A kitten with unique markings insists on getting all the attention after she was brought back from the brink.

A few weeks ago, Wrenn Rescues, an all-volunteer animal rescue in Southern California, was contacted about a litter of kittens needing foster care. They were in poor shape, covered in dirt, and battling a host of health issues.

Ashley Kelley, a volunteer of the rescue, didn’t hesitate to take them in and started caring for them around the clock. One of the kittens named Auntie Whispers has distinct markings on her face that are shaped like the Rorschach test.

Despite being so tiny and unwell when they first got her, the calico was a fighter and determined to bounce back on her paws. After days of tube-feedings along with supplemental care, the kitten made incredible gains and even grew a cute chonky belly.

“She eats and then goes back to napping without a care in the world,” Ashley shared.

At a young age, the kitten has already discovered her sass and calico attitude. She isn’t shy of showing it. The little bundle of fluff likes waving her paws up in the air as if to try to catch an invisible bug.

The kitten is constantly seeking attention from her caretakers or other kitties, and doesn’t want to be alone.

Auntie Whispers and her sister Lorna share an adorable bond. They play-fight and wrestle with all their might and make up afterwards by napping next to each other, while Lorna showers her sister with licks.

“These two are together all the time now. They are still having some slap fights and it’s funny to watch them play,” Erin added. “They are getting so big and changing so fast.”

Auntie Whispers is still very small for her age, despite the chonky belly. Lorna has taken the role as big sister, looking out for the little calico everywhere they go.

“Lorna is the rough and tumble type, and Auntie Whispers is so petite and princess like.”

The two fill their room with endless entertainment as they scamper around, creating all sorts of antics.

source: article and pictures: LoveMeow

At least 250 whales were already dead of 400 found beached on Farewell Spit in Golden Bay on the tip of the South Island Friday, the Department of Conservation said in a statement.

Rescuers attempted to refloat more than 100 whales mid-morning, of which about 50 returned to the sea. However, another 80 to 90 whales who were freed re-stranded themselves in the same place just five hours later. 

Hundreds of locals turned out to help keep the whales cool.

“There’s like two to three hundred car loads of people who have come to help, maybe three to four hundred people,” Department of Conservation Community Ranger Kath Inwood told CNN.

According to Inwood, the area regularly saw beached whales and many residents were already trained in keeping the animals comfortable and helping to refloat them.

“Lots of people will be there pretty quick and already have the knowledge and training to help effectively,” she said.

Work will stop overnight for the safety of volunteers, who could be in danger around the large, stressed animals.

The whales were first spotted in the water late on Thursday night, by a department staffer, before being found on Farewell Spit on Friday morning.

“Normally (they) are between November and March and it’s not many years we don’t have one. (But) obviously, this is a huge one compared to most years … mostly they’re in ones and twos,” she said.

The largest whale stranding in New Zealand took place in 1918 when 1,000 whales stranded themselves on the Chatham Islands.

The second largest was in Auckland in 1985, when 450 ended up on a beach.

“You don’t usually get this many travelling at once, we have had 180 once before but I think a lot of (answers as to why) are unknown really,” Inwood said. “There’s a lot of different theories.”

Heartbreaking photos show a sick baby orangutan found dumped in a cardboard box by a British animal charity in Borneo. Gito was left out in the broiling midday sun to die after his cruel owner tired of keeping him as a pet.

The group that saved him, International Animal Rescue, said he was so lifeless when they reached him that, at first, they thought he was dead. “He was lying corpse-like with his arms folded across his chest and this, along with a lack of hair and gray flaking skin, made him look almost mummified in his cardboard coffin,” said Alan Knight, CEO of the charity which runs an orangutan sanctuary in Borneo.

Gito was being kept as a pet by the head of the village of Hamlet Giet, Merawa Village, in Simpang Hulu District, about 100 miles from IAR’s orangutan rehabilitation centre in Ketapang. He had been bought for less than £20 from a man who had almost certainly killed his mother in order to steal and sell her baby. He was kept in a cardboard box sodden with urine and fed entirely on condensed milk. When IAR found him he was severely dehydrated and malnourished.

Gito was in such urgent need of medical attention that the local Forestry allowed the rescue team to rush him to the International Animal Rescue clinic without waiting for a BKSDA official to accompany them. They set off at sunrise by motorbike and arrived back at the IAR centre to find the medical team waiting for the arrival of the sick baby after a torturous nine-hour journey.

Gito, who is only between three and four months old, was put on a drip to rehydrate him and given a thorough medical check up. He was dehydrated, feverish, had stiff hands and feet and was suffering from diarrhoea. Tests also revealed that he was suffering from a highly contagious skin disease that causes intense itching and irritation. Treatment was begun immediately to relieve the condition and the medical team have been massaging coconut oil into Gito’s skin to soothe and soften it.

Alan Knight added: “It’s hard to stomach the shocking state Gito was in when we rescued him. Our team has seen a significant increase in the number of baby orangutans being kept as pets and some of them have only recently been taken from the wild. Gito is in safe hands now and receiving expert treatment and care at our centre in Ketapang. But tragically there are many more like him in desperate need of our help. Forest fires in Ketapang Regency have resulted in an increase in the number of baby orangutans being captured. These helpless animals can and will be rescued – but we urgently need more funding for our work. The public responded magnificently earlier this year when we rescued Budi the baby orangutan and I’m praying for the same generous response once again when people see the sorry state of little Gito and read his story.”

source: Rex Features