A Las Vegas Good Samaritan found a newborn kitten in her front yard. She found her siblings who regrettably did not survive a short distance away. The sole survivor required urgent attention, and the cat mom was nowhere to be located.
Nikki Martinez, a Las Vegas-based TNR (trap-neuter-return) rescuer and fosterer, offered to take her right away. Over the past ten years, she and her husband, Foster Papi, have rescued and helped needy cats and kittens. The couple didn’t hesitate to assist even though Nikki’s husband was being diagnosed with cancer at the time.
Love Meow quoted Nikki as saying, “She was little and delicate, and we didn’t know what her future contained, but we were determined to give her a fighting shot.”
They gave the kitten the name Rocky, and the infant survived her first night in the safety of an incubator with a full belly. Together, the pair provided the cat with round-the-clock care while also making sure she was warm and loved.
For the first week, Nikki woke up every two hours at night to take care of the cat. Rocky was gaining weight and had a ravenous appetite.
When he could, Foster Papi assisted with her bottle-feeding, and Rocky never failed to make him grin.
Rocky proudly left her nest at the age of 24 days and moved into a small playpen where she could stretch her legs.
The little ball of fluff, still a little unsteady, was fascinated by all the new toys and tried to catch them all.
She insisted on snacks (bottle) all day long since she enjoyed being treated like a little princess. When Foster Papi received a successful life-saving surgery, she kept her foster mother busy and provided some much-needed comfort.
Foster Papi insisted on taking on some of the foster responsibilities after being released from the hospital because he couldn’t wait to see his little pride and pleasure. She happily ate the food after receiving a bottle from him. It was a great scene of two incredible boxers encouraging one another.
Rocky developed into an independent kitten at the age of five weeks. She discovered her sass and didn’t hesitate to flaunt it. She started to make all kinds of stunts as she got more energetic and rowdy.
Check out this adorable video to see Rocky’s journey:
