What Love, Compassion, and Patience can do.

What can Love, Compassion, and Patience do?

Love, compassion, and patience can do just about anything! Our beloved cats Panda and Cotton are great examples of this. They beat the odds of farm life, and have most likely outlived all of their litter mates. They are our joy and delight. Here is their story which I hope helps you see how much love, compassion, and patience can achieve in our lives as well.

How they started out.

We fell in love with the new batch of kittens on our friend’s farm in the spring of 2018. We would come to visit our friends often, and even took care of the cats and kittens when the family were away. There were 3 separate batches of kittens all with the same father. Cotton and Panda had different mothers, but the same Dad. We already had 3 cats, so it took a bit of negotiating to get my husband to agree to more. There was one orange kitten that reminded me of my childhood cat Nibbles, and I really wanted to bring him home. My husband agreed we could get one more, and I quickly called my friend.

To my chagrin, my friend informed me that one of the mother cats had led the kittens away to a local trailer park to find them new homes. This apparently is common when a mother cat wants a break from motherhood, or wants to breed again. My friend called the trailer park office to see if they had seen any new kittens around. They replied that they had seen them around, and we were welcome to come and retrieve them. We made plans to go and take a look the next day.

Finding Cotton and Panda.

The trailer park office called to say that they had found a couple of the kittens huddled together, so my friend headed down right away and brought them home. One of the kittens was really lethargic, and the other wouldn’t leave his side. We arrived the next morning to the farm, and looked at the tiny black and white, and grey and white kittens huddled near their very concerned mothers. They weren’t the one I had in mind, so we headed down to the trailer park.

After an exhaustive, but unsuccessful search we returned to the farm. The black and white kitten was very sick, and my friend said that as much as the mother cat tried, he wouldn’t nurse. I have a history of nursing strays and sick cats back to health, so I decided to take both on the spot. Cotton would probably have survived, but they were so bonded I didn’t have the heart to separate them. I slipped them both into our cat carrier, and we were on our way. My daughter named the black and white kitten Panda after the Panda’s from the Calgary Zoo. My son named the grey and white kitten Cotton Ball because she was so fluffy.

Panda’s healing journey begins.

They crawled into the bottom room of the cat tree as soon as we got home. Panda was so weak he could hardly move, and Cotton kept hissing at us as she protected him. His body language made it clear how sick he was. We had stopped briefly for cat milk, but ended up buying Enfalac infant formula for him, as that was what one of my friend’s neighbours always used for her kittens.

First they got a bath, and then we put some food down for them. Panda refused to eat and could barely stand, but Cotton consumed a little bit. I immediately started syringe feeding panda the Enfalac milk replacement, every hour for the next few days. He was so weak he couldn’t even get to the litter box, so we placed puppy pee pads into the cat shelter, and changed them whenever he soiled them. I would then give him a bath and feed him again.

Our first vet visit with them was 2 days later. He was so sick, they wouldn’t even give him deworming medication, because they didn’t think he would survive. They figured he had been attacked by another animal, or bird of prey. Cotton had probably intervened or helped him get away. To this day, Cotton doesn’t like being outside for very long, and when she hears our local hawk, she runs inside.

Love, Compassion, and Patience Win!

Three days later, this was little Panda, still weak and relatively helpless.

This was Cotton three days later. She was exploring more, and had stopped hissing at us.

Here they are in their most common position, with Cotton giving him comfort and warmth. To this day they are never very far apart. At this point he never went far without a towel underneath him, as he still had very little control of himself. He wasn’t exploring, but would accept his feedings cradled like a baby. I don’t have a lot of pictures during this first week, as he required a lot of love and care.

Fifteen days later he was very much on the mend, thanks to the love and cuddles of his half sister, and his human family.

Panda’s Journey Continues…

Panda got stronger every day, until he too was able to go join Cotton at the food dish. He still loves to be cradled like a baby, just like he was when I syringed in his milk. A few weeks later a puss pocket in his back erupted, (probably from the talon or tooth of his attacker) so we cleaned the puss out and used polysporin to prevent infection. They were not allowed outside at this stage, so keeping it clean wasn’t a problem. The puss pocket was probably from the talon or tooth of his attacker.

His attack also caused nerve damage to his tail, so the top 1/4 of his tail droops over like a candy cane. The fur grew normally, and although he doesn’t have any feeling in that portion of his tail, it doesn’t cause him any problems. He does have balance issues, whether it was from the attack or lack of nutrition it’s hard to say. His fight or flight response is to drop on the floor and hope for mercy (or belly rubs).

My greatest concern for him is his lack of fear. He is fairly chill, but is also very curious. When he is allowed outside he heads for the back fence, and will crawl under the gate without any concern for the consequences. He also doesn’t learn very quickly, so patience has had to be a constant consideration with him. He is still very concerned when he hears birds calling overhead, and his favourite place to hide is in the cabinet under the BBQ. Both cats are indoor cats for the most part with only supervised trips outside. Panda will escape the back door from time to time, but Cotton is happy to stay inside.

What I Have Learned.

When you give animals love, you get it back ten-fold; especially when you save their lives! Panda, Cotton, and Patches (another rescue cat) have all proven this to be true. They are the most affectionate cats I have ever had, and I believe it’s because of what they went through. These cats can be dressed up (by my kids), carried like babies, and love to sit on our laps when we watch TV. They are never very far away from us at any given time. I also get quite the lecture when I dare to leave the house for too long!

The veterinarians were both surprised to see Patches and Panda for a second visit! I will have to tell you Patches’ story another time. They truly didn’t think either kitten would survive the week. It was love, compassion, and patience that won the day. With both Patches and Panda, I knew they wouldn’t have survived if I hadn’t taken them home. I’ve always had a weak spot for animals, and the love they’ve given me in return has been more than worth the effort and expense.

In Conclusion:

We need to have love, compassion, and patience for our fellow humans as well. Whether you have a special needs child, a parent with dementia, or coworkers that don’t think the way you do, those three things will make all the difference. Love, compassion, and patience isn’t just for others though, we need to have it for ourselves. When we make mistakes, or things haven’t gone as planned, it’s important to show ourselves grace. Choose to show yourself grace, figure out what went wrong, and learn from it. That’s how you turn a potential tragedy into victory! For more information you can check out my YouTube post Panda and Cotton: What love, compassion, And patience Can Do.

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