Act of kindness saves the life of a kitten found covered in parasites in Wellington County

A four-week-old kitten is on the mend after he was found infested with parasites and struggling to survive during a heat wave.

A small kitten found on the side of the road had a big fight in front of him after he was found at the side of the road in Wellington County during a heatwave.

Sue Gabriele was driving along Wellington Road 86 on Saturday when she unexpectedly spotted something orange in the gravel.

“I honestly thought he was dead,” Gabriele said. “I pulled over and then did a U-turn and started heading back towards the kitten. Another gentleman was in front of me doing the same thing.”

When she saw the state of the four-week-old kitten, she knew something had to be done.

“I picked [the kitten] up and [the man and I] looked at each other like, ‘we can’t keep driving.’”

Gabriele said she took the kitten straight to the Guelph Humane Society. They told her his chances weren’t looking good because he was covered in fly larvae and maggots.

“I just got in my car and cried,” Gabriele recalled. “They gave me a reference number to call. I called on Monday and they said he was okay. He was eating, but still very sick.”

Melissa Stolz with the Guelph Humane Society said the cat, now known affectionately as Small Fry, went through quite an ordeal.

“When he came in he was immediately treated with some [specialized] medication to get rid of those parasites right away,” Stolz explained. “That took care of killing the flies, the fleas and the lice. He was bathed and he was thoroughly combed.”

She described Small Fry’s condition as ‘heart-breaking.’ The Humane Society said he was weak from dehydration, unable to move and struggling to survive.

“I think we are very grateful that he was found, because if he wasn’t found, he wouldn’t have lasted for much longer,” Stolz said.

On Wednesday, the Humane Society posted a video of Small Fry in very different spirits. He was filmed rolling around, pouncing and playing with toys.

However, he wasn’t out of the woods yet. One of his eyes was severely infected and ultimately had to be removed.

He won’t be ready for adoption for some time and still has at least a few more weeks of treatment ahead of him. A donation page has been set up to help cover some of the costs of his medical needs.

“Now that he’s going to make it, I’m over the moon. I’m so happy,” Gabriele said. “I hope to follow him on Instagram one day and just see him get adopted.”