Atlantic
Animal Hospital has proudly chosen “Tiny, Jr.” Wittenburg as Companion Animal of
the Month for September, 2006. Tiny Jr. is the miracle kitten of Cheryl and
Russell Wittenberg, and their daughters Taylor and Julie. The Wittenberg’s have
made every effort to provide Tiny Jr. with all the love, medical attention, and
faith that this precocious kitten was in dire need of when she was only seven
weeks old. Every member of this family, both two and four legged, have touched
the hearts of all of us at Atlantic Animal Hospital.
Tiny, Jr. is from the litter of their recently adopted cat, Pumpkin, who was a “gift” from a family member who had to relocate. Shortly after they received Pumpkin, they found out that she was pregnant, and they had five more additions to their family! They cared for these kittens, named them, and found them wonderful homes. Speaking of names, Tiny, Jr. was named after their other feline companion, Shell, who they got as a rescue when she was six weeks old. Shell was so little when they got her that they nicknamed her “Little Tiny,” and Tiny, Jr., also the runt of the litter, looked so much like “Little Tiny” that the name Tiny, Jr. was born. Now, growing all the time, Tiny, Jr. is learning his strength and testing it on her big brother, Cheeto, with playful wrestling. After playtime, Tiny, Jr. assumes his position for the night in one of the family beds, usually Julie’s!
Tiny, Jr. was introduced to our hospital one morning, July 18, 2006,
coincidentally the same morning her mother, Pumpkin, was being spayed by Dr.
Sukhija. Her playfulness had accidentally, and unfortunately, gotten the best
of her. While playing with the girls, Tiny, Jr. leapt into the air off of the
coffee table while Julie was in mid-stride, and you can predict the regrettable
outcome. The Wittenburg’s rushed Tiny, Jr. to us and were extremely distraught
over this mishap, especially, and as you can imagine, little Julie. We found
that Tiny, Jr. suffered from severe neck and shoulder trauma, which caused
neurological problems effecting her balance and equilibrium, also causing her to
lose her vision. Her shoulder had been dislocated, but true to the nature of
resilient felines, she popped it back in the socket entirely on her own. While
hospitalized here, she received constant fluids, as she was unable to eat
independently. The neurological symptoms caused her little head to constantly
turn to the left, almost touching her left shoulder one-hundred percent of the
time. She also suffered from constipation and severe
conjunctivitis
while hospitalized; however, with medication she was able to fight those as
well. We all feared the worst because of her young age, fragile body and severe
trauma, but Tiny, Jr. showed her will to survive more and more everyday. After
a few days, we took her off of her fluids and began hand-feeding her from a
small syringe in order to promote independence. She ate very, very well, and
after a few more days began to verbally tell us she was ready to eat by meowing
constantly! We cared for Tiny, Jr. like she was our very own. Dr. Sukhija and
his wife, Leslie, took Tiny, Jr. home every night to give her the one-on-one
care she so desperately needed at her young age, whether it was 4 a.m. feedings
or the simple comport of a nurturing touch. The Wittenberg’s also came in
nearly everyday to sit with Tiny, Jr. to provide her with the love and affection
only they could provide. It is this love that we contribute to saving Tiny,
Jr.’s life and providing her with her will to live. Soon after, Tiny, Jr.
showed improvement in mobility, strength and walking. She was able to hold her
head up and take more steps in a straight line, using her back leg more and more
(it had been injured, as well), rather than stumbling in the constant circle to
the left that she used to. She regained some, if not all, of her sight. Alas,
it was time for Tiny, Jr. to go home. We were ecstatic at her improvement, but
very sad to let go of our daily contact with her. The Wittenberg’s have been
truly wonderful at keeping us informed on her constant improvement, and all of
us at Atlantic Animal Hospital appreciate their sincerity. Upon her return
home, her improvement tripled, and she has more “normalcy” in her life than we
ever hoped. Tiny, Jr. came to us as a helpless kitten in need or great medical
care, and left here a true fighter who taught everyone involved so much about
not giving up!! We will never forget our special time with Tiny, Jr.
Here at Atlantic Animal Hospital, not only do we bond with our patients, but their families as well. There is no doubting the love the Wittenberg’s have for their little kitten (as well as all of their “children”). The Wittenberg’s would like to extend their special thanks to Dr. Sukhija, Leslie, and the entire staff at Atlantic Animal Hospital for the care we provided for their companion animals and for going the extra mile. We, however, are the lucky ones to have had the pleasure of seeing a gleaming example of a true and perfect human/companion animal bond. We hope that we are able to witness and contribute to more and more of these bonds everyday, as we feel that is our duty, alongside medical care. We are honored to have the Wittenberg’s as our clients, and we are proud to have Tiny, Jr. in our own little “Hall of Fame”!!