Meet Atom and Cordette: two orphaned kitten siblings who have spent their short lives fighting to survive.
Atom and Cordette were found abandoned with three other siblings who had unfortunately passed away. They also had another sister, Gidget, but she sadly only lived to be four days old. Atom and Cordette were covered in bugs, but they were still fighting to stay alive.
Cat rescuer Melinda Blain took in the two siblings. She was determined to help them live.
“They’re straight up skin and bones… They should weigh closer to 150 grams and feeling their tiny rib cages and spines just breaks my heart,” Melinda wrote on her Instagram page. “Tuxie boy also has crackles in his lungs (likely from aspirating formula with the finder). So he’s on antibiotics and there’s oxygen running in the incubator.”
The first few days with the kittens were tough. They were many moments where Melinda thought they wouldn’t make it. Both the kittens were on oxygen, and they were in an incubator.
When Cordette was a few days old, her umbilical cord got infected. Melinda did everything she could to fight back the infection, but it was touch and go for a few days. Finally, though, Cordette started getting better, and Melinda was able to breathe a sigh of relief.
After that, the kittens began getting stronger and stronger. By the time they were a week old, they had both gained a good amount of weight.
“Happy one week birthday to the most high maintenance tiny little fighters. These guys weigh in at 89 grams (Atom) and 94 grams (Cordette). They should be closer to 150-200 grams, but they’ve come so far from the emaciated little babies that I picked up,” Melinda wrote.
Cordette and Atom continued gaining weight and getting bigger. After a few more days, Melinda was able to take them off their feeding tubes. Soon, they were at normal weights for their age. When they were two weeks old, they opened their eyes for the first time. Melinda was so happy!
As Cordette and Atom grew bigger and stronger, it became clear they were completely bonded. They only wanted to spend time with each other.
“They are very much a bonded pair and they get upset if they’re not next to each other at all times. When they had to be separated in the incubator while Cordette’s injury was healing, Cordette used to sneak across the divider to be with Atom before I reinforced it and I’m so glad they’re now able to be safely together.”
By mid-May 2019, Cordette and Atom were ready to move onto their forever home. Melinda officially put the pair up for adoption, and she said they needed a place where they could stay together forever. Hopefully, these will find the perfect home!
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Cordette and Atom are an incredible pair of siblings who wouldn’t let anything stop them from growing. If you want to learn more about these two kittens, head to Melinda’s website. If you’d like to see more cute photos of Cordette, Atom, and Melinda’s other foster kittens, head to her Instagram page.
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