Jon

If anyone has spent time with a mother cat and her kittens you know they share a strong bond. That is why, when we learned of a 2-day kitten whose mother was hit by a car and killed, we knew we had to save her surviving son.

On Friday, the heat index in St. Charles, Missouri was nearing 100 degrees. Most people would think the temperature would have caused the kitten to die of hyperthermia. What helped was the orphan was found in a shady grass area which did protect him from the direct sun.

When the little guy was dropped off at the St. Charles County Pet Adoption Center, he was actually very cold. We have shared numerous times that too low a body temperature will kill a kitten before starvation does due to them not being able to regulate their body temperature on their own.

If people find a kitten or puppy that is cold, and they don't have something to wrap around the baby to warm them up there is something we have found that is effective in a pinch. Guys, this won't work for you, but ladies what you can do is tuck the baby in your bra. Just the right amount of heat is generated to bring the body temperature closer to normal. When our Foster Care Volunteer arrived at the Pet Adoption Center to pick up Jon, he was nice and warm when he was removed from the receptionist's bra.

Weighing only 2.9 ounces, we have to focus on putting some weight on Jon. He drank from a bottle immediately, which was a relief. For the next several weeks we have to keep a close eye on him though. Once a kitten has gotten as cold as Jon was, they can still take a sudden turn for the worse. We can't take the place of a mother cat, but we come pretty darn close to providing the essential care and love Jon would have gotten from his mom. Hopefully, it will be enough to give Jon a future.