Were These Kittens Too Far Gone Or Could They Have Been Saved?

[I_Wuv_Kitties]

Had my first experience with death today at the shelter and I’m pretty shaken up. Two kittens, both 3 weeks old, came into the shelter after someone rinsed them off and tossed them on the street. They were both so cold the thermometer wouldn’t register and covered in fleas.

We tried to warm them up for an hour and then the decision was made to euthanize them.

Could they have made it or were they too far gone? They were still wiggly in the blanket at times. How do you know when they’re too far gone? I’ve heard of people finding kittens that are frozen and then nursing them back to health.

The way I deal with grief is that I try to understand the situation. Understand why they died, understand what was done and when.

I got pictures of them wrapped in blankets when they were still alive but won’t post them out of respect.

 

[Kieka]

At three weeks old they were likely too far gone already. Between the fleas making them anemic and the cold it would have taken extreme measures to bring them back. That they didnt warm up in that hour is probably a good indicator that there was more going on. Had they been older they may have had more of a chance but the sad fact is sometimes shelters have to make those calls. Two babies who are very sick would have needed a supportive foster home knowledgeable in neonatal care along with a lot of medical care. It's a huge use of their limited resources without knowing the background. If the kittens were abandoned by their mother for underlying medical issues they may not have ever had a chance to begin with.

It is not on you and there is nothing you could have done.

 

[di and bob]

My heart goes out to you, that you are so upset about these babies deaths is a tribute to your caring heart. Know that sometimes it is impossible to save them all, there are so many that need so much help and like a triage it has to be determined which have the highest possibilities of leading a normal life. It is good that you try to learn from each and every experience, it can be invaluable in the future. Those tiny ones knew you were trying to help, they felt the love and the warmth you were trying to give them, but if after an hour their temperature hadn't risen to an acceptable level I would think their tiny vital organs couldn't sustain life. They would have been too weak for too long to accept nourishment, and one so tiny has to have warmth and nourishment to live, often, and they were most likely too weak to swallow at all, or even to properly breathe.
Don't let this keep you from trying again, someone like you is so very vitally needed by so many. You are doing so much good, much more than you will ever know, and there will always be another who needs you so desperately to be there. You tried, it is more than many would have done, and you will be blessed for it. Rather than prolonging their misery you helped them through that too, you were there and it meant everything to them. Try not to dwell on the end, I know that is impossible at times, but gain a little knowledge and use it for the next little one that needs you. I'll keep you all in my thoughts and prayers, take care......RIP precious ones, you will never be forgotten, and you will forever be held in a loving heart. May the good Lord bless and keep you, may you be greeted by the legions who are there before you and find that special spot in the warm sunshine that all kittens love. Good night, sleep tight, sweet angels!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Rest you gentle, little ones, dream you deep. Your tiny lives were marked, and filled with more meaning that you will ever know.

I am so very sorry this happened. They probably were too far gone, and even if their had been any chance at all, it would have taken more in the way of complete, total round-the-clock one-on-one care that almost any shelter is able to give, no matter how much they might want to. SIGH...even if there had been six people willing to devote eight hours per day in shifts to do NOTHING but work with one kitten, the chances are that they would not have made it.