A 5-week-old kitten who was recently found cold to the touch in Berkley on a brisk November morning when temperatures dipped below the freezing mark, is getting a second chance thanks to the quick actions of a community cat feeder and the Animal Rescue League of Boston.
The kitten, now named Applesauce, was found amongst a cat colony by a resident who monitors and feeds the colony and was very alarmed when the kitten was found cold and listless. The finder took the kitten inside, contacted ARL’s Field Services Department, and did their best to warm up the kitten, by using blankets and providing sugar water.
ARL responded to the home and transported the kitten to ARL’s Dedham Animal Care and Adoption Center. Upon intake, the kitten’s temperature was just 93F – a cat’s normal body temperature is typically between 100.5-102.5F.
ARL’s veterinary team used a heated blanket to help increase the kitten’s body temperature and closely monitored him. Over the course of several hours, the kitten’s temperature had risen to 98 degrees, and he was starting to perk up, indicated by a voracious appetite. Aside from being nearly frozen to death, the kitten was otherwise in good health.
With the kitten stable, ARL placed Applesauce into foster care, where his foster family reported that for the first 24-36 hours the kitten was lethargic and spent most of his time curled up in a blanket sleeping. However, by the third day in the foster home, Applesauce rebounded, being very vocal, attention-seeking, and purring for hours on end!
At just 7 weeks old, Applesauce is still too young to find his forever home, however, ARL is thrilled that after the quick actions of the finder, he will have the opportunity to find a family and live the life he deserves. He should be available for adoption in a matter of weeks.
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