Lindsay Patton
This stray kitten has the most adorable hardware to help her jaw heal. At five weeks old, Mittens the kitten was dropped off at Albuquerque Animal Welfare with a broken face and jaw. The cause of her trauma is unknown, but a senior veterinarian at the shelter guesses it may have come from a fall or being hit by a car.
Mittens was in bad shape and needed emergency surgery — with multiple surgeries to follow — to repair her broken face and jaw. Her injury was so complicated that the situation called for the help of a specialist.
“Dr. Bannon and Dr. Littles from the Veterinary Dentistry specialty center in Algodones stepped in,” Senior Veterinarian Dr. Nicole Vigil told KRQE.
“The veterinarians and specialists in this area, the way they support the shelter, just lifts your heart and makes you so excited to come to work every day because there’s no one to speak for these little guys.”
Mittens had so many complicated surgeries that Animal Welfare could no longer afford to continue — until the vet specialists offered to perform the surgeries at no cost.
Mittens’ rescuers used a bit of adorable creativity when reconstructing her jaw. They sewed it closed using buttons. Despite having her jaw wired shut, Mittens has a healthy appetite and is putting on weight.
The doctors did 3D imaging of Mittens’ jaw and creatively utilized the buttons as stabilizers to keep her jaw in place after the surgeries.
Albuquerque Animal Welfare estimates that Mittens will be strong enough to be put up for adoption within three-to-four weeks.