The zoo-activist drove 40 minutes to get the kitten, and ended up saving another — the second was twice as small as the first.
Animal advocate Ashley Morrison of Seattle, Washington, heard about a brood of kittens that the owner was giving away and knew she had to help.
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«They were being handed out not neutered, not vaccinated, and not treated for parasites,» Ashley says. — I talked to the owner and offered to pay for the vaccinations and some medications for the kittens he was planning to keep because I realized he couldn’t afford to pay for them himself.
She assumed that the last kitten was left to be adopted, but when she got there, she saw another one quivering in the depths of the crate. The furry lump was half the size of its siblings. Inspecting the baby, Ashley noticed that he had pale gums and tremors. «There was something very special about him.»
The man gave Ashley permission to take the second kitten, as long as she provided him with all the medical care he needed. They also had the mother cat spayed to stop having cubs.
A tiny kitten named Zhevun was incredibly tiny for his age. While his brother Moose was fully developed, Zhevun lagged behind him in many ways.
Zhevun visited the vet for the first time and was diagnosed with mild anemia plus several neurological conditions.
By the time he was almost 3 months old, he weighed only 1.5 pounds. Ashley watched him around the clock and made sure he was doing well.
He occasionally rolled his eyes to the bridge of his nose and was less active than the other kittens, but once he got excited, nothing could stop him.
«He whines if he can’t find me and sleeps right under my side. He likes to snooze on the couch, then out of the blue he gets energetic and plays with the others,» Ashley wrote on Instagram.
When his baby brother was ready to be adopted, Zhevun still had some growing up to do. So he wouldn’t be lonely when his brother found his own owners, Ashley paired him with the new kitten.
He met striped Betty, and the two quickly became inseparable friends. They were the same size, even though he was two months older.
After Betty was spayed, Ashley walked into the room and found her in the arms of Zhevun.
After a few weeks, Zhevun passed the 3 kg mark (almost 3.2 kg) — which meant he was ready to be neutered and find a permanent home.
On August 24, his dream came true. Zhevun, along with Betty, was adopted by a beautiful family with several cats in the house.
Watch Zhevun in this cute video:
After a couple of hours on the road, the duo arrived at their new abode.
Betty quickly settled down to snooze on the cat’s climbing bed while Zhevun affectionately and lovingly rubbed himself up against Mommy and Daddy.
«Even though Betty is half his age, she’s about the same size as him. They’re close, like brother and sister, even though they’re not blood related,» said David and Erica, the kittens’ adoptive parents.
«Jevon weighs about 5.5 pounds and Betty weighs 4.6. He’s a sturdy boy, whereas Betty is a little more skinny,» Erica says. — He’s quite affectionate, loves to cuddle. He also loves to play! He chases his older siblings down the hall and around the house.
The little guy has a bogatyr appetite, and as a result, the kitten grows by leaps and bounds.
«We came to the conclusion that Zhevun is normal in all respects, apart from his eyesight. He is not blind, but he clearly has some problems. He recognizes objects mostly by sound or smell.»
«Now, after being here for a few weeks, he acts like a perfectly normal cat. Zhevun scurries at lightning speed from one end of the house to the other until he is completely exhausted. When he’s awake, he needs to do something.»
«Zhevun has turned into an amazingly affectionate guy, with no signs of timidity or anxiety,» the family rejoices.
«At night he sleeps in our bed, at our feet. At some point he decides he has to ride on the lap of both of us at the same time. This results in a very happy purr and lots of poking with his forehead in our faces.»
