It is a cold December day when a young man walks along the railway tracks in Covington, Kentucky (USA).
He wasn’t expecting anything unusual, but suddenly his gaze fell on a parcel standing in the middle of the tracks.
Irritated, he takes a closer look – and simply cannot believe who is inside the box.
Abandoned babies
The parcel is taped shut, but the man has a feeling that he should open it urgently.
It is a mixture of curiosity and apprehension that leads him to go onto the tracks and peel the tape off the box.
As it turns out, this decision was spot on, because as soon as he opens the parcel a little, he notices that something is moving inside.
He bravely opens the box completely and ten sad, frightened eyes are already looking at him.
There are five kittens in the parcel, still tiny, probably just five or six weeks old. They are completely frozen and in shock.
Some cold-hearted person has simply left the kittens there to die. But now they have a rescue angel who won’t leave them to their fate.
Worried foster mum
The young man takes the kittens to work with him. There he posts the terrible story on Facebook, hoping that expert rescuers will become aware of the kittens.
Shortly afterwards, Shelly Conner from the animal rescue organisation Stray Haven Pet Rescue got in touch.
Fortunately, she immediately has a place in a foster home for the babies, so they only have to make a short stopover at the animal shelter.
The kittens are named Rocky Road, Cherry Garcia, Pistachio, Sherbet and Chunky Monkey. They settle in well, but then their foster mum makes a worrying discovery.
Four of the five kittens seem to have major problems moving around properly. Chunky Monkey is the only one whose motor skills appear to be normal.
Not as bad as feared
The foster mum immediately contacts Shelly Conner because she fears that the kittens have a neurological disorder.
Shelly takes the five babies in and has them checked by a vet.
There is indeed something wrong with Rocky Road, Cherry Garcia, Pistachio and Sherbet. The four of them have cerebellar hypoplasia, also known as wobbly cat syndrome.
This is a genetic malformation of the cerebellum that can be triggered if the mother cat becomes infected with the feline parvovirus during pregnancy.
Fortunately, wobbly cat syndrome is not dangerous, it just means that the cats cannot control their movements well.
The four kittens also only have a mild form of cerebellar hypoplasia. They soon learn to stand up normally, walk, use the litter tray and eat and drink on their own.
They themselves don’t even realise that they are different. It is quite normal for them to move through life wobbling and swaying, and so they are full of zest for action despite their limitations.
Shelly hopes that she will be able to place the kittens with families who are familiar with wobbly cats. We wish the little ones all the best!
Source: The Dodo
