A chonky kitten named Puppy arrived at an experienced foster mom’s home. And he was one of the youngest felines she had ever cared for. Puppy’s eyes were still closed, which meant he was likely less than 10 days old. But fortunately, he was a nice, healthy weight. He weighed as much as a 2-week-old kitten! That healthy weight was a lifesaver because his mama cat left him behind after relocating her other kittens apparently. He was alone for 12 hours as his rescuers anxiously waited to see if she would return.

First, they gave his mama cat every chance to find him but then it was time to intervene.

Kittens instinctively seek out their mother, but this orphan would never find her. One can imagine how distressing it could be. Kittens may not sleep at night, with separation anxiety that could last into adulthood. The result can lead to many behavioral issues. It’s one of the many reasons rescuers always try to keep the mama with her babies.

To give him the feeling that his mama was there, Heidi introduced a Calmeroos Cat, a plush orange cat. These feature a removable battery-operated heartbeat simulator, heat pack, and soft feel of their mama. There are designs for both cats, puppies. (Or in this case, a kitten named Puppy.)

The Calmeroos Cat worked like a charm and he stayed snuggled underneath.

It’s easy to keep the Calmeroos Cat clean by washing it after removing the heat pack and heart.

With a plush mama and a human mama, Puppy thrived, gaining ” a whopping 30 grams per day.” While Heidi could have introduced him to other foster babies, he remained quarantined to be safe. Generally, a two-week quarantine is necessary to rule out risks like a “panleuk” or Panleukopenia (FPV) outbreak or parasites.

Such a viral outbreak can quickly lead to disaster, and kittens are highly vulnerable. It can be emotionally hard for fosterers to keep an orphan alone, but doing so can mean life or death. It’s an important thing to know for anyone fostering kittens. But when they are safe and clear, introducing a kitten friend is usually a great idea. You’ll see why later.

Even quarantined, Puppy developed a dangerous upper respiratory infection (URI).

A cold can quickly endanger a kitten, leading them to lose their appetites. Consequently, he needed immediate antibiotics and steam treatments with a nebulizer. His carrier became a “little steam room” twice daily.

Fortunately, Puppy was a little trooper and overcame his cold after 5 days of antibiotics. He reached one pound and was ridiculously cute.

Things continued looking up for Puppy, and he remained chonky, weighing more than most kittens his age.

Finally, Puppy made his first kitten pals. He would learn “how to cat” and work out his considerable kitten energy. He was biting his foster mom, having not learned about boundaries and that biting hurts! Now, he had two wrestling buddies. And it’s usually far easier to care for a duo, or even a trio. Keeping kittens with bonded buddies means they spend their time playing together and not attacking your legs or hands!

Then, he was off to a new foster home with The Kitten Squad and the playtime continued endlessly.

Today, Puppy is a purrfectly well-adjusted but silly kitty named Ollie, living with his big brother Baxer in NYC. You can follow their adventures on Instagram.