Hannah Shaw, also known as The Kitten Lady, is the go-to authority when it comes to caring for kittens. Hannah fosters orphaned kittens and shares their stories via social media websites like YouTube and Instagram. She also educates cat lovers worldwide regarding the intricacies of kitten care.
Last November, an animal control officer phoned Hannah and told her they needed her help. A tiny kitten had been abandoned at a local Maryland Petco.
“I just got a call from an animal control officer who said a man walked into Petco with a tissue box with a baby kitten in it,” Hannah said.
“So, Petco called the animal control officer, and the animal control officer called me.”
When Hannah arrived, Petco employees handed her a tiny, 4-day-old kitten that was covered in dirt and fleas.
The small kitten was clearly dehydrated and hungry. It’s unclear what had happened in his few, short days of life but Hannah was determined to help.
When Hannah brought the ginger kitten home, she was stunned to see the baby weighed only 81 grams. “Under a week [old], for sure,” she noted. But, the kitten’s first feeding would have to wait.
“When a little guy like this is found outside in the cold, it’s really not safe to feed them immediately,” she explained. “You want to help him get back to a good temperature before you feed him.”
Because the kitten was so little, Hannah had to use a teeny, tiny syringe to feed him. She wasn’t sure how the baby would act during his first feeding, but he surprised everyone and ate like a champ!
In the video you can see him making biscuits on Hannah’s boyfriend’s hand.
Next on the agenda for Hannah was ridding the kitten of all its fleas. The poor baby was just covered in them, and his back was covered in scabs and bits of blood. Luckily, with a quick flea bath and flea comb brushing, the kitten was almost back to new!
With Hannah’s devoted cared, the tiny kitten started to grow. Hannah named him Hank (short for Hankie) in honor of the tissue box where he was found.
Even though Hank had made a stunning transformation, he had to overcome some obstacles along the way.
Within Hank’s first few days at Hannah’s, he developed a nasty case of neonate opthalmia. The infection affects kittens whose eyes have not yet opened. And, as a result, Hannah had to manually pry them open to apply the cream.
Luckily, however, with Hannah’s care and Hank’s fighting spirit, they managed to evade any permanent damage— and the kitty was just as good as new!
(Or in this case, even better!)
Hank’s first few weeks with Hannah were filled with cuddles and love.
Although, Hannah was still in for one big surprise— turns out Hank was really a ‘she’ this whole time!
By three weeks, Hank tripled her original weight and even learned how to walk!
Here’s an adorable video showing a few of her cutest moments!
Hank got three foster siblings named Grizzly, Kodiak and Sun Bear to keep her company
But she definitely likes Kodiak the best.
Since Hannah uploaded Hank’s story to YouTube, the video has gotten nearly 2 MILLION views.
Watch it for yourself below!
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
ARVE Error: need id and provider
