On October 10th, 2018, Deputy Bennett Dillon was patrolling a park in Bloomington, Indiana. As Dillon walked by a large pile of trash, he noticed something moving. He started shifting through the trash, and he was shocked when he found a skinny, seven-week-old kitten.
The kitten had been thrown in a trash bag, and she had blood in her eyes and ears. She was barely breathing.
Dillon knew the kitten wouldn’t survive for long. And so, he quickly wrapped the kitten in a blanket and brought her into his car. Then, he called Arlington Heights Veterinary Hospital. They told him to bring the kitten in right away, and a vet named Dr. Miller rushed her into emergency surgery.
“After evaluation, Dr. Miller stated that the kitten had parasites, extremely low body temperature due to exposure, fleas, and a broken leg. The kitten received emergency care, including antibiotics, fluids, a blood transfusion, and a cast/splint,” the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department wrote on Facebook.
Dr. Miller warned Dillon that the cat might not make it. But Dr. Miller said if the kitten made it through the first 24 hours, there was a much better chance she would survive.
The kitten’s health was touch-and-go for the next few days. All of the vets and vet techs at AHVH worked together to care for Lennie—she needed to be force-fed every two hours, and she needed medication every eight hours.
“People were touched by what happened to her, and really wanted her to pull through,” vet tech Lanie Hines told IDS News.
Dr. Miller regularly called the sheriff’s department to give them updates about how the kitten was doing. The sheriffs decided to name the kitten Lennie.
Finally, after a few days, Lennie started getting better! It was clear the little kitten was going to make it.
As Lennie started to feel better, her personality came out. The little kitten is a fierce, willful creature. Even though she still has a cast on her leg, she doesn’t let that stop her from running and playing.
“Now she is as spicy as can be,” Hines said.
One of the other officers from the Monroe County Sherriff’s Office is now fostering Lennie. All of the officers are so happy that this kitten pulled through and is doing so well.
Lennie is a strong kitten who refused to stop fighting. We’re so glad that Deputy Dillon found Lennie, and we’re happy that she’s on the road to recovery!
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