A trip to the vet in Kranidi, 12 April 2016, turned into a very distressing time.  Some people have no heart where animal welfare is concerned.   Once I had finished with the vet, en-route there are some big industrial rubbish bins at the bottom of the lane.  I always stop here to feed lots of stray cats that come from the field behind. However, on this particular day, there were noises that came from behind one of the bins.  Upon investigating further, I noticed two large cardboard boxes.  I couldn't believe what was in store for me further.  Upon opening one of the boxes, there were 5 tiny puppies. Upon opening the second cardboard box, there were 4 small newborn kittens swimming in milk!  My heart broke . . . it couldn't be real.  How could someone be so utterly cruel by just leaving these tiny babies to die, was just beyond me.  I had to act quickly.  I couldn't take the puppies, as I didn't have any resources for them.  So I called a friend, telling her of my dilemma.  Luckily, she came at once and took the small puppies with her.  

Where the kittens were concerned, I didn't have a basket in the car, so I transfered these babies into a clean box and immediately drove home to deal with their needs as quickly as possible.  They were tiny, so very fragile and still with their unbilicol cords attached.  It was heartbreaking.  What went through my mind again was whether they would survive or not. Their tiny bodies were so matted with the milk that they were dumped in.  Had they not been found, they certainly would have drowned in the milk they had been left to swim in.  Finally, they were safe.

They were home, they were wrapped in warmness and I vowed, they would get the best chance possible.  It was much too early to give them names, so for now, they were my babies.  Sadly though, the first night saw the loss of one tiny baby.  It had died, but in my heart, I knew it had died with love and warmth.  Now it was survival for the other three little ones.  As time developed, all three started to make good progress and finally I could give names to them.  I called them ZAC (white), MARTHA (calico) and HARRY (ginger).  Zac and Martha were the two that seemed to be making super progress, but there was a continued concerned with Harry.  Sadly, he was struggling.  He was taken to the vets on numerous occasions and basically, the vet couldn't do much or give him anything, because of his size.  Whilst his two siblings grew, Harry was smaller and weaker.  I knew that this was going to be hard for him.  When they reached 6 weeks of age, Harry was still the smaller of the three.  I so much wanted him to get through this difficult preriod, but it felt like a waiting game.  

Then one morning when I woke up, Harry was dead.  He was so small and had died during the night.  He was comforted by his other two siblings, who were sat by him. No more Harry, no more suffering for him.  He was finally at peace.  The battle that he was fighting was all over.  Such a tiny little boy, who I so much wanted to live, had died peacefully knowing he was loved and cared for.  

The other two continued to be as fun loving as ever and grew into beautiful kittens. They were lucky because they were adopted by Laura in Germany, which is where they are now.  The nice thing is that Laura continually sends us updates of their progress, which is amazing.  From tiny little waifs, to beautiful cats.  Sometimes there is a happy ending for some rescues, for others there is continued heartache.

"OUR PURRFECT COMPANIONS NEVER HAVE FEWER THAN FOUR FEET" - COLETTE

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