Long-Suffering Kitty From Ukraine Survives Nightmare Odyssey

Scottie, a four-month-old purebred Scottish Fold kitten bred in the Ukraine, has endured more in her short life so far than most cats have in their nine lives.

The kitten was surrendered to the MSPCA's Angell Animal Medical Center in November in extremely ill health and a back story to complement it. Imported by a kitten reseller in New York, she was purchased by someone online in Boston and shipped to Massachusetts.

With a long arduous journey, combined with being ripped from her mom too early, she had a severe upper respiratory infection, and she was significantly underweight. Her new owner gave her up to the MSPCA when the owner realized she was so sick.

Doctors evaluated Scottie at Angell and couldn't pinpoint a diagnosis. She simply had a "failure to thrive."

"Unfortunately, purchasing animals online and having extremely young animals shipped over long distances is dangerous and can result in significant complications with both health and behavior," said Alyssa Krieger, manager of the MSPCA's Boston adoption center, in a statement. "Scottie weighed only one and a half pounds-and a kitten her age should have been at least two pounds. She will likely suffer lifelong medical issues as a result of poor care and the conditions under which she was bred and transported."

After several days of intensive care at Angell Krieger arranged for Scottie to be moved into a foster home.

"She was, and still is, too fragile for life in the shelter and needed to be with an experienced caretaker who could administer medication and fluids," she said in statement.

The veterinarians who treated Scottie agree that she is susceptible to upper respiratory infections, sometimes severe.

"We've been able to reduce her symptoms over the last couple of months and she's a much happier cat as a result," said Krieger in a statement. "But her new owner(s) will need to be prepared for future respiratory illnesses that will need to be treated with antibiotics."

Krieger stressed that whomever adopts Scottie will need to be prepared for regular visits to the veterinarian so that future flare-ups-as well as any other medical conditions that can be common with this particular breed-can be addressed quickly before they become dangerous.

Interested adopters can email adoption@mspca.org for more information about Scottie and the adoption process.

Scottie's care has already exceeded $2,000 and that bill will likely go higher should she need more medical care while at the MSPCA, said the announcement. Readers interested in donating toward the cost of Scottie's care can make a contribution to Spike's Fund.

Photos Credit: MSPCA