Leben's Story

Little Leben:

9/02/04: Little Leben’s story is a tale of bad people and good people. It is a story full of hope that serves as a reminder that all life is precious and that the will to live can save the tiniest of creatures.

Little Leben’s arrival into our group started with a small miracle.

The landfill can be a dangerous place. Large earth-moving machines continually push into piles and then crush all types of waste we humans throw away. The machine operator that day was running over the garbage with a machine that has huge steel wheels, when out of the corner of his eye he saw a little kitten walk out of the pile of garbage. Someone had obviously decided this tiny kitten was more trouble than he was worth, and into the garbage he went.

The operator, a good and kind man stopped the big machine and climbed down and called to the little kitten, which wobbled over to him. He picked it up and the kitten, which would later be named Little Leben, clung to him. Little Leben finished the workday with this man inside the big machine. He crawled up his leg, onto his shoulder and periodically sat on his head.

The operator, who has numerous cats, dogs and horses of his own, could see the kitten was sick. He knew he couldn’t take it home and expose his other animals, so he asked if we would take him into our care.

By the time Little Leben arrived at the foster care person’s home that night, his runny eyes were almost glued shut and his nose was fast becoming the same way. He was so tiny and frail, it was doubtful he would make it through the night. But medications were applied, and Little Leben kept purring.

Send a little prayer up for Little Leben and keep checking in to see how he is doing. He is a fighter and we are rooting for him.

First Night…………..Little Leben had salve put in his eyes and medicine down his throat, and being the little trooper he is, he took it all without a whimper. Every two hours Little Leben’s foster mom fed him goat’s milk (Thank you Margit) with a dropper, which he gobbled up with appreciative purrs. The little guy after eating would then curl up in his soft blanket, close his eyes and drift off to dreamland, purring in his sleep.

First Day……………..Little Leben went to the Doc today. His foster mom gently handed him over. What would happen? Would they tell her he was too far gone to help?

The veterinarian gave Little Leben more medicine in the form of a shot and pumped him full of fluids to help overcome dehydration. They told the foster mom to keep a watch on him and keep feeding him and said Little Leben seemed like a fighter but that was all that could be done. Little Leben purred his thanks.

Second Day……………Another small miracle seemed to be taking place. Little Leben woke up with a wide yawn and stretch and let out a small meow, he was ready to eat again. His eyes were clearing up and his sniffles were subsiding. A concoction of goat’s milk and special canned food was mixed up and Little Leben gobbled it up on his own. He was feeling so much better he entertained himself for a bit by batting a jingle ball around. His foster mom was smiling and she swears that it seemed like Little Leben was smiling too...and of course, he kept purring.

Third Day……………..Little Leben is on the way to a full recovery! He is still a bit stuffy, but he eats and eats...seems he doesn’t want to miss any meals and he plays and plays. When his foster mom puts her head to his he gives her a little headbutt as if to say, “Thanks for all your help,” and...he keeps purring.

09/05/04: Latest pictures after Leben's bath and a couple of days of real food and love.

Fourth Day to Present….Little Leben grew stronger everyday, his eyes are clear now and the stuffy nose is gone. His frail little body has filled out, in fact, he has quite a round little tummy after eating and eating is serious business for Little Leben. Much to his disappointment, Little Leben has been weaned from the goat’s milk, but he has adjusted to soften kitten chow with a dab of can food mixed in. This mixture seems to give him enough energy to play and play, and Little Leben loves to play. He runs around the room as if he was competing in the Indy 500, only slowing to bat jingle balls and tumbling after string that is enticingly wriggled in front of him. His foster mom knows its time for Little Leben to go to bed when he is crouching to catch the next ball or string going by but his little eyes are blinking, straining to stay open. His foster mom picks him up and he snuggles to her shoulder and he purrs himself to sleep.

Little Leben is ready to have a person or family to call his own. The ideal person or family would enjoy the antics and the energy that Little Leben will bring to their home. They will be ready to make a life-time commitment to Little Leben who has lot of life to live yet.

New Photo 09/20/04--Isn't he cute--and growing:

Leben was adopted 9/26 to a family from Stevensville where he will have another cat buddy, and a loving family which includes 2 young ladies. Here's a little follow-up note from the family:
Hi I wanted to let you know that Leben is in Heaven! He did just wonderful in the car on the way home. He sat with my daughter and snuggled all the way home. We got him in the house with his own little bowl of food and water, and tons of little toys. He was right at home instantly! He and my other cat were playing under the bathroom door, so I decided to do a little intro, and Tigger, fell to the floor and rolled around wanting to play. We let them get aquatinted, and they have been playing ever since. He snuggled with me most of the night, and then in the window. He sure loves his little furry ball. He carries it all over the house. We are very happy with him.
Thanks a ton!
Ginger & family.

10/26/04: Here is a photo of our little Leben growing up with his favorite little girls. How do I start..My husband thought I was crazy for driving all the way to Polson for a kitten. I told him that it wasn't just any kitten, it was Little Leben, the kitten that some heartless person had probably thrown away. I always go and look at the animals that need homes, and that is when I came across Leben's story. It touched my heart and I continued to go on and look for updates.I honestly didn't believe that he was going to make it by the looks of the first photo that I had seen. To my surprise, I was looking again, and there he was...all fluffy and cute! I had to have him come and be a part of our family. I told my husband that we were going to go and get him. We kept it a surprise for our daughters all the way to Polson. We brought Leben home and he instantly bonded with our year old cat Tigger. Leben spends much of his days lying around, jumping from bed to bed. He loves to play with all of his toys and our girls. We couldn't be happier to have Leben as a part of our family. He is an indoor cat, and loving every minute of it.

Thank you for taking such wonderful care of him and giving him a second chance at a wonderful life.
The Desrosier's, Stevensville, Montana

09/28/05 update:

I just wanted to email a note to say how much we just love our Leben...better known at our house at weebuns! This cat is truly amazing....we bought him one of those little balls with the bell inside. If you throw him the ball, he will go and fetch it and return it to your lap. I have never seen a cat play fetch before. We were so gifted to get him and thank all of you for saving this little guys life.

The Desrosier's

Update 9/27/07: Hi! I am glad you liked the picture of Leben. He is my baby. He play's hide and seek and I call and he comes running. I have never had such a doll of a cat! He is my little angel. =) Ginger