A tiny one-day-old calico female kitten was found in the middle of the night by one of our trappers during a routine Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) project in the Bronx. She still had her umbilical cord attached, and was nestled between two dead older kittens from another litter. The mother cat was nowhere in sight. Cali was cold — a condition that could mean death for a neonatal kitten.
Our trapper rushed Cali to one of our expert bottle-feeders, who slowly warmed her up and eventually fed her. (Feeding a cold kitten can be deadly; they must first be warmed up slowly.) Although at her young age she was without sight or hearing, this sassy girl had no trouble communicating — she cried loudly all night whenever she wanted food or just to be held. That’s one reason we named her Cali, after legendary opera diva Maria Callas — her mews were so loud, it sounded like a kitten who was several weeks old!
Now Cali is one week old, and she’s being fostered by a shelter on Long Island. She’ll be ready for adoption in several months. If you’re interested in adopting Cali, please contact the NYC Feral Cat Initiative of the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals at adoption@NYCFeralCat.org, and we can put you in touch with the appropriate shelter personnel.