Adoption information
I've been adopted!
About Mandala and Orchid
Mandala and Orchid are a stunning mother and daughter pair with the most gorgeous personalities, good looks and incredible story of survival and triumph. Mandala is around 12 months of age, just a baby herself. She is confident. inquisitive, affectionate and never stops purring. She loves to play and the two of them play games together for hours at a time. Orchid is exuberant and playful with a gentle, affectionate nature; a little apprehensive and shy at first but full of beans once she gets to know you. She watches her mum like a hawk at all times and follows around, not totally dependent but also still afraid to be separated based on her early experiences. These two need to find a home where they will be together forever, be kept indoors full time and treasured as much as they deserve. They would be great in a home with kids and could potentially live with a cat-social dog. Please read on to understand their full story - it's a long one, but worth reading!
Story carries on into the Medical Notes section below as it is too long :)
On Monday 28th November 2016, we received a call from the Rangers to tell us that a heavily pregnant cat had been surrendered because her owners didn't want to deal with her kittens. We made arrangements to collect them soon. The following morning, another call came through to let us know that now, we had 6 kitties to collect - she had given birth to her babies in a steel pound cage overnight. We went to collect the little family and met one of the sweetest cats to ever arrive at the pound - beautiful Mandala was immediately affectionate, loving and clearly a doting mother to her 5 stunning daughters.
To begin with things went very well but when the kittens were just 6 days old, Mandala became miserable, withdrawn and obviously sore. She was developing mastitis which the vets treated with antibiotics and anti-inflammatories. Despite being so unwell (with a temperature over 40!), this little girl continued feeding and caring for her kittens but they were obviously struggling and sadly, one passed away at just 9 days old. The next day, Mandala's mammary tissue became more infected (despite the medication), forming an abscess which burst in spectacularly awful fashion very late on Friday night, leaving her with a huge gaping wound on her belly. By this stage we supplement feeding the kittens from the bottle, but Mandala got such joy from them that we didn't want to take them away from her. She still allowed them to suckle, laying there patiently purring away even in such a state!
The following day she had surgery to clean and flush the wounds and came back home to her kittens. We were solely responsible for feeding the kittens by this stage but STILL, Mandala groomed them and nuzzled them and was the perfect, doting mother. For a few days she seemed to be improving, but then 5 days later she underwent another surgery as this time the mammary glands furthest to the back had formed solid, painful abscesses. Another one of her kittens was really struggling and then Mandala herself crashed. On the 18th of December her precious little girl was put to sleep to end her suffering and Mandala herself was admitted to hospital on a drip and IV fluids. Her immune system had crashed under all the stress and she was breaking out in infections all over her body. It was pretty touch and go and she spent Christmas in hospital. Thanks to the incredible care of the team of vets and nurses at Swan Vet Hospital, she pulled through.
Medical notes
Meanwhile, we were fighting an up-hill battle with her three remaining kittens. A few days before Christmas, another one succumbed. They had all developed painful ulcers in their mouths that made it hard to suckle and they were tiny for their age. This left us with just two little girls, Orchid and Sanskrit. They were strong girls, warriors like their mother and we wanted so much to help them pull through to reunite them with their mum. They both seemed to take it in turns having good days and bad days. Three days after Christmas, Orchid had a sharp drop in blood glucose that sent her basically comatose. She was lucky to survive (thanks again to the Swan Vet team!)
When things were looking up and we knew that Mandala would soon be ready to come home, Sanskrit took a turn for the worse. She developed severe diarrhoea and despite days of fluid injections and round the clock care, she passed away - literally hours before Mandala came home.
We had cried a lot of heartbroken tears over this little family but on New Years Day when Orchid was reunited with her mum, there was finally a chance for some happy crying! I sat and sobbed as I apologised over and over for the fact that I had only saved one. Despite two weeks apart, Mandala instantly recognised her little girl and literally grabbed hold of her, pulling her in for a hug and then grooming her from head to toe. They were instantly inseparable. Mandala's underside is a bit of a train-wreck, with lots of scarring and a number of missing nipples. But the scars show her strength and remarkably, she started producing milk again in her two remaining undamaged mammary glands, so the Orchid could once again feed from her.
Orchid had a rocky few weeks. We nearly lost her twice more. But now, finally, she is healed. She is a tiny wee thing, but seems to have suffered no ill-effects from her ordeal.
Mandala and Orchid are a very special pair of cats. They must go to a new home where they will be together forever - the moment Orchid loses sight of her mum, she starts looking for her. They play together non-stop (Mandala is finally getting to be a kitten, something she missed out on by getting pregnant so young) and then curl up together to nap. They groom each other for hours. Mandala is confident, inquisitive and wants to be friends with everyone. She never stops purring. Orchid is gentle and delicate; she loves to play and enjoys exploring their world in her calm, delicate way. They will need to be indoor-only cats as they both (thought particularly Orchid) have pale colouring that leaves them prone to sunburn and skin cancer. Plus all the other threats of the outdoors! They do get along with other cats (Mandala has buddied up with another mum in her foster home) so could potentially go to a home with an existing feline, though they are pretty much the complete package on their own. They have had some exposure to dogs so could possibly live with a cat-social dog. They would be fine with children.
These girls need a home with a family as special as them. Someone who will recognise how precious they are and cherish them every day. In return, you will get a lifetime of love and cuddles, smooches and purrs. You will delight everyday in their hilarious antics and very special bond.
Adoption details
Thank you for taking the time to view one of our lovely animals. We love them all and we hope you will too.
If you would like to know more about an animal please call Freedom on 0409 000 259. If it sounds like you and the furry creature are a suitable match then we will pass on the foster carer’s details to you so you can call and make a time to meet them.
Once you have met the animal and wish to go further then we may organise a yard check to ensure that your yard is safe and secure (dogs only). You can then take your new family member home on a 2 week trial and if you decide they are not suitable then you can return them.
If you are not sure how existing animals in your home might be affected, or you want a little extra time to get to know the nature of the animal, we may allow you to foster with a view to adopt.
This pet has been adopted and found love with its new family.
