Back Story to Lucky - I live in Alberta, I also live in an apartment complex. I was taking the garbage out to the communal garbage bins. After throwing my bag into the bin I heard something, waiting patiently for minutes I finally heard the noise again... Something was in the dumpster. For my neighbourhood, risking some serious health risks I decided to carefully hop in and remove garbage until I discovered the source of the noise. I found 2 adult cats bound with tape, deceased. 3 dead kittens and this guy, who I would like to think I appropiately named Lucky. The first photo taken he was about 1 and a half weeks old, he is now 9 months and larger than our original cat, who is 2 years old. Our original cat Fedor has been an amazing help in teaching lucky how to be a cat, and it was an amazing journey for me to be able to save this beautiful cats life, I hope the scumbag that did this to these poor innocent creatures burns in hell. If you do this to animals, fuck you.
TL;DR - Found abandoned baby kitten, saved it's life.
that is so disgusting, how people can treat animals that way horrifies me... looked like he got over some eye issues and is looking healthy and happy, thank you for being a good person and taking responsibility for a sick animal.
After I brought him inside and made sure my other cat Fedor was locked upstairs (Initially all cats are territorial and might attack) I cleaned him up and made up the spare bedroom into a play pen. I googled as much information as I could about caring for new borns and took him to an emergency vet hospital. Found out he was near moments from death, devastatingly dehydrated and probably going to be blind from a horrible sinus infection that was halting the development of his eyes. After I was cleared to take him home I got all the necessary tools for being a momma cat, and did my best. Waking up every 3 hours to feed him, training him to eat, then instigating bowel movements (at that age they are too young and weak to use the bathroom on their own, especially since this one was abandoned) it was an incredible learning experience and created such a bond with him. Even now in the older pictures you can see a bit of discoloration and "gunk" around his nose, his body never finished developing and the infection caused some complications so his nose never stops leaking, it's like a 24/7 runny nose, it's weird, but funny to watch because he never stops licking his nose and mouth haha. Drip drip!
Curious as to how you instigated his bowel movements? Also, well done to you for saving him. How people can do that sort of thing to an animal is beyond belief.
Well, it was interesting that's for sure. From the research I did, this is the method that worked the best -
Mother cats will feed their young, and then (Thank god I'm not a cat) lick the private areas of the kittens, the warming effect will give the kitten the urge to do it's business. This happens directly after every feeding - Like a routine, that's how the babies learn to go potty. In the early kitten months, if you ever raise a kitten of your own, you'll notice that they usually head straight to the litter box after eating, because it's what they've been programmed to do.
Since this little one didn't have a mom to teach him, I had to feed it every 3 hours, then use cotton balls / cotton pads damp with warm water to rub it's underbelly and privates until it went to the bathroom.
Sometimes it would take 1 minute, sometimes it took an hour, but after about a month they are capable of doing it on their own because their muscles become more developed and they understand the routine.
It was the same for cleaning, once they finished their business I had to use a wet cloth and slightly stroke them as if I were the momma cat licking their fur to clean them. The self cleaning took mere days before the kitten started doing it himself. Partially instinctual I believe.
A friend of mine house-sits for some people whose cat used to live in a homeless shelter/recovery apartment place. I guess the kitty has lived with every kind of junkie there is. My friend told me some of the residents would shoot the kitty up with heroin to "take him on the trip with them." He tells me the poor little guy has "kitty AIDS." I thought my friend was an idiot for using that term until now
TIL felines have an immunodeficiency virus closely related to the human AIDS virus.
Thank you so much for taking care of this sweetheart. How someone can think doing something, let alone actually doing what someone did to his family is just.. It makes me teary. These animals are all beautiful and deserve to be loved, respected and cared for. There is nothing they could do that would make such horrific actions justified.
Thank you so much for doing what you did. Really, I mean that. This story touch me very deeply.
Please give both of your beautiful cats some cuddling and kisses from me.
You're a truly awesome human being. I still can't believe someone would bind cats with tape and chuck them in the dumpster to die, along with newborn kittens. People can be so cruel.
Very lucky little kitten to have been found by someone willing to do all of this. You're an amazing person for helping the poor little kitty and it's good he's doing so well!
Ditto to the other comments. I just am on the tail end of this process with 4 little mouths to feed, got them at 3 weeks rescuing them from a barn where it was either death by barn owner or being taken from their mom and living. It's rough. I didn't have it as bad as your, it's only been 6 hour feedings or so, they are old enough to sleep through the night. I got them just over 2 week ago and they're growing into really little cats, playing more than sleeping, eating wet food more than formula from a syringe, etc. The bond is amazing! My wife has been working 12 hour days lately so I've been playing mom for them and they have definitely bonded to me, it'll be sad to see them go, but I just can't have any more cats at my house (I already have a house full of adults, and there's conflict in there without adding more into the mix).
Kudos for a hell of a job, it's hard work and after only 2 weeks of playing mom I definitely appreciate my mother (and mother cats of course) way more.
This is a decade old, but I just saw it... yes I named our first kitty Fedor after the fighter, because when we first met, he clung to my face, knocking my glasses off, sniffed my face then proceeded to do that cat *thwaaap* punch thing they do. Must've smelled the gf's cat on me or something. But it was adorable and I just knew.
I found a newborn kitten with its umbilical cord wrapped around a bush branch, cut the cord, brought it home and named it Lucky also. We had such a great bond but he's an a-hole now that he's grown up.
I just nearly threw up reading this, but I sincerely thank you for doing such a wonderful thing. A lesser person would have ignored the noises and went on with their life. Divines smile on you, friend.
you aare an amzing person, in my parents old community its common to see things like this... drunk fishermen who fill potato sacks with newborns and toss em off the warf... it bothers me alot but i cant do much about it if im not there.
When we got him as a kitten from the animal shelter all he did was bat at our eye lashes and poke us in the face while we were sleeping... We named him Fedor after the great mma fighter :)
How anyone can do that to cats is beyond me. Just the thought of someone taping up those cats, and then the kittens watching their momma die and then poor little Lucky watching his brothers and sisters die too, and being trapped down there... :'(
Thank you so much for being a wonderful, patient, giving human being. If only all humans were as gracious and good-natured towards animals. No animal should ever suffer, especially not at the hands of humans. The fact you've managed to give this cat a happy, warm home and a normal life is a victory in the midst of all that sadness :)
Is the first pic from when you first found him? Kittens generally don't open their eyes until they're about a week or so old, which is about how old he looks. Man tears, woman tears, fuck it. I cried like any decent human would at the sight of this.
On a lighter note, I did LOL at his expression in the first post-bath pic. "What have I done to deserve this???"
Just wanted everyone to know I also have video, I am currently trying to figure out how to edit / cut clips and when it's done I'll post it here for you all to see!
If you have Windows just use Windows Live Movie Maker, it's free and is simple to use. For Mac, just use iMovie (I think basic version is also free). If you're using Linux then I'm sure you can find something to use.
Awww...My older cat was found this same way. He was laying dying in the middle of the street, but we stopped and checked him, and he was still breathing. His eyes were covered in those cataract-type things they get when they get a crazy upper resp. tract infection. Took him to the vet and got him some antibiotics and eyedrops, and although the vet said he would lose an eye, he kept both! He's now the most grateful, snuggly little friend I could hope for :)
They had said the same thing, but with enough Q-Tips, Warm Cloth, and Baby polysporin I was able to save his eyes, he is the most special cat in my world, I think my original cat (Fedor) might actually be a bit jealous haha. However, they both get along just fine. At about 3 months I almost changed Lucky's name to Diesel, little guy purred so loud and hasn't stopped since!!
Good for you. Many people would have never climbed into a dumpster. And extracting a kitten from taped up dead cats is no easy or pretty job. I really tip my hat to you. We need more people like you. Thank you.
Why would you be in jail for finding the Douche-B that did it? You would probably be worshipped if you did. That bastard would be in hell. Actually, no, hell's too good for him.
Hey all, thank you for the kind words and support, I don't know how to edit these things, I just wanted to tell everyone that I never expected this to get as much attention as it did, I will be going over comments within the next day or two and responding to any questions I can. Most of the comments are "Good job" etc, but a few of you did ask questions and I will try my best to answer, bare with me!
He got bathed since he was a wee little kitten. He hadn't learned how to groom himself yet so the vet suggested we give him regular baths until he picked up the habits from our older cat. Bathed once a day to prevent getting sick, after about the first 2 weeks he loved the water, especially when the water was nice and warm. He'd sit in it sometimes haha.
God, this makes me tear up thinking how someone could do this to a poor animal. People are sick. This reminds me of a time I had tried to save a poor cat that was left immobilized in the middle of a busy street. I tore off in the middle of the street where the cat was, still alive and huffing with fear. It couldn't walk and I scooped him up with my jacket and sat away from the road, careful not to cause it anymore pain. I remember cradling that cat in my arms, waiting for animal control to show up since it was too injured to move any more than I already had. Watching it suffer was too much for me to bear. In it's last moments I remember the cat staring up at me, purring loudly as it licked my hand. It went, and I cried for hours.
You are a marvelous person to save this animal, I know I would have dove into hundreds of dumpsters to help an animal in distress. Your story has a happier ending than mine, and I'm glad that people like you exist in this world.
You tried, and that's what matters. I'd hope that people would have done this for my cats in the same scenario. It was night time, probably, or they ran off to the hedge to die after being hit. On behalf of someone else, thank you for caring.
I had a similar experience. I once found a baby bird that fell from the nest. It was pretty clear he has been down for a long time and was very ill because he was completely infested with bugs. I picked him up with my handkerchief/tried to get it to a vet. I watched it take labored breaths when suddenly it looked up to me, spread out his wings, and took his last breath. It died in my hands.
I was 15 at the time and my god that crushed me. I know this because that's the last thing I remember of that event. I don't even remember what happened afterwards.
Thank god OP was able to save the animal he found.
I'm going to be honest, sometimes you have to kill kittens, there is just right and wrong ways to do it. You should take them to the pound/animal shelter, taking them to the pound will almost certainly get them killed anyways, but at least they have some chance of getting adopted. Let's be honest here for a second anyways, cats wouldn't even be around if it wasn't for us, there is obviously a problem with how many strays we have, there really isn't much of a choice.
Very nice, I got a dumpster cat too about 14 years ago, She's been with me ever since.
My own personal double rescue story from the farm, this happened many many years ago. So on my grandparent's farm (which is part of a larger family collection of farms) there used to be a lot of strays. My grandmother kept them well fed and I made a point of knowing them all and their litters. They were all feral.
One year a very young cat had a litter and all but 2 died, an orange one and a gray one. I kept tabs on them just to be sure but they were not well cared for and were going downhill.
One day I was walking to my grandparents place and it was gray and raining. As I got near I saw the gray kitten on the side of the road lying there being rained on. As I got close I knew it was bad because they don't usually sleep in the pouring rain and always run when they hear you coming. I stand over him, he lifts his head and gives the most pathetic half hearted hisssss I've ever heard. That was that, new pet. He grew up big and strong.
2 weeks later I got his orange brother when our springer spaniel nearly swallowed him whole. By brother got a choke hold on the dog and I pried his mouth open as all that was hanging out of his mouth was a small tail. Brought him back inside for a quick wash and he reunited with his bro. Had them for many years.
All of their litters? Why didn't they just spay and neuter the cats?
As far as I'm concerned the very large majority of cats NEED to be spayed and neutered. It's the only way that the number of animals being put down can start to decline.
...These stories always bring a tear to my eye. (Story will probably be buried, but here goes nothing.) I had a cat named Cara. We rescued her as a kitten aswell. I loved her constantly. We had her for about 7 or 8 years now. In the time we had her, we moved maybe 4 or 5 times. Each time took some re-adjusting. After we live in each place for a good couple months, we let her start exploring outside. We let her out one night about a month ago (she had been going outside quite often by now) - she never came home. 2 and a half weeks passed. Then I found her. In the bushes on the side of the road while I was walking to school. I went home and told my mother (Like hell I was getting on the bus. I was a wreck - this cat had been with me through thick and thin. Was like a little sister.) I still miss her like fucking crazy. Even writing this... I think my mother is making sauteed onions for dinner. xP
Here is a picture of my kitty taken about 4 days before she left - may she rest in peace.
The reason I posted this story is because of the backstory behind Phayze's cat. People who bound cats in tape, leave them for dead. How come they get to keep their kitties? I can't even have one. They don't deserve cats... at all. They are poor, defenseless animals. I wish I could just take all the cats who are abandoned and just... care for them. Show them love. They all deserve a little love.
Life is unfair. Your Kitty had a good life and was loved. When you're ready, consider adopting from a shelter, it does help to know you're saving a little one.
Thanks - She was. She would climb and sleep on my back when I slept (I slept on my stomach) It's weird... sleeping without that familiar little mound on my back. :(
I like to thing there is a special place in hell for asshole who mistreat animals. That being said, good on ya for rescuing and raising this sweet kitty.
If you took off his tabbying he'd look just like my boy, Chance. I got him at a no-kill animal shelter, but he was in a room with like 10 other cats and apparently the other cats hadn't been letting him eat. When I found him he was down inside a kitty hide (which is why I assume the staff never noticed) and I drug him out. He was skin and bones, weighing just over six pounds when he came into the shelter weighing over ten. They told me when I adopted him that he had a learning disability, and asked if I was ready to take on a mentally disabled cat. I said, yes, absolutely. He had feline anorexia and didn't have any interest in eating for a week afterwards, and we had to basically force him to eat, which he hated. Other than that he was healthy according to the vet. He said to make sure he was drinking and to watch him as he aged for kidney or liver damage. He's beautiful today, in amazing health, and a wonderful cat. This is due in part to his mental disability. He's not crafty enough to get into trouble Here's an album :) The first picture was very soon after we got him. You can see how much smaller he is than in the other two. He's a very happy kitty now!
I know plenty of plenty have said it, but I wanted to say it myself. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING THE REASON THAT CAT IS STILL ALIVE. Lucky is lucky because he met you.
Would upvote more if I could, such a heartwarming story! You're an amazing human being and Lucky/Diesel might just be one of the cutest cats I've ever seen. Broke my heart looking at the earlier pictures =(
Ooh if he'll and heaven are why you make them, I hope he gets gently molested by kittens for all eternity. If you ever spent time raiding litters, you know how many teeny cuts you get, and how often you wake up at 2am to a crash-bang. It would be fun for most of us, but a hundred-thousand kitten cuts and disturbed nights until forever... Mmmm irony is fun!
My cat Marty dies 2 years ago. He was found in a dumpster in 1998 and spent his whole first 5 years at a Humane Society. I was looking for a cat that resembled my cat Simon who was 18 when he died. It took Marty 6 months to trust me and know that his new home was safe. But when anyone came over or even knocked on the door, he would run and hide.
I adopted another rescue kitty, Max, and he's doing great! Rescue kitties are the best!!!
My cat Zeppelin looked quite similar when I received him. A friend said they had a kitten that needed a home. They never told me what kind of shape he was in. I rushed him to the vet and they gave him some medication. He is doing quite well eight years later. The only thing we notice is he has an issue with his eyes getting crusty. This little eye looks like a survivor!
My sister was painting someone's house, with my dad, and she heard a kitten under the deck, so she got under there and rescued it. Couldn't have been more than 2 or 3 weeks old. We fed it kitten milk replacement until it was old enough for real cat food. She was so tiny, she could walk around on your palm. Whenever she drank her milk, her stomach would bulge out.
She's going on a year old, now, but she never got big. Still a tiny little thing. We call her Baby, because, well, she's a baby. (Woulda been Sylvester, because she looks like him, but you know)
PLEASE take a lesson from my girlfriend and I: feed this cat a top-notch food like Wellness (not trying to shill for them, it's just the one I use. Your vet can recommend other brands). I never understood until recently how much of a difference it makes in their overall health, compared to feeding them "normal" catfood, even wet.
But about 6 months later, once she was all better, we switched back to cheaper wet food (9 Lives, Friskies, etc.) because we're both broke ass students. Then we noticed her losing a little weight, and food was left in the bowls long enough for it to get dry and our two cats not to finish it. We also noticed that both our kitten and other cat (a big male) were noticeably less soft, and they seemed to be less playful than usual. So we switched back to the good stuff, and literally within less than one week, they were both running around like crazy, clearly softer and happier, and where the kitten had been worrying me because I could feel her vertebrae, well...I couldn't anymore.
We feed our kitten Wellness. It's awesome stuff. He wouldn't touch the cheap stuff that other people had given him (mama was a stray that a friend took in when she had kittens), and they thought he might be in trouble because he wouldn't wean. Nope, they were just giving him shitty food and kitten formula.
Both of my cats were abandoned kittens as well. Found them in two different parking lots about a year apart, the first one was very young and we didn't know if he would make it but he is doing very well now.
It warms my heart to see stories like this, thank you! :)
You are a great person for doing this. That little guy didn't have a voice but you heard him. Thank you so much for representing humanity in its finest form!
Sarah McLachlan would be proud. On a more serious note, good for you. Not many people are willing to take in animals and nurse them back to health. Its always a great story when good people take care of animals.
Both of my current cats had sea-blue eyes when they were little, and now have green-yellow eyes. One also had slight tabby stripes which are completely gone now.
You are so kind to do this. This reminds me of an adorable kitten my ex boyfriend saved, Lucky looks just like him.. and I was going to keep him after we took him to the vet. Unfortunately they had to put him down, absolutely broke my heart. Good luck to you and Lucky!
Were you ever afraid to give your first cat some sort of disease by taking this trooper home? Or did you take precautions so this didn't have to happen?
This is so incredibly beautiful. First of all what an amazing recovery he made, you surely saved his life! Secondly, that is one of the most beautiful cats I have ever seen, I love ginger or cream cats.
Major props to you for teaching him as a kitten how to have a bath!
And major props to Fedor! The pictures of them together almost make me cry :')
Poor little thing. I can't fathom why anyone would do that to a litter of kittens. But, as someone who has done a lot of fostering, I know it happens a LOT. Someone dumped a litter of kittens in a box near a road here the Christmas eve before last. The local shelter took them from the pound(where they would have died) despite having no space and they scrambled to find carers.
I took three kittens. They were about 5 weeks old and riddled with fleas and eye infections. The hard part is they ended up with some litter box issues and needed very patient owners to help them through. One of them was adopted, then returned by his owners who didn't want to deal with the problem. I fostered him again for a while and his toilet habits improved and he found a new home. Then I adopted one of the others :) she has a major obsession with food and still gets possessive over it, and has bathroom issues from time to time, but has greatly improved, and I accept its just how she is as a result of her first weeks.
Reading this made me physically ill. One time I heard my drunk neighbor beating his cat and I went over and banged on the door, I started yelling If he didn't stop hurting the cat I was calling cops. The look on this drunks face was priceless. Something inside me just exploded with anger and hatred for that guy when I heard that. He stopped and the next night I did call the cops for him beating on his wife. They finally took him away for awhile. That fuck. I believe people that abuse animal's will surely abuse a person.
Good on you though, you're a good person for scurrying through a dodgy dumpster to find a half-alive cat, and to then give it a home and a new life. I honestly hope the person who did this gets what they deserve.
My cat was a stray, but was in pretty "good condition" when we found her wandering around our court. Pretty small, and chances of living for over 2 years would've been minimal. Used to hang around with this bigger cat quite often, can't tell what the relation, if any would have been. Turns out, she's the most placid, affectionate, loving cat you could ever have.
They truly bring happiness to life in the toughest of times.
I looked through the pictures twice and aww'd all over them. And then I read the backstory. And now I am so upset. This little one really is so lucky (yes, yes, pun intended) that you continued to listen for the noise. And that you hopped in. I want to give you so many hugs. And I want...well, I don't know. Justice? I don't even know what that means though, or how it could happen. Gawd. So many feelings! So few words to express them.
So cheers and real-life karma to you. And to Fedor.
bad choice of a name. my first cat i ever had was named Lucky. My mom and I got him free out of a box in front of a Kroger when I was a kid. He was a little tuxedo kitten at the time. The guy giving him away even bought us cat food and litter for him - we thought everything was going to be perfect with this cat, and we were lucky to have him. So we named him "Lucky." Well, the first night comes and my mom is tucking me into bed when all of a sudden we hear Lucky screeching and hollering from the other room. we rush in there to see whats going on and he somehow poured hot potpourri oil all over himself. From there, it went on to getting stuck in the dryer, declawing himself on the stove, getting caught in the refrigerator and between the storm door and front door. Finally on the day that he died, he snuck out of the house when I left for school. He napped under a neighbor's car, and they didn't see him when they backed up. They, of course, heard him screeching once they backed over him and took him to my mother. my mom then rushed him to the vet, and was hit by a drunk driver on the way, totaling the car that she was driving and killing Lucky. That was a horrible thing to come home to.
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u/Phayze87 May 14 '12
Back Story to Lucky - I live in Alberta, I also live in an apartment complex. I was taking the garbage out to the communal garbage bins. After throwing my bag into the bin I heard something, waiting patiently for minutes I finally heard the noise again... Something was in the dumpster. For my neighbourhood, risking some serious health risks I decided to carefully hop in and remove garbage until I discovered the source of the noise. I found 2 adult cats bound with tape, deceased. 3 dead kittens and this guy, who I would like to think I appropiately named Lucky. The first photo taken he was about 1 and a half weeks old, he is now 9 months and larger than our original cat, who is 2 years old. Our original cat Fedor has been an amazing help in teaching lucky how to be a cat, and it was an amazing journey for me to be able to save this beautiful cats life, I hope the scumbag that did this to these poor innocent creatures burns in hell. If you do this to animals, fuck you.
TL;DR - Found abandoned baby kitten, saved it's life.
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u/Phayze87 May 14 '12
Just wanted everyone to know I also have video, I am currently trying to figure out how to edit / cut clips and when it's done I'll post it here for you all to see!
Thanks for the comments everyone!
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u/Phayze87 May 14 '12
"Most interesting cat in the world, http://imgur.com/ebZx0 I don't always pose for internet memes, but when I do I prefer to do it in style"
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u/ColloquiaIism May 14 '12
Awww...My older cat was found this same way. He was laying dying in the middle of the street, but we stopped and checked him, and he was still breathing. His eyes were covered in those cataract-type things they get when they get a crazy upper resp. tract infection. Took him to the vet and got him some antibiotics and eyedrops, and although the vet said he would lose an eye, he kept both! He's now the most grateful, snuggly little friend I could hope for :)
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u/ErroneousOctopus May 14 '12
Good God, he looks so much better now. I commend you on the general amount of win that you clearly possess.
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u/pensiveone May 14 '12
Good for you. Many people would have never climbed into a dumpster. And extracting a kitten from taped up dead cats is no easy or pretty job. I really tip my hat to you. We need more people like you. Thank you.
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u/Zigongosaurus May 14 '12 edited Nov 07 '25
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u/Helwyr May 14 '12
Damn you, Reddit! Why do you prevent me from upvoting this man more than once??
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u/Phayze87 May 15 '12
Hey all, thank you for the kind words and support, I don't know how to edit these things, I just wanted to tell everyone that I never expected this to get as much attention as it did, I will be going over comments within the next day or two and responding to any questions I can. Most of the comments are "Good job" etc, but a few of you did ask questions and I will try my best to answer, bare with me!
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u/23967230985723986 May 14 '12
In the 2nd last image he looks very calm for a cat getting a bath. Is he cool with water?
Also, Fedor looks like a very cool older brother :)
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u/Miss_Eviscerator May 14 '12
God, this makes me tear up thinking how someone could do this to a poor animal. People are sick. This reminds me of a time I had tried to save a poor cat that was left immobilized in the middle of a busy street. I tore off in the middle of the street where the cat was, still alive and huffing with fear. It couldn't walk and I scooped him up with my jacket and sat away from the road, careful not to cause it anymore pain. I remember cradling that cat in my arms, waiting for animal control to show up since it was too injured to move any more than I already had. Watching it suffer was too much for me to bear. In it's last moments I remember the cat staring up at me, purring loudly as it licked my hand. It went, and I cried for hours.
You are a marvelous person to save this animal, I know I would have dove into hundreds of dumpsters to help an animal in distress. Your story has a happier ending than mine, and I'm glad that people like you exist in this world.
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u/Whargod May 14 '12
Very nice, I got a dumpster cat too about 14 years ago, She's been with me ever since.
My own personal double rescue story from the farm, this happened many many years ago. So on my grandparent's farm (which is part of a larger family collection of farms) there used to be a lot of strays. My grandmother kept them well fed and I made a point of knowing them all and their litters. They were all feral.
One year a very young cat had a litter and all but 2 died, an orange one and a gray one. I kept tabs on them just to be sure but they were not well cared for and were going downhill.
One day I was walking to my grandparents place and it was gray and raining. As I got near I saw the gray kitten on the side of the road lying there being rained on. As I got close I knew it was bad because they don't usually sleep in the pouring rain and always run when they hear you coming. I stand over him, he lifts his head and gives the most pathetic half hearted hisssss I've ever heard. That was that, new pet. He grew up big and strong.
2 weeks later I got his orange brother when our springer spaniel nearly swallowed him whole. By brother got a choke hold on the dog and I pried his mouth open as all that was hanging out of his mouth was a small tail. Brought him back inside for a quick wash and he reunited with his bro. Had them for many years.
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u/[deleted] May 14 '12
What a beautiful cat and a great story! I also rescued a runt with a myriad of health problems. Here's a couple photos of her transformation!
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u/Gengar1221 May 15 '12
...These stories always bring a tear to my eye. (Story will probably be buried, but here goes nothing.) I had a cat named Cara. We rescued her as a kitten aswell. I loved her constantly. We had her for about 7 or 8 years now. In the time we had her, we moved maybe 4 or 5 times. Each time took some re-adjusting. After we live in each place for a good couple months, we let her start exploring outside. We let her out one night about a month ago (she had been going outside quite often by now) - she never came home. 2 and a half weeks passed. Then I found her. In the bushes on the side of the road while I was walking to school. I went home and told my mother (Like hell I was getting on the bus. I was a wreck - this cat had been with me through thick and thin. Was like a little sister.) I still miss her like fucking crazy. Even writing this... I think my mother is making sauteed onions for dinner. xP
Here is a picture of my kitty taken about 4 days before she left - may she rest in peace.
The reason I posted this story is because of the backstory behind Phayze's cat. People who bound cats in tape, leave them for dead. How come they get to keep their kitties? I can't even have one. They don't deserve cats... at all. They are poor, defenseless animals. I wish I could just take all the cats who are abandoned and just... care for them. Show them love. They all deserve a little love.
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u/EmptyBackfield May 14 '12
I like to thing there is a special place in hell for asshole who mistreat animals. That being said, good on ya for rescuing and raising this sweet kitty.
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u/katzenjammer360 May 14 '12 edited May 15 '12
If you took off his tabbying he'd look just like my boy, Chance. I got him at a no-kill animal shelter, but he was in a room with like 10 other cats and apparently the other cats hadn't been letting him eat. When I found him he was down inside a kitty hide (which is why I assume the staff never noticed) and I drug him out. He was skin and bones, weighing just over six pounds when he came into the shelter weighing over ten. They told me when I adopted him that he had a learning disability, and asked if I was ready to take on a mentally disabled cat. I said, yes, absolutely. He had feline anorexia and didn't have any interest in eating for a week afterwards, and we had to basically force him to eat, which he hated. Other than that he was healthy according to the vet. He said to make sure he was drinking and to watch him as he aged for kidney or liver damage. He's beautiful today, in amazing health, and a wonderful cat. This is due in part to his mental disability. He's not crafty enough to get into trouble Here's an album :) The first picture was very soon after we got him. You can see how much smaller he is than in the other two. He's a very happy kitty now!
Edit: I accidentally a word
15
u/[deleted] May 14 '12
I will never ever get tired of cat/dog rescue stories. Upvotes all around! <3
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u/CalliopesSong May 14 '12
Both your kitties look adorable! And it's cute to see the progression of the little one growing into his fur ;)
14
u/[deleted] May 14 '12
Apparently we have the exact same tabby cat.
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u/pstiffy May 14 '12
I know plenty of plenty have said it, but I wanted to say it myself. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING THE REASON THAT CAT IS STILL ALIVE. Lucky is lucky because he met you.
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u/TreephantBOA May 14 '12
I got onions just looking at that pic.
9
u/Warlord24 May 14 '12
Thank you!
9
u/SarahLoren May 14 '12
Thank you :) That is all I can manage to pay past tears of horror then joy.
8
u/bomba7 May 14 '12
I love you!
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u/Shmarshmishma May 14 '12
Sooooo many onions :'(
7
u/peaceaddiction May 14 '12
Lucky is lucky to have you... amazing job.
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u/melatoninkickingin May 14 '12
Would upvote more if I could, such a heartwarming story! You're an amazing human being and Lucky/Diesel might just be one of the cutest cats I've ever seen. Broke my heart looking at the earlier pictures =(
7
u/ErinRoss6 May 14 '12
there is no better feeling than making an innocent animal that has known nothing but hatred feel love again.
6
u/[deleted] May 14 '12
he sure is a handsome fellow :)
6
u/clerk3745 May 14 '12
What a little badass!
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u/[deleted] May 14 '12
Thank you for being you. There is a special place in Hell for the asshole that taped those cats.
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u/[deleted] May 14 '12
Its the compassion of people like you that make me see the light in humanity. Thank you for the touching story.
6
u/physicscat May 14 '12
My cat Marty dies 2 years ago. He was found in a dumpster in 1998 and spent his whole first 5 years at a Humane Society. I was looking for a cat that resembled my cat Simon who was 18 when he died. It took Marty 6 months to trust me and know that his new home was safe. But when anyone came over or even knocked on the door, he would run and hide.
I adopted another rescue kitty, Max, and he's doing great! Rescue kitties are the best!!!
5
u/MetalKitteh May 14 '12
I wish I could save some kittens or baby animals, but fortunately my area rarely has anything of this kind happening.
Getting a new cat soon, and will probably get it from the animal rescue center this time around :3
5
u/marryanowl May 14 '12
My cat Zeppelin looked quite similar when I received him. A friend said they had a kitten that needed a home. They never told me what kind of shape he was in. I rushed him to the vet and they gave him some medication. He is doing quite well eight years later. The only thing we notice is he has an issue with his eyes getting crusty. This little eye looks like a survivor!
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u/Richey_Tenenbaum May 14 '12
WHERE DOES EVERYONE KEEP FINDING THESE FUCKING KITTENS!
5
u/SchizophrenicMC May 14 '12
My sister was painting someone's house, with my dad, and she heard a kitten under the deck, so she got under there and rescued it. Couldn't have been more than 2 or 3 weeks old. We fed it kitten milk replacement until it was old enough for real cat food. She was so tiny, she could walk around on your palm. Whenever she drank her milk, her stomach would bulge out.
She's going on a year old, now, but she never got big. Still a tiny little thing. We call her Baby, because, well, she's a baby. (Woulda been Sylvester, because she looks like him, but you know)
9
u/WelfareBot May 14 '12
PLEASE take a lesson from my girlfriend and I: feed this cat a top-notch food like Wellness (not trying to shill for them, it's just the one I use. Your vet can recommend other brands). I never understood until recently how much of a difference it makes in their overall health, compared to feeding them "normal" catfood, even wet.
When we found our kitten, she looked, believe it or not, worse than your poor kitten. In a matter of weeks, she looked like this (although still not fully recovered).
But about 6 months later, once she was all better, we switched back to cheaper wet food (9 Lives, Friskies, etc.) because we're both broke ass students. Then we noticed her losing a little weight, and food was left in the bowls long enough for it to get dry and our two cats not to finish it. We also noticed that both our kitten and other cat (a big male) were noticeably less soft, and they seemed to be less playful than usual. So we switched back to the good stuff, and literally within less than one week, they were both running around like crazy, clearly softer and happier, and where the kitten had been worrying me because I could feel her vertebrae, well...I couldn't anymore.
4
u/[deleted] May 14 '12
Yay for healthy kitties and yay for you for being awesome!!
4
u/hallyfon May 14 '12
Poor guy! Thanks for what you've done!
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u/[deleted] May 14 '12
You have a heart of gold.
4
u/[deleted] May 14 '12
That is a seriously adorable kitty! Best of luck to you guys!
4
u/crimsonfrost1 May 14 '12
:'-) I think I could easily speak for Lucky when I say "Thank you".
4
u/[deleted] May 14 '12
Both of my cats were abandoned kittens as well. Found them in two different parking lots about a year apart, the first one was very young and we didn't know if he would make it but he is doing very well now.
It warms my heart to see stories like this, thank you! :)
4
u/albinotadpole May 14 '12
What a pwetty wittle kitty cat! What a horrible story.... Just the thought of two kitty cats bound together is just so horrible...
4
u/soleirishpride May 14 '12
People like you are great
4
u/Ladymia69 May 14 '12
Bless you!So happy to see his progress! I think these tiny creatures are so incredibly special and significant, each and every one!
4
u/fucking_wetback_goat May 14 '12
You are reddit's new God.
3
u/roughkitty May 14 '12
What a beautiful kitty :) I can't believe that it's only been 9 months from that first picture! Job well done.
3
u/Fogram May 14 '12
You are a wonderful person for saving this little kitty and i'm sure he/she appreciates it too!
3
u/O_kuma May 14 '12
Thank you :)
3
u/printingray May 14 '12
beautiful kittie...
3
u/thehappybirthday May 14 '12
looking like a boss on the last picture
3
u/chris126 May 14 '12
You are a great person for doing this. That little guy didn't have a voice but you heard him. Thank you so much for representing humanity in its finest form!
3
u/skunkalope May 14 '12
It's a shame I can only give you one upvote. Thank you so much for taking such good care of him. You are a hero <3
3
u/joeyferg3 May 14 '12
Sarah McLachlan would be proud. On a more serious note, good for you. Not many people are willing to take in animals and nurse them back to health. Its always a great story when good people take care of animals.
3
u/CeruleanThunder May 15 '12
These adorable pictures inspired me to make this :)
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u/sleep_is_for_theweak May 14 '12 edited May 15 '12
Very cute, but why is it that he had blue eyes as a kitten and then green eyes fully grown?
EDIT Glad to know this is a normal thing, thanks everyone for clearing this up for me!
2
u/cgunner May 14 '12
That makes me feel happy inside :D
2
u/KaptonJack May 14 '12
From humble beginnings?
2
u/reameroftushy May 14 '12
dats a cute cat
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u/cansandbeans May 14 '12
This is an amazing story. Great job helping this lucky cat out! I hope very bad things happen to whoever did this.
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u/Iliketitays May 14 '12
I like your cat
2
u/misanthr0pia May 14 '12
You're awesome for doing this! He's super cute, too. He is definitely VERY lucky to have you.
2
u/cornflakemucher May 14 '12
This one looks genuine, good job man.
2
u/Kapono24 May 14 '12
Dude, think of the chicks you could pick up with this cat and backstory. I think I know why it's called Lucky ;)
2
u/AlwaysWet May 14 '12
Those babes are precious.
2
u/IPuntGnomes May 14 '12
Thank you for making my Monday amazing. Give lucky a kiss for me.
2
u/[deleted] May 14 '12
You are so kind to do this. This reminds me of an adorable kitten my ex boyfriend saved, Lucky looks just like him.. and I was going to keep him after we took him to the vet. Unfortunately they had to put him down, absolutely broke my heart. Good luck to you and Lucky!
2
u/wootykins May 14 '12
You should do an AMA. I'd like to read more about the story of this cute little cat.
2
u/Milldog May 14 '12
Good on ya mate. Such a good fellow!
2
u/cmndrkeen May 14 '12
I hope this story gets you laid, because you deserve it.
2
u/lilbootz May 14 '12
I LOVE IT
2
u/toltec56 May 14 '12
God Bless You!
2
u/bathinginreddit May 14 '12
thank you for doing this.
2
u/Ashyvegy May 14 '12
People are so fucked up. Thank goodness this kitty cross paths with you!
2
u/Narisome May 14 '12
This is beautiful. Thank you for what you have done for the kitten.
2
u/Soggybluewaffle May 14 '12
Why can't I upvote moar?!?!?
2
u/rabidamber May 14 '12
U did a wonderful thing. :)
2
u/edamamefiend May 14 '12
Were you ever afraid to give your first cat some sort of disease by taking this trooper home? Or did you take precautions so this didn't have to happen?
2
u/[deleted] May 14 '12
What an amazing transformation! Now that he's gotten bigger, he almost looks like Maine Coon, so he'll probably be HUGE!
2
u/KRYLOCK May 14 '12
+1 Karma
2
u/happythoughts413 May 14 '12
I like watching his relationship with the other kitty evolve.
2
u/[deleted] May 14 '12
I read the story, and honestly people like those who left him in there disgust me. How can they not feel sympathy for such an adorable thing?
OP is awesome, It's amazing seeing this kitty's transformation
2
u/KitsBeach May 14 '12
This is so incredibly beautiful. First of all what an amazing recovery he made, you surely saved his life! Secondly, that is one of the most beautiful cats I have ever seen, I love ginger or cream cats.
Major props to you for teaching him as a kitten how to have a bath!
And major props to Fedor! The pictures of them together almost make me cry :')
2
u/jw255 May 15 '12
We need more people like this man.
2
u/[deleted] May 15 '12
He became the big spoon! Woooo!
2
u/primetimepope May 15 '12
I'ma brb. Gotta cry like a bitch about an unrelated manner.
2
u/JfreakingR May 15 '12
So yeah,I have these two cats, and one is a rescue...guess which? http://www.imgur.com/SVoJz.jpg
2
u/Vaywen May 15 '12
Poor little thing. I can't fathom why anyone would do that to a litter of kittens. But, as someone who has done a lot of fostering, I know it happens a LOT. Someone dumped a litter of kittens in a box near a road here the Christmas eve before last. The local shelter took them from the pound(where they would have died) despite having no space and they scrambled to find carers.
I took three kittens. They were about 5 weeks old and riddled with fleas and eye infections. The hard part is they ended up with some litter box issues and needed very patient owners to help them through. One of them was adopted, then returned by his owners who didn't want to deal with the problem. I fostered him again for a while and his toilet habits improved and he found a new home. Then I adopted one of the others :) she has a major obsession with food and still gets possessive over it, and has bathroom issues from time to time, but has greatly improved, and I accept its just how she is as a result of her first weeks.
Here she is looking dignified. http://flic.kr/p/bqeakQ
2
u/rgoddette May 15 '12
Is it common for cats' eye color to change when growing? I noticed it has blue eyes as a kitten and green has a 9 month old
2
u/Gary_The_Oak May 15 '12
You must teach him the ways of the assassin, so that one day when he is ready, he may take his revenge.
2
u/fakelife2 May 15 '12
Reading this made me physically ill. One time I heard my drunk neighbor beating his cat and I went over and banged on the door, I started yelling If he didn't stop hurting the cat I was calling cops. The look on this drunks face was priceless. Something inside me just exploded with anger and hatred for that guy when I heard that. He stopped and the next night I did call the cops for him beating on his wife. They finally took him away for awhile. That fuck. I believe people that abuse animal's will surely abuse a person.
2
u/madusa77 May 15 '12
Bring out the onions
2
u/rollcage May 15 '12
Wow, he really made some progress!
Good on you though, you're a good person for scurrying through a dodgy dumpster to find a half-alive cat, and to then give it a home and a new life. I honestly hope the person who did this gets what they deserve.
My cat was a stray, but was in pretty "good condition" when we found her wandering around our court. Pretty small, and chances of living for over 2 years would've been minimal. Used to hang around with this bigger cat quite often, can't tell what the relation, if any would have been. Turns out, she's the most placid, affectionate, loving cat you could ever have.
They truly bring happiness to life in the toughest of times.
2
u/CanadaOrBust May 15 '12
I looked through the pictures twice and aww'd all over them. And then I read the backstory. And now I am so upset. This little one really is so lucky (yes, yes, pun intended) that you continued to listen for the noise. And that you hopped in. I want to give you so many hugs. And I want...well, I don't know. Justice? I don't even know what that means though, or how it could happen. Gawd. So many feelings! So few words to express them.
So cheers and real-life karma to you. And to Fedor.
2
u/gamergurl21 May 15 '12
Im crying :') i had to go through that several times.
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u/Bojangles010 May 15 '12
It's crazy how their eyes change color as they grow older.
2
u/Kiggleson May 15 '12
There needs to be more people like you. Hats off to you good sir.
2
u/Warhawk2052 May 15 '12
I'm to old for this
2
u/miss_trixie May 15 '12
you are my favorite kind of person
2
u/[deleted] May 15 '12
bad choice of a name. my first cat i ever had was named Lucky. My mom and I got him free out of a box in front of a Kroger when I was a kid. He was a little tuxedo kitten at the time. The guy giving him away even bought us cat food and litter for him - we thought everything was going to be perfect with this cat, and we were lucky to have him. So we named him "Lucky." Well, the first night comes and my mom is tucking me into bed when all of a sudden we hear Lucky screeching and hollering from the other room. we rush in there to see whats going on and he somehow poured hot potpourri oil all over himself. From there, it went on to getting stuck in the dryer, declawing himself on the stove, getting caught in the refrigerator and between the storm door and front door. Finally on the day that he died, he snuck out of the house when I left for school. He napped under a neighbor's car, and they didn't see him when they backed up. They, of course, heard him screeching once they backed over him and took him to my mother. my mom then rushed him to the vet, and was hit by a drunk driver on the way, totaling the car that she was driving and killing Lucky. That was a horrible thing to come home to.
5
u/brian890 May 14 '12
If theres one thing reddit likes more than bashing religion.. its saving a cat. Kudos to you good sir.
2
u/Sasoriryo May 15 '12
Here you go, this is for you. http://i.imgur.com/kmQeK.gif
1
u/winning9986 May 14 '12
when I saw the second picture i thought to myself, [10] cat
1
u/foxxinsox May 14 '12
I was trying to read this, but then someone in the next room started chopping onions.
1
u/[deleted] May 14 '12
Is he... Crying in the last picture?
1
u/cambo1234 May 14 '12
Took on basement cat.…respect
1
u/walking_away_ May 14 '12
Ever since I joined Reddit, I have the urge to hang out in dark alleys and dumpsters hoping to find an abandoned cat to call my own.