Tiny kitten goddess with ‘kitten tube’ returns from the illness

Kitten named after the Greek goddess of spring recovers from illness and thrives in a home thanks to the support of Best Friends.

Persephone, the goddess of spring in Greek mythology, symbolizes this time of year. Melissa Martinez, a Best Friends rescue and care specialist in Salt Lake City, was inspired by this link to name the tiny girl kitten whose sass and sassy nature helped her overcome serious health difficulties when she was just a few weeks old.

An unsuspecting passerby came into Persephone and her siblings in a Utah house’s window well. Persephone was trailing behind her brothers in strength and growth, despite the fact that they were all four weeks old. In the hope that she could be spared, the small kitten was brought to Best Friends in Salt Lake City by Salt Lake County Animal Services.

Rescuing a sickly cat

The Salt Lake City medical staff acted quickly. Because she was malnourished, dehydrated, and hypothermic, Persephone required immediate warming and hydration. In an incubator, she was hooked up to an extremely little IV.

Melissa made a point of stopping by Persephone’s new home right away when she got to work the next day. When I opened the incubator door, I was surprised to see her pacing back and forth, irritated by the cramped conditions.

This is a kitty who was named after the goddess, so what else could you possibly expect? As a result of the IV, it was clear to see how much she was hindered by it. It’s fair to say that the IV was a bit of a challenge for Persephone because it took up the entire length of her leg.

Persephone was taken out of the facility a few days later and placed in a foster home because vets deemed she was stable enough to do so. Melissa jumped at the chance to help Persephone on her path to recovery, eager to support her.

A foster family provides a special level of attention and nurturing.

While Persephone was only 230 grams when Melissa brought her home, she should have weighed 400-450 grams at four weeks old. Even though she was on a feeding plan to help her acquire weight, she still had one more hurdle to jump before she could start to thrive.

For the second time in a week, Persephone had to be taken back to the vet since her condition had deteriorated. She was found to be infected with giardia, an intestinal parasite. When Melissa was discharged from the hospital, the medical staff provided her with everything she would need to assist Persephone with this new obstacle.

She took care of Persephone for a week, giving her fluids, keeping her warm, and providing her meds. A few months after she started gaining weight again, Persephone hit her first developmental benchmarks. In spite of her rapid growth and well-being, she was eager to meet the rest of the family.

A confident kitten enjoys interacting with humans and other animals.

Persephone had no problem getting along with Melissa’s dogs. As Melissa recalls, “She had this mindset of ‘just wait until I get larger,'” she explains. When the little calico became worried, she didn’t run away but instead sat back and waited for the situation to calm down. Getting to know Melissa’s cat took some time, but the two felines eventually were comfortable playing together behind a gate, which provided the perfect amount of privacy for them to get acquainted.

To say that Persephone was ready to find a new home would be an understatement. Persephone’s adoptive family would have to be prepared to deal with the “kitten tube” she would bring to their lives, according to Melissa.

It just took one day for a family to come forward and adopt Persephone after she was put on the Best Friends website.

At the meet-and-greet, Persephone, according to her character, displayed both the sweet and spicy aspects of her enormous personality. Persephone was about to get a new set of four siblings that she might use as pawns in a power struggle. That Persephone’s name will be retained by the family was a huge relief to Melissa. As Melissa explains, “She’s a very lovely prima-donna, and I wanted her to have a moniker that she could grow into.” Thanks to an animal rescue team that saved her, the love and care she received in a foster home, and the unconditional love of a new family, she will grow into it.