A kitten met another cat who reminded her of her late sister. She immediately hung onto her and wouldn’t let go.
Penelope and Piper@tiny.paws.fosters
About three months ago, two sickly kittens arrived in their foster home after an overextended stay at the county shelter.
Nadija who fosters for AnimalLuvr’s Dream Rescue, took them in and started caring for them around the clock. They were in poor shape and couldn’t see due to a severe eye infection.
Penelope was the bigger and stronger of the two, and with some help, she quickly latched onto her bottle.
Penelope@tiny.paws.fosters
She responded well to treatment and began to improve each day. After every feed, she would cover her sister, Mila, as if to provide comfort.
Despite their best efforts, Mila was so frail that her body sadly could no longer fight. Penelope would meow at the top of her lungs every time her foster mom had to leave the room.
@tiny.paws.fosters
“She kept ‘wrestling’ with her heartbeat stuffy or blanket and was obviously in need of a friend,” Nadija shared.
A couple of days later, Nadija was contacted about another kitten who had been brought into the same county shelter and needed some extra TLC that the shelter was not able to offer.
Piper@tiny.paws.fosters
The kitten named Piper was about the same age as Penelope and also had an eye infection. Amazingly, she shared quite a resemblance to Penelope’s sister, Mila.
“Some things are just meant to be.”
They became instant friends@tiny.paws.fosters
“She is extremely sweet, rubs up against my face, grabs my face to bring it close to hers, purrs nonstop and just seems happy and appreciative for her new accommodations.”
When the two calicos finally met, Penelope was over the moon. After exchanging a few greetings, she cuddled up to Piper the same way she did with Mila.
Penelope snuggled Piper the same way she did with Mila@tiny.paws.fosters
Penelope filled the room with her sweet rumbling purrs. “She was very excited for a new friend, and they have become besties already. Two kittens is always better than one.”
For a while, Nadija was worried that Penelope’s vision might never be restored with the little progress that had been made, but Penelope didn’t seem to be bothered at all.
They became an inseparable pair@tiny.paws.fosters
Despite having no sight, she was able to climb atop her bed effortlessly. Meanwhile, Piper’s eyes were clearing up, and she was able to “guide” Penelope whenever they played.
Penelope would cavort around the room with Piper, following the tip-tap sound of Piper’s feet. They were never far away from each other, and they shared all the toys.
Penelope followed Piper everywhere around the room@tiny.paws.fosters
Through painstaking care and proper treatment, the swelling in Penelope’s eyes went down and the cloudiness started to dissipate. After having surgery to remove adhesions on her eyes, she was able to see through both of them.
“I can’t believe we were able to save both of her eyes,” Nadija added.
Penelope’s eyes were clearing up@tiny.paws.fosters
While Penelope was making great strides, they discovered that Piper had entropion, a condition where the eyelid turns inward. It explained her recurring eye irritation.
@tiny.paws.fosters
After Piper had her corrective surgery, Penelope wrapped her arms around her and purred loudly into her ears.
“Penelope is one of the sweetest kittens I’ve had in a long time. She purrs the second she sees me or hears me, jumps into my lap and goes straight to my face for kisses.”
Penelope snuggled with Piper after her corrective surgery@tiny.paws.fosters
With a second chance and plenty of TLC, the two best friends have turned a corner. They are inching closer to the day when they will be looking for a home together.
Despite a rough beginning, they now have each other, and they couldn’t be happier.
Best of friends@tiny.paws.fosters
Share this story with your friends. More on Penelope, Piper and Nadija’s fosters on Instagram @tiny.paws.fosters and Facebook and AnimalLuvr’s Dream Rescue @animalluvrsdreamrescue.
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