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The Story of Zelda: Our Mighty Little Kitten



Towards the end of June, my friend posted on Facebook that she had taken in a 5-week-old kitten. She couldn’t keep her long-term and was looking for someone to give the tiny furball a forever home.

We already had two cats and two guinea pigs, but my heart ached for this little kitten. After talking it over with Michael, we agreed—our family had room for one more.

That’s when I learned her backstory. Zelda had been found outside of Lethbridge by a couple and handed over to the RCMP. The RCMP then reached out to my friend in hopes of giving her a second chance at life.

When she was rescued, one of her eyes was mostly glued shut, she was congested, and she needed to be syringe-fed before slowly transitioning to soft food. No other kittens were found nearby—likely her mom had died or abandoned her.

At first, my friend called her Vida—Spanish for “life.” It was a fitting name, but we wanted something that felt uniquely hers. Michael suggested Gandalf the Grey (which made me smile), but I knew it wouldn’t roll off the kids’ tongues easily. Eventually, we landed on Zelda. Strong, simple, and perfectly suited to a tiny kitten with a mighty spirit.

First Impressions

When we adopted Zelda on June 24, I was amazed by just how tiny she was—smaller than any kitten I had ever seen. She was quiet and delicate, but when it came to food, she was surprisingly fierce. She would growl over her meals, paws deep in the dish, as if every bite was precious. I think it was her survival instinct, a lingering fear that there might not always be enough.

My friend sent me home with probiotics and eye drops from the vet, which I gave her twice daily. But once we ran out, I noticed her eyes hadn’t improved and her congestion remained.


A Trip to the Vet

At the vet, we learned that Zelda had a mild fever in addition to her eye and respiratory issues. The vet prescribed antibiotics, more eye drops, and L-lysine to help support her immune system. Within a week, she was already showing signs of improvement. Shortly after, we had to leave for a family trip to Vancouver, but thankfully, my brother-in-law was able to care for Zelda and the other cats while we were away.

By then, Zelda had started eating dry food alongside her soft food. She was growing stronger every day.

Settling In

When we returned, I noticed her eyes were brighter, her fur shinier, and she had grown. Looking at photos from the day we got her to now, the difference is astonishing.

Zelda is still a quiet soul, but she’s perfectly adjusted to our family. Our senior cat, Blitz, tolerates her with dignified patience, while our younger cat, Peaches, adores her—they’re now the best of playtime buddies.

We might not have needed another cat, but Zelda has filled a space in our hearts we didn’t know was empty. She’s brought joy not just to us, but to our other cats as well.

Zelda may be growing, but she will always be our mighty little Zelda cat.



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