I’m heartbroken to share that our foster kitten Turtle passed away during his surgery for pectus excavatum. Despite receiving the best care possible, his condition was very severe, and his body was sadly too frail to survive. I want to sincerely thank everyone who believes kittens like Turtle are worth fighting for—especially our wonderful @orphankittenclub supporters and our amazing vet team. We are all devastated by this loss, but grateful to have been able to grant him the dignity of a fighting chance.
Tiny Turtle leaves behind a mighty legacy. He will be entered into our research study, in which we are investigating the causes of mortality in kittens 0-8 weeks of age in order to advance the treatment of neonatal kittens. Turtle leaves a lasting impact through his contribution to this important pediatric research.
The ripple effect of Turtle’s life also will carry on through the many kittens saved through our medical grants. Last year, we funded over 100 emergency surgeries for kittens around the country, including several with pectus excavatum. This year, we hope to help even more like Turtle.
I will personally feel Turtle’s loss heavily for a long time. It’s hard to open your heart to little fragile babies knowing that they might not make it—but whenever there is a chance they will, it’s a chance I want to give to them. I absolutely bonded with Turtle, who was such a loving, tender little boy. He loved extra-warm bottles, kisses, and chin rubs. My heart is broken and I am truly only comforted knowing that his impact will continue on through the work @orphankittenclub does.
Turtle is survived by his precious brother Steve, who misses his friend dearly and is looking for a forever home with another cat or kitten to call his friend.
If you’d like to honor Turtle, please sign up to foster and give a chance to kittens at your local shelter. If you can’t do that, please consider becoming a member of @orphankittenclub in his memory. We will send out a lovely card with Turtle’s tiny paw prints to all who join as members this week. Thank you for helping us carry forth his legacy. Info at orphankittenclub.org/donate
Tiny Turtle, I will love you forever.
💔❤️🩹
