Michael Fraccala and Brian Weckerly
3 hours ago
A kitten found frozen in the Quad Cities is slowly being nursed back to health thanks to King's Harvest Pet Rescue.
Chip, a tiny kitten fighting for his life, has been in the care of King's Harvest in Davenport since he was found frozen. Not only was his body temperature dangerously low, he was severely underweight and had a respiratory infection.
“He was near death when we found him,” said Assistant Director Andrea Gaskin. “These are cold temperatures that are extremely dangerous for kittens.”
Veterinarians began life-saving measures as soon as Chip arrived at King's Harvest.
“There was a fear that he wouldn't be able to make it,” Gaskin said. “He was very unwell when he came in. He was clearly in shock. He wasn't moving much. He wasn't making any noise. She rescued the kitten. She worked hard for two hours to get him warm.”
Technicians helped keep the chip warm with hand warmers and blankets and administered antibiotics for the infection.
“He is currently being treated for an upper respiratory infection and is finally starting to eat again,” Gaskin said. “His eyes are dry, his nose is running, and he seems to be having a bit of a hard time breathing. In addition to being freezing and losing a lot of weight, he has a cold.”
Chip has gained a few ounces since he was discovered, but he still has a long way to go.
“I'm really happy that he's finally starting to move a little bit. His personality is coming out,” Gaskin said. “For the first two days, he was just in survival mode. We had a hard time getting him to eat. He was fighting off an upper respiratory infection, but now he can't be picked up and given attention. He did and he loves it. Now we're working on him gaining weight and getting over his upper respiratory infection.”
Shelter staff doesn't know when Chip will be available for adoption, especially because they want to take precautions.
“He's not available for adoption yet because we want to make sure he's healthy and neutered before we send him away,” Gaskin said. “Unfortunately, it will be a long road to recovery, but once he does, he will find his home.”
Click here to see the pets currently available for adoption at King's Harvest.
