It is always a big decision to adopt a kitten, and it is one that deserves some forethought. After all, we are bringing a little animal into our life that needs our help to get by.
Simona and Alexandru were also considering adopting a kitten, and Simona had something particular in mind. She wanted a black kitten because she knew that people were less likely to adopt them due to superstitions.
Searching For The Perfect Kitten
She started doing research right away to find the perfect kitten, and that is when a black kitten from a local litter came up on the radar.
When Simona and Alexandru went to pick up the kitten, they found a pair of beautiful green eyes looking at them from a tiny ball of black fur. They knew that she would need some extra help, but they couldn’t stop the love that instantly grew between them.
They decided to use the name from Marvel’s Black Panther, Shuri, for the little kitten. They knew that the little kitten would need some of that fighting spirit shown by the Warrior Princess if she wanted to make it.
The Tiny Kitten Needs Help
When Shuri was adopted, she weighed about 1 pound. They took her to the vet to see if she was healthy, but they found out she had a fever.
The vet gave her some injections, but it was only two weeks later when the fever returned. The little kitten ended up in the hospital with infected eyes and an infected nose.
When the diagnosis came in of feline viral rhinotracheitis, they were concerned. They don’t know where she got it, but she may have gotten it from her mother or another kitten in the litter.
Shuri was given an IV to treat the infection, but she wasn’t out of the woods yet. She started losing fur due to a fungus, and even Simona and Alexandru were infected.
She needed a lot of help, but with the right medications and a few months’ worth of visits to the vet, she was given the all-clear. Unfortunately, that would also not last long.
More Medical Problems
The growing kitten developed blood spots in her ears and eyes when she was six months old. After getting a blood test, they found out she had immune-mediated thrombocytopenia.
The new diagnosis meant that she was having immune system problems and her blood platelets were being destroyed. This was a long-term battle that lasted six months.
Although they were able to treat the problem, there were some side effects from the treatment. The little kitten was fragile, and she could even bleed uncontrollably with a simple fall.
Simona and Alexandru were very nervous when she got the same type of fungal infection again due to her immune system being compromised.
A Tiny Kitten Becomes A Tiny Cat
The illness also had another effect. When she was six months old, she stopped growing. Today, she doesn’t even weigh 6 pounds, but her low weight is not harmful to her.
Shuri is now one year old, and she loves playing. She may be smaller than an average cat, but she is living the good life and showing her strength through all her trials.
