'[I] stormed out of that vet': Person who was told to give up on the sick kitten they rescued refuses to do so, takes the kitten back home, nurses him back to health, and proves that every life is worth fighting for

Author image for Mariel Ruvinsky
Mariel Ruvinsky • Writer and Editor
Jul 14, 2026 7:00 PM EDT

Not listening to your vet is a choice that you, like any parent, sometimes have to make. 

Vets and pediatricians have more in common than you probably realize. Because cats and babies are quite similar as patients. Neither one can talk. Neither one can say exactly what's wrong. And the doctors have to rely on you, the pawrent, to explain. Vets know cats. Pediatricians know babies. But neither one knows your baby. And as the new wife of a med student, I can relay to you that one of the things they teach doctors is to listen to the parents. Parents know their babies in a way that doctors don't. 

The same is true for cats. I knew when my kitty started puking more often that it was because she was drinking too much water, and that the drinking was a psychological thing because she's chonky, is on a diet, and is trying to fill her belly with whatever she can. I knew it. In my gut. Because I know my baby. It took multiple tests, multiple opinions, and a whole lot of dreaded vet visits for the vets to come to the same conclusion. Of course, I listened to them, I took her to all the tests, but I have to say… if their conclusion was different than mine, I don't know how I would have reacted to the treatments they prescribed. 

We want to believe that all vets want the best for our cats, but that doesn't always mean that we have to listen to their advice. Especially if their advice is to give up. On r/CatDistributionSystem, a user recounted their story of how a vet told them to give up on the kitten that they rescued because it didn't have a mom. And how it made them angry. Because that is not a good enough reason to give up on a kitten's life. 

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  • 01

    "My old man who I was told by the vet to put down"

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    Cheezburger Image 10645846784
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  • 04
    15 years ago, my brother was preparing to go to work. His uniform included a hat. When he got into his car, he thought he misplaced his hat, went outside his car and searched around in case he dropped it on the way there.
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    He found this little kitten behind his rear wheel. After taking him into the house, he went back to the car and miraculously his hat was in the car all along.
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    The kitten had some leg wound as pictured. He was very small, likely less than a month old. We took him to the vet and was advised to put him down as he wouldn't survive without his mother. I got ped off and stormed out of that vet and was determined to nurse him back to health.
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  • 07
    Went to get some cat milk formula and started feeding him. I honestly didn't know if he was going to survive or not, but I wasn't going to give up.
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    I had my mum's landline on my work phone's speed dial, and for a whole month I called every day to check if she had fed him and to see how he was going. About a month later he was still here with us and, not only was he growing, he was thriving, where he started eating solids.
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    Life went on, I've since moved to my own place and he's grown attached to my mum so I couldn't take him. He's now going on 15 years and he's my OG handsome boy. I love him with everything I've got.
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  • Maybe 15 years ago, it was different, but today, there are so many resources online that you can use if you're in the same situation. Putting a kitten down simply because its momma is not around is ridiculous. 

  • 10
    suzebomom What is his name? He looks like he's got a great life, thanks to you and your family!
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    Street-Chemist-Doug OP His name is Snookie! Then girlfriend now wife suggested Sookie because he kept crying. I thought it was a bit mean so I added the "n"!
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    DiveCat Ugh, that vet. When they have someone willing to put the effort in right there is callous. I am glad your brother found him that day, and you and your mom nursed him, and he was able to grow old and happy in your family!
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    Street-Chemist-Doug OP Seeing him grow old is both such a grateful and beautiful experience but heartbreaking to see him age. He's doing well for 15 though!
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    Competitive-Top4520 I'm so glad you didn't listen to that vet. Every class, including vet & med schools, has a student at the bottom of the class. What a beautiful boy!
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  • This is a difficult thing to think about, but it is true. And it is something that we have to remember when they advise us to do things that we so strongly disagree with. 

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    Street-Chemist-Doug OP No way was I going to listen to the vet!
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  • 16
    ginalolabrigada 17 years ago I pulled up to a liquor store and out of the bushes a 1 month old tuxedo similar to yours appeared. Took him to the local humane society and was told that at his age(approximately 4weeks) that without his mother he would be euthanized. He passed away due to cancer this time last year (16 years old).
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    Street-Chemist-Doug OP Same story huh. Thank you for giving him a good life, and I'm sorry for your loss.
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    meowMEOWsnacc I don't want to be dramatic, but I'd di for him.
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    Street-Chemist-Doug OP Not if I di for him first!
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  • 20
    Heartsister What was wrong with his leg -- was it ever fixed? Precious puss.
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    Street-Chemist-Doug OP It was some sort of open wound. You'll never be able to tell it was ever there by looking at him right now.
    via Street-Chemist-Doug

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