Tiny black kitten Eris was named after a dwarf moon in our solar system because she was the runt of the litter. Eris is also the name of the Greek goddess of strife, which fits her story perfectly.
“Fostering Eris and her siblings through their illness was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life,” states Purrfect Pals Foster Meowmy Raeann Welch.
Eris, her siblings and their mom Lovey came to Purrfect Pals from Everett Animal Services in April 2024 and went home to foster with Raeann and her family.
“At a few days old, I noticed that Eris had a missing limb,” says Raeann. “I was shocked to see that Eris was missing a leg because she never slowed down or showed signs of being negatively affected in any way.”
“At first we thought it was due to a birth injury,” Raeann continues, “but after her siblings started showing other concerning symptoms we quickly realized that they all had a very serious infection.”
The infection was caused by feline calicivirus that was spread to the kittens either in the womb or shortly after they were born. This illness created the ideal conditions for a bacterial infection to take hold and go septic in Eris’ leg.
“Eris had a hard start to life and the odds were against her when her leg became infected,” Clinic Manager Sierra Wharen explains. “We were all holding our breath in a sense, her prognosis was very poor.”
At just one week old, poor Eris had to undergo surgery on her limb without any anesthesia because she was too young. After that experience, she understandably went home pretty scared of humans.
“We didn’t want to pressure her or force her to interact with us when she didn’t want to, so, for a few weeks, she was our timid kitten who didn’t socialize with us much,” Raeann explains.
Once Eris was a bit bigger, she was ready to have a second surgery on her limb to remove the remaining bone that could cause complications later down the road.
When Eris woke up from that second surgery, she was so mad and needed everyone to know, so she summoned the angriest meow she could muster with all the passion you can imagine behind it.
After Eris came home from the second surgery on her leg, she had to be kept separated from her mom and litter mates so her leg could heal properly.
“It was during this time that she really bonded with us and her personality started to shine through,” says Raeann. “I made her purr for the first time and she curled up on my lap to nap.”
Eris recovered better and more quickly than her foster family ever could have imagined. She is no longer scared to interact with people and plays with her siblings more than ever before.
“Her foster parent was absolutely stunning with all the care she provided Eris and her siblings,” Sierra gushes. “Eris was able to fight off everything that was thrown at her and is now a very lively kitten and is absolutely thriving after her amputation surgery.”
“Taking care of kittens with medical needs can be more time consuming, but the reward is worth it a million times over,” Raeann tells us. “We weren’t sure any of the kittens would make it through this illness, but they did because of our close care and attention, and all the support from Purrfect Pals. That is something we will carry with us forever.”
