“She looked terrified and was so little” 🥺
The little calico was terrified and alone, with no sign of how she’d gotten there or how long she’d been hiding. Madison called her mom, Alayna, who arrived with a cat carrier. Together, they gently lifted the kitten out of the bushes and took her straight to Camino Veterinary Hospital.
What they found there was sobering. The kitten — white, orange, and gray, and now named S’mores — weighed just one pound and four ounces at an estimated 16 weeks old. She was severely dehydrated, dangerously underweight, and had an injury to her back leg that made walking difficult.
She had a long road ahead. But she had also just found exactly the right people.
Already home
Before they even left the vet, the decision had been made.
“Instantly, we knew she’d be ours,” Alayna said. “Madison was in love already and gave her a bath that first day and took care of her.”
S’mores went home to meet a full household — a tabby cat, two goldendoodles, and a family who immediately rearranged their lives around making sure she thrived.
“Her belly will never go empty with us, that’s for sure,” Alayna said.
Four weeks later
The transformation has been remarkable. S’mores’ leg has fully healed. Her weight is where it should be. And the terrified little kitten found in the bushes is now a settled, loved, endlessly cuddled member of the Novini family.
“She is the perfect addition to our family,” Alayna said. “And Madison found her little best friend.”
An eleven-year-old on a bike ride to Target. A soft cry from the bushes. Sometimes the best things happen when you’re on your way somewhere else entirely.