From rescued to rehomed: Albert's story

A member of the public reached out to our Māngere Centre team when they saw a stray kitten stuck in a metal patio umbrella pole.

Our team arrived at the site, and the scene was worrying. The kitten was visibly distressed and not moving.

“We were unsure what we were walking into,” says Zoe, our Community Support Lead.

After their best efforts, they were able to gently pull the kitten's head from the tube.

“Unfortunately, it seemed as though the kitten might have been stuck there for a bit of the night, as he was very cold to the touch,” Zoe said. As well as being extremely cold, the eight week-old kitten was heavily flea ridden.

He was rushed back to our hospital, and given snuggle-safe and emergency blankets to help his severe hypothermia. After about an hour, the kitten was finally more responsive and starting to feel warmer to touch. He stayed in the hospital overnight for monitoring, and the team decided to name him Albert.

The next day, our vets could see that he was understandably afraid. “He was hiding in the back of the cage, and hissing when we got too near,” says Juliet, a member of the vet team. “We knew that he just needed a bit of extra love, and to get used to being handled.”

They were right – within just a few days, Albert began to relax, and he started to come out of his shell.

Unfortunately, his journey wasn’t smooth for long.

Albert got gastro, and didn’t eat for two days. The situation was touch and go, and our vets were deeply concerned. He was weak, and they knew it was critical for him to eat and drink to have any chance of recovery.

After a full eight days. Albert thankfully turned a corner and began to improve – but after just a short stint of feeling better, he had another stroke of bad luck and started to show signs of cat flu.

Once again, little Albert was barely eating, and the team gave their very best efforts to ensure that this tiny fighter pulled through. With medication, and being closely supervised and cared for, he surprised them all again with his recovery.

Our vet team breathed a sigh of relief.

“He became so playful once he was feeling better, which was amazing to see,” they said.

Able to be listed for adoption at last, we were thrilled to see him find his forever home after just one day!

With help from our SPCA team, he pushed through fear, sickness, and a tough start to life. Now he is safe, healthy, and loved. Albert’s journey showed just how strong he is!