wishes. Apart from over night of course when he must stay indoors where he’s safe.