A kitten who arrived as a miniature wonder, turned into a sweet young cat with salt-and-pepper fur.

About a month ago, Emilie (@emiliexfosters), an animal rescuer and fosterer, received a plea from a fellow rescuer to help a litter of premature kittens.

A 7-8 month-old feral cat who had been taken in through a rescue mission, turned out to be pregnant. “We think that due to the stress, she went into early labor and ended up delivering five babies,” Emilie told Love Meow.

The mom stopped caring for the kittens the next morning, and the litter quickly deteriorated. Despite their best and intensive efforts to save them all, Fievel (the kitten) became the sole survivor, and was hanging on with all his might.

Fievel was in critical condition when he arrived in foster care with Emilie. “He was cold to the touch, couldn’t lift his head, and was having trouble breathing,” Emilie shared with Love Meow.

“The first five days were very touch and go because I was tube-feeding him every hour to ensure his blood sugar stayed up.”

As a preemie, Fievel had all the odds stacked up against him. He wasn’t able to suckle from a bottle and had to be assisted to eat. He was kept warm under his blankets in an incubator that helped regulate his body temperature.

“Every time I opened the incubator, my heart would beat so fast because I was terrified that he had passed away. But every time I opened it, there he was screaming for food.”

Fievel was so tiny that he fit in the palm of a hand with extra room to spare. He had a strong will and enormous fight packed in that pint-sized body.

The little wonder was named after a mouse from An American Tail. Just like the character, Fievel “never gives up and uses his tininess and scrappiness to his advantage.”

“About five days in, he finally was able to take a bottle and that’s when I felt like he was going to be okay,” Emilie told Love Meow.

Fievel perked up and wriggled around in his nest with his newfound strength. By the time he reached the one-week mark, he caught up to a 3-4 day-old kitten developmentally and size-wise.

“Despite everything, he was so healthy — eating well, gaining weight, and hitting all the milestones he was supposed to hit. He got stronger and stronger each day, defying every single odd against him.”

As Fievel continued to make strides, some of his fur grew into a darker gray or black. He is now sporting a beautiful salt-and-pepper look with a pair of big ears to complement his gorgeous coat.

Not only has Fievel blossomed in size and energy, but also his personality is shining through. Along the way, he has discovered his voice and is actively using it to command attention.

“His personality is just so sweet and goofy, and he’s probably one of the most loving kittens I’ve ever met. All he wants to do is snuggle and eat,” Emilie added.

“He makes some pretty amazing biscuits, too. I also imagine he’ll start to play in the coming days.”

Source: lovemeow.com