From Scrawny to Splendid: Storm-Battered Kitten Makes a Purrfect Recovery

A kitten began to grow back his fur and look like a cat again after being found in a massive storm.

Coyote the kittenBest Friends Felines

Earlier this year, Best Friends Felines (in Brisbane) was contacted about a litter of kittens desperately needing help.

“These guys, not even a week old, were found in a well-known (cat) colony area in the middle of a massive storm, and the area started to flood,” Nikki of Best Friends Felines shared with Love Meow.

There was no sign of a mother cat and the kittens were freezing cold and starving. A member of the Best Friends Felines team received the call and sprang into action.

“As the kittens were over an hour from our nearest bottle carer, we tag-teamed it in horrendous weather to get them to safety.”

He was rescued with his siblings from a massive stormBest Friends Felines

After a long ordeal, the litter of kittens settled into a foster home, where they were fed and kept warm. For the first time in their lives, they didn’t have to worry about food and shelter.

About two weeks later, Kate, the foster volunteer, noticed that one of the kittens, Coyote, was parting ways with a lot of his fur. His tuxedo coat eventually reduced to a very thin layer, where his skin was visible on his back, belly and head.

He began to part ways with a lot of his fur days into foster careBest Friends Felines

Coyote was the only kitten experiencing noticeable hair loss, but was otherwise completely healthy. He continued to out-eat, out-wrestle, and out-run his siblings.

“It was most likely nutrient based, due to a rough start to life with mum not having much in way of good food or enough food to sustain the babies,” Nikki told Love Meow.

Coyote was the smallest kitten in his litterBest Friends Felines

Despite being the smallest and least fluffy kitten of the bunch, Coyote let nothing slow him down and turned out to be the most feisty bundle of energy.

“From the day he came into care, Coyote was always super bold and a little bit of a mischief-maker. Hand-raised babies are often like that having imprinted on humans, and Coyote was no exception with confidence in spades and personality plus.”

He continued to be the most playful kitten and was always full of energyBest Friends Felines

As soon as the kittens were nursed back to health, they decided to venture into every nook and cranny they could scour. Coyote was bursting with personality, and constantly kept his siblings on their toes.

“He loved wrestling and pouncing on his siblings even though he wasn’t very good at it—we think he thinks he is probably at least six foot tall in his own mind.”

Best Friends Felines

At around five weeks of age, Coyote’s fur started to grow back in.

“Several weeks later, he finally had a decent covering that made him look like a real kitten again,” Nikki told Love Meow.

His fur began to grow back in at five weeks oldBest Friends Felines

“While the other kittens decided to focus on their high speed running and mid air wrestling, Coyote was specializing in tiny pounces and growing in his glorious locks,” foster mom Kate shared.

Coyote was the runt of the litter but the fiercest and cuddliest of all.

Best Friends Felines

“He really loves his humans and when he is tired of trying to find toes to nibble on, he will always crawl up into someone’s lap for a little snooze.”

After a rough start and weeks in foster care, Coyote was finally big enough to find a place of his very own.

Best Friends Felines

“He was quickly adopted once his profile went up, and after his vet work was completed, he joined his forever family. As did all his siblings,” Nikki shared with Love Meow.

Best Friends Felines