Kitten survives eye removal surgery under the care of the Welsh branch of a Cats charity

A tiny black-and-white kitten has survived eye removal surgery after her mother injured her in a freak playtime accident.

Hope is just seven weeks old but has already been through a risky surgery to remove her eye after owners believe her mother pierced it with her claw with a misplaced swipe.

Hope’s owners initially took her to their local vet but the combination of surgery costs and required aftercare meant they reached out for help from volunteers at Cats Protection Gwent, who took both Hope and her brother Hugo into care and then rushed Hope to Archway Veterinary Centre in Chepstow.

Glynis Davies, Branch Coordinator for the charity, says: “It’s extremely rare for mothers to wound their kittens like this, but kittens are fragile and mothers who are inexperienced or experiencing stress, may accidentally play too roughly while trying to teach them life-skills and survival skills.

“Hope is such a fighter. After the injury her eyeball ruptured, which will have been very painful, and left her with no vision in that eye.

“At such a young age, infections of any kind can be dangerous, even fatal, but her owners did the right thing by getting her to a vet and then signing her and Hugo into our care for recovery and TLC.

“Surgery on young kittens is risky and we’re thankful to Jenny and all the team at Archway for taking such excellent care of Hope. If she hadn’t received treatment when she did, she would have continued to suffer.”

Both Hope and Hugo were very underweight, weighing 370g and 500g respectively. A healthy seven-week-old kitten should weigh around 800g.

Glynis continues: “It is likely the kittens had only been relying on their mother’s milk at an age when they should have been being supplemented with special kitten food since they were around three weeks old. Being such a low weight has made Hope’s survival through the surgery even more remarkable.

“Often owners are unaware that kittens need to be checked by vets as they grow and should put on at least 100g a week while they’re first growing.

“We are grateful that Hope and Hugo’s owners got in touch when they realised they would struggle to give the kittens the help they would need.”

Glynis adds: “Hope has had her first check-up since the operation and is doing well. She’s made it to 500g in the six days she’s been with us and is such a funny little thing with real character.

“She’s got a way to go with her recovery in foster care and the vets remarked that hers was the smallest protective buster collar they’ve ever had to use but we’re hopeful that she is going to go from strength to strength.”

The branch volunteers raise all the money required for vet care and cat care themselves.

Gwent Cats Protection is currently caring for over 30 cats and rehomes around 350 each year, helping many more through trap-neuter-vaccinate-return work and dedicated cat-focused information and advice.

If anybody would like to support the branch with Hope and Hugo’s care, they are keen to receive donations of Felix kitten food or items from their Amazon wishlist. Anyone wishing to donate food directly can call the branch helpline to make arrangements on 0345 371 2747.

There is also an ongoing JustGiving page for donations towards cats in the branch’s care.

Once Hope and Hugo are old enough and ready for rehoming, their details will be posted on the branch’s website.

Further information about the needs of kittens and their mothers during pregnancy and kittenhood can be found here.