It’s the school of hard knocks for any kitten born into a dangerous world outdoors. And that was certainly true for Nash, a fluffy little guy who survived coated in motor oil in a car engine in Philadelphia. But that wasn’t all: he would not have survived much longer without surgery and tube feeding for weeks!
Thankfully, he made his way against all odds to Shauna and the Cheshire Cat Rescue and Sanctuary in Mullica Hill, New Jersey. Like many kittens, Nash was an incredibly brave soldier and carried on despite serious injury. He was so tough nobody knew how much pain he was in when they found him.
Nash the Kitten Had a Broken and Dislocated Jaw
When the rescue agreed to take in Nash, they didn’t know he would arrive with a severe jaw injury. He was trying to hide in a car engine, so that might be where he suffered a jaw injury, dislocating his bottom jaw as well as fracturing his lower left mandible! Right away, he received vet care and pain medication for what surely must have been excruciating pain.
Images via Instagram/cheshirecatrescue
A kitten needs to be strong to undergo surgery, and thankfully, Nash was able to go right away. The veterinarians aligned his jaw with wire, but how would a kitten be able to eat like that?
Nash before he underwent surgery for his jaw. Images via Instagram/cheshirecatrescue
Tube Feeding a Kitten with a Wired Jaw
Several days later, Nash was already doing incredibly well! With tube feedings from a syringe every four hours, he could remain strong. A surgically inserted tube into his esophagus ensured it went down the hatch, but it required great care and patience on the part of his foster mom.
In short, she had to feed a slurry of feed food and water every 4 hours. To prevent him from regurgitating the food, she had to go slow, taking 15 to 20 minutes for each feeding. And this needed to continue until the vets could remove the wire for three weeks! Yet, despite having his little mouth wired shut, Nash was unstoppable!
“Nash is purring, making little muffled meows, playing and being so, so good (and sometimes so, so bad) despite his circumstances. He is the cutest, even when he grabs my whole arm and tries to bunny kick me while I’m pushing food directly into his throat ❤️,” Shauna shared.
Shauna with Nash who appears very happy despite having his jaw wired and receiving a tube feeding.
Nash is Ready to Roar in the New Year
With vet checkups and continued tube feedings, Nash did just fine despite being unable to eat on his own. He made it to the finish line, and they removed the wire so he could finally lick his chops. What an incredible relief it must have been. He could finally give out a loud meow or roar if so chose!
The wire served its purpose and his jaw realigned, but now he needed more time to re-learn how to swallow and build up his jaw muscle! Thus, the tube feedings continued a couple of weeks longer. In the meantime, he was “VERY enthusiastic” about trying some wet food in a bowl. And to think, he did so well that he would be ready to find his furever home in just a couple of weeks! Kittens can be so incredibly tough and yet so very fragile and vulnerable on the streets.
Nash’s wire is removed from his jaw but he still needs tube feeding a while longer as he recovers and learns to swallow.
A Totally Tubular Life Begins for Nash
By the end of December, Nash was tube-free and living a totally tubular life, both sweet and full of gusto. For the first time, he got to meet the other foster kittens. And he showed the enthusiasm he always did, although he needed to learn some social skills! As we know, kittens learn how to cat from other cats, kittens, and frequently from gentle dogs, too!
“Who IS he!? Nash officially is feeding-tube free as of last week and he is doing so incredibly well. Our wild, sweet man is eating with gusto and was finally introduced to the other kittens in our communal kitten room, where he immediately wanted to play and doesn’t understand why the others don’t want to be instant best friends 🙃. I’m sure he will be accepted in no time. He will also be ready to find his family in about one week!”
Nash looks wide-eyed as he heads into a new life fully recovered
As the Cheshire Cat Rescue enjoyed Christmas and Hanukkah, Nash was full of holiday spirit. Now, he’s going to start the New Year in a loving home thanks to all those who donated to ensure he had the chance he deserved to thrive. Unfortunately, paying for surgeries is extremely costly in the United States but the results are the cat’s meow.
You can see more and help support the Cheshire Cat Rescue and Sanctuary on Instagram and Facebook.
Look at how beautiful Nash is now! And Happy New Year from Cole and Marmalade
