The abandoned one

The little injured one may not be injured at all. He may just be the runt of the litter. Whatever the case he is not thriving.

The mother abandoned him overnight in the middled of the kennel. I found him by himself when I woke up this morning. I tried as best I could to get him to nurse, but it wasn't working.

I have kept him in a basket with me most of the day. He spent a little time with his mom and sibling, but both times I found him exactly where I left him. He was making no effort to nurse, and she was making no effort to encourage him.

The bottle feeding started first thing this morning, but I'm not having much success. I've probably bathed him in just as much food as I've gotten into his tiny belly.

He weighs 3.7 ounces. He sleeps deeply. He had the hiccups for a little while. He's breathing slowly.

The dog, John Adams, wants so much to mother him. He gets as close as he can, nudges him with his snout, and whines when I move him to another room.

I don't know what will become of the abandoned one, but for now he appears comfortable and is experiencing love. Somehow it is both the least and the most I can do.

UPDATE: The kitten died later that night. His brother is the only survivor of the litter, but is thriving.

Just a few hours old (PHOTOS)

Some of the first photos of these little babies were taken when they were likely 7 or 8 hours hours old.

The survivors

I saved a cat and two kittens from my grandparents' property today. Two other kittens weren't so lucky.

Parker and "his" cat

It started with a sweet outside-but-not-feral pregnant cat who has recently adopted my nephew as her person. She follows him around, rubs against him, and talks to him.

Mom reported the cat was scratching at the door and meowing this morning -- unusual behavior for her. When I arrived, she ran up to my car and started chatting. I knew she had to be going into labor, and I planned to pay attention to where she made her nest so we could watch over them.

Kitten Cube

We have lost all control.

Watch my trick

Kitten antics

I put a spell on you

My sister, Amber, and I spent some time "socializing" the kittens today. It was a tough job, but it had to be done. Amber fell under this kitten's spell, but still managed to capture this precious photo.