From rescued to rehomed: Chance's story

When Petra and her husband made a stop at the Taupō landfill with their trailer, they didn’t expect to be involved in a daring rescue.

When they parked their trailer beside the pit and began unloading it, Petra saw something running for its life from underneath a bulldozer.

“I knew I had to act quickly to save the little kitten,” Petra said. “The staff member used his radio to get the bulldozer to stop, then they let me into the pit to get the kitten.”

Petra and her husband checked over the little kitten, and saw immediately that she’d injured her leg, and her eye was in a very bad way too. She was emaciated and dirty, and they didn’t think she would survive the night.

They rushed the kitten to our Taupō SPCA Centre.

“A lovely lady took her in, even though they were full. The staff were amazing, but even they had little hope she would make it.”

Our team knew that her condition was touch and go. The kitten’s body temperature was extremely low, she was severely underweight, was unable to put any weight on one of her rear legs, and she had multiple bite marks and abscesses.

On top of this, she had a bad case of cat flu with one eye full of pus, and the other eye having a large ulcer.

They provided the kitten with a heat pad and some food, made her as comfortable as possible, and against all expectations, the wee fighter made it through the night. Our team called Petra in the morning to give her an update.

“We thought she should be named Chance, because she definitely deserves a second chance at life – one where she never has to be afraid, hungry or in pain again.”

Though her future looked uncertain, our team provided little Chance with the utmost love and care.

Chance had her painful wounds cleaned up, and received worming and flea treatment. She was given antibiotics which began to take effect within a few days, and then it was a matter of observing and monitoring her health.

Kegan from our Taupo Centre told us how getting her to eat was never an issue.

“She had a huge appetite and put on weight incredibly quickly. We were shocked with the speed at which she grew!” he said.

While her other wounds began to heal, unfortunately the vets knew that one of her eyes was beyond saving. There was no doubt that it needed to be removed in order for her to be comfortable, and to have the best possible outcome.

Chance recovered well from the surgery, and it was clear she was much happier without the painful ulcer on her eye. The once starving, dirty, and extremely sick kitten was now growing, clean, healthy and absolutely thriving.

Petra and her husband already knew they wanted to adopt Chance as soon as she was healthy enough to be rehomed.

Right from the initial rescue at the landfill, these animal heroes were invested in the tiny kitten’s journey, and had a place for her in their own home and hearts.

“We love the little bandit – that’s what she looks like with her one good eye! We have adopted two other cats from SPCA, and they have been such a great addition. They’re all their own special characters, and have their favourite places in the house and on the farm. Our Labrador Charlie also adores her, and they’re becoming good buddies.”

“We’re looking forward to seeing Chance develop into her own little character,” Petra said.

She also noted that it was a team effort to rescue and rehabilitate Chance.

“I am very grateful for the staff at the landfill to react quickly and let me into the pit to rescue her. Then the team at SPCA has been amazing, and did such an outstanding job taking care of Chance. Thank you so much to everyone involved.”

After having a terrible start to life, it’s absolutely heartwarming to see this deserving kitten be adopted into such a loving forever home.

Do you want to help deserving cats in New Zealand, like Chance? Here is how you can change a cat’s life today:

• Browse foster opportunities near you to provide temporary love and care while cats heal
• View cats still waiting for their forever families to adopt them