It was just a normal day for one young man heading down the road when something on the pavement caught his eye.
At first, he thought it was too late. A small kitten lay motionless at a doorway, its body completely still, its limbs already stiff.
It wasn’t moving. It wasn’t breathing. It looked like nature had already taken its course.
But something stopped him from walking past.
Even with no signs of life, he refused to give up.
He knelt down beside the kitten and started pressing gently on its tiny chest.
He had no vet training, no emergency kit, just the belief that there might still be a chance.
What followed was nothing short of a miracle.
At first, there was nothing. Then, after a long stretch of silence, the kitten’s mouth twitched.
credit: Paws Bliss Haven / youtube.com
It was barely noticeable, but it was enough to keep him going. He continued performing CPR.
Minute after minute passed. Still no strong signs of life. Yet he didn’t stop.
After nearly an hour of careful chest compressions, the kitten finally began to breathe again.
Its body started to warm up, and little by little, the colour came back into its face.
The relief was enormous. The kitten wasn’t just alive — it was responding.
In the following days, the young man did everything he could to help the kitten recover.
He gave it space to move, letting it explore the yard under the sun, even if just for a little while.
The kitten was lively at first, but one morning, things suddenly took a turn.
Its energy was gone. It could barely lift its head.
Without wasting time, the young man rushed into town to buy glucose and gently fed it to the kitten. It seemed to help.
Within a few hours, it could lift its head again and even move slightly.
But this episode made one thing clear, that this kitten needed more than home care. It needed professional help.
credit: Paws Bliss Haven / youtube.com
The problem? There wasn’t a single vet clinic in their small town. The closest one was nearly thirty kilometres away.
So he bundled the kitten up, packed whatever supplies he had, and drove for an hour to the nearest city.
At the clinic, the vet took the kitten’s temperature and diagnosed it with weakness and some minor digestive issues, including diarrhea. Nothing life-threatening, thankfully.
The vet handed over medicine, feeding instructions, and told him to avoid giving the kitten water for now.
Instead, he was to feed soft, paste-like food to keep it hydrated and nourished.
credit: Paws Bliss Haven / youtube.com
Armed with a bag full of supplies and a note from the vet, he drove back and set up a warm space for the kitten to rest.
A small heater nearby made sure the tiny body wouldn’t get cold again.
Still, he kept checking on it constantly. Every hour. Every little sound made him jump.
One night, just after 3 AM, the kitten’s breathing became laboured again. Panic set in. Was it happening again?
He rushed to feed it glucose. Slowly, the kitten’s breathing returned to normal.
By sunrise, it was not just awake but was walking steadily and showing interest in food.
Every day brought new progress. It started eating more, walking further, and even climbing up on laps to nap.
It began playing with the dog’s tail, wandering around the yard, and showing more personality than ever.
His appetite was strong. So strong that he would get anxious if his food bowl looked like it might be taken away.
But then came another setback. On the third day, the kitten had a bout of diarrhea again.
His bottom was red and sore. He had to be washed, dried, and gently placed back under the heater.
Despite the discomfort, the kitten remained calm and cooperative. He even groomed himself as if to say, “I’ve got this.”
Over the next few days, his condition steadily improved. The redness faded. The appetite returned.
He started running faster, climbing better, and sticking close to his rescuer, never wanting to be too far away.
And then came the final step in making him part of the family; giving him a name.
Several names were written on slips of paper and scattered across the floor. The kitten was placed nearby and allowed to choose.
After some hesitation, he pounced on one. From that moment on, he was called Eight Strips.
Today, Eight Strips is a fully recovered, energetic little cat who spends his time playing, exploring, and climbing his favourite human like a tree.
What started as a desperate rescue on the roadside ended in a joyful story of persistence, care, and a kitten who refused to give up.
All because someone stopped and believed there was still time to save him.➕
