“How can you tell a stray from a feral cat? Lost or abandoned felines are usually comfortable around people and will frequently attempt to live near humans — under porches, or in garages, sheds, or backyards,” according to WebMD.
Yes, aside from feral cats, stray cats are a huge problem in society. After the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have either abandoned or returned their pets to the shelter, including cats and kittens. Today, there are about 70 million stray cats in the United States of America alone.
Feral cats are the wild offspring of abandoned and stray cats. Their population explosion is due to the fact that a female cat can have two to three litters a year and that it can get pregnant in just four months after having a litter.
But life is hard for these cats without a home, be they stray or feral. Since they are vulnerable to diseases, parasites, accidents, and human cruelty, stray and feral cats have a lifespan of only 2 to 3 years.
It is why many governments and organizations have been encouraging the public to join their Trap-Neuter-Return Programs. They can either participate as volunteers or report about cat colonies in their community.
In this story of a kitten named Kanelos, he was found by a cat rescue group with TikTok username @saavinglives in a dumpster along with 150 cats. They have been taking care of the colony by feeding them, giving them water, and getting them sterilized to prevent more unwanted kittens. But they could not keep them all; that was why they had to return Kanelos and the other cats to where they have been living.
@saavinglives He’s beautiful no matter what ✨
♬ Heartbreak Song – Sergey Neiss
However, one day, while out on their mission, the cat rescue observed that Kanelos appeared to be in great pain. The kitten was crying for help, and they immediately took him to a vet to find out what was wrong. Upon x-ray examination, they learned that Kanelos had a dislocated top jaw while his lower jaw was split in two. To fix the problems with his palate and jaws, the kitten had to undergo surgery.
However, the result of the first surgery was unsuccessful. Kanelos’s wounds were not healing well, and the hole in his palate was reopening. For some unknown reason, the bones and tissues in the problem areas were dissolving. And so his rescuers contacted other specialists to help them with the kitten’s grave situation. Fortunately, they found the right person to operate again on Kanelos and to check for other possible ailments.
@saavinglives The update nobody wanted 😥
Kanelos was on antibiotics for 20 days, but he started to eat well with the help of painkillers. The problems with his eye, lungs, and urinary system were resolved, too, and he’s getting better and better each day.
And now that Kanelos is recovering, the next step for his rescuers is to find him a forever home. They are hoping that, just like with the other cats they’ve taken in before, someone would open their home and their hearts to this sweet kitten.
May you soon find a forever home and more love, Kanelos!
@saavinglives Replying to @elenamacd
♬ Little Things – Adrian Berenguer
