One recent morning Litsa, AZI's coordinator in Amorgos, received a call from a woman about a young cat and her kitten. The mother-cat is not more than a kitten herself at 7 months old and she did not know how to care for her kitten. She gave birth in a hen house where the ground was dirty and cold and where the kitten was at risk of being stepped on. The woman noticed this and tried to move the kitten and his mom to a warm nest many times, but the mother kept moving him back to the hen house. Also the mother cat left the baby alone for long periods of time during the day and he was not getting enough milk, so we brought the baby and his mother to the center.
We will keep the mother and kitten together in a crate for a few days so that the kitten will have a chance to nurse and grow strong. Then, we will move them to the office to give her a rest and where Litsa will keep an eye on them. When they first arrived, the poor kitten was so hungry and cold he purred so loudly when he finally had his mother close by, giving him warmth and nourishment.
We named them Bonnie (the mother) and Clyde (the baby). Once the little one has been weaned and the mom has been spayed, they will be released back to the area from where they came.
UPDATE: July 3, 2014--Mom Bonnie and baby Clyde were released today. After being at the center for about a month, baby Clyde has grown up and learned how to eat by himself. Both were given treatments for fleas, ticks and worms, and Bonnie was vaccinated (Clyde is still too young). They were returned to their home area, which is a big garden outside the village, full of trees, and safe from cars or poison. We'll miss them but wish them well.
