Special care helps kittens to cope with their special needs
Ralphie loves his ball and listens to sound of the bell inside to locate his toy
SECUNDA – Two kittens with special needs are crawling into the hearts of everyone who crosses their paths.
Ralphie is blind after falling from a rooftop when he was only a week old. Vixen is recovering from a spinal injury after a dog attacked her and her siblings when they were just born.
Both kittens were rescued by Feral Watch and TNR and hospitalised.
Ms Pam Coetzer, Ralphie’s human mom, said he is able to see outlines but is mostly dependent on his other senses.
“He fell off a roof in the Sasol plant and his head was severely swollen when he came to me,” explained Ms Coetzer. She fosters orphaned and injured kittens until they are ready to be adopted, but Ralphie is not going anywhere.
“I adopted him because he really needs around the clock care. He must be given water from a bottle every three hours and he must be regularly spoon fed. He cannot find the food on his own.”
Ms Coetzer and her husband, Chris, have decided not to move any furniture around as Ralphie is now getting use to his surroundings.
This pitch black ball of fluff is very active and playful. He has taken to a foster friend, Mouse, and the two play for hours on end.
He loves his ball and listens to the sound of the bell inside to locate his toy.
Ralphie is now eight weeks old.
Vixen is in the care of Jaco van Zyl, the son of Feral Watch’s founder, Ms Nicolette van Zyl.
Vixen is about six weeks old, but is very tiny for her age.
This feisty off-white kitten was also very ill from the shock of the attack.
She could not use her hind legs and the Van Zyl’s had to place her in a walking ring to encourage her to walk.
“She is improving daily, but tires quickly. We still have a long road ahead,” said Jaco.
Vixen is also not up for adoption, because she needs special food to get her weight up to standard.
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