These sweet siblings were separated after being placed at a shelter, but they were determined to be reunited.
No one expected them to fight this hard to stay together…
It all started on a fateful Friday when Sarah Richardson, a critical care cat rescuer for , noticed something unusual at the local shelter.
“I was at the shelter picking up a litter of kittens when one of the shelter workers told me there was a tuxedo kitten that kept trying to break out of her cage,” said Sarah.
Sarah was already taking home 13 kittens that day to prevent them from being euthanized.
She told the shelter that she would return for the tuxedo kitten if things got worse.
The shelter called Sarah the next day telling her that the kitten had hit her head so hard against the cage that she’d busted her cheeks.
“She wanted to get out of that cage so badly that she hurt herself in the process,” said Sarah. “That’s not normal.”
Luckily, Sarah made it to the shelter 5 minutes before they closed and brought home the little tuxedo kitten whom she later named Sabrina.
However, little Sabrina still whined and cried all weekend as if she was trying to tell Sarah something…
“I knew something was wrong,” said Sarah. “So I looked back through my photos of her at the shelter and realized what she was so upset about.”
Upon taking a closer look at the shelter picture, Sarah noticed another kitten in the kennel next to Sabrina.
This was the missing piece of the puzzle.
“I called the shelter Monday morning and asked if Sabrina had a sibling,” said Sarah. “Sure enough, the kitten in the kennel next to her was her brother.”
The shelter told Sarah that her brother had been screaming and crying even more since his sister left.
He’d even tried busting out of his cage and bloodied up his nose in the process.
“They were desperately trying to get close to each other,” said Sarah. “Even if it meant hurting themselves.”
Once her suspicions were confirmed, Sarah returned to the shelter for Sabrina’s brother, Salem.
What happened next left Sarah on the verge of tears…
Sarah put Salem in front of Sabrina and waited for the moment of truth.
“They immediately ran up to each other, rubbed heads, and pounced on each other in a warm embrace,” said Sarah.
Their cries were instantly replaced with satisfied purrs and friendly chirps.
Sabrina and Salem were finally reunited– this is what they’d wanted all along.
“They never whimpered again,” said Sarah. “It was such a beautiful moment to witness.”
Their moods instantly changed; they went from being sad and anxious to bursting with joy!
Now they can finally focus on being happy kittens and enjoying each other’s company.
The brother-sister-duo are making up for lost time by wrestling and tumbling around the house.
After a long day of playful shenanigans, they curl up together on the couch for a nice long nap.
Though Sarah was excited to see the siblings so happy, she knew there were still some difficult challenges ahead.
Sabrina and Salem were both dehydrated, malnourished, and covered in parasites.
“They refused to eat at the shelter because they were so traumatized,” said Sarah. “What they went through took a serious toll on their health.”
They both have deep wounds from forcefully bashing their faces against metal bars while trying to break out of their cages.
Sarah was quick to give the siblings fluids and antibiotics, but continues to take them to the vet for follow-up care and further treatment.
Another vet visit revealed that Sabrina strained her front leg from sticking it through her cage.
“When they busted their faces, the wounds were so deep that the vet didn’t know if there’d be long term damage,” said Sarah. “Those cuts will definitely leave scars.”
The kittens are so happy to be together that they don’t care to fuss about the pain.
All that matters to them is that they’re together.
Once the siblings gain weight and muscle mass, they’ll be fixed and fully vetted so they can be adopted.
Sarah knew from the moment she reunited the siblings that they’d be adopted as a bonded pair.
“They fought hard to be together,” said Sarah. “So I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure things stay that way.”
Adopting out a bonded pair is always a challenge, but Sabrina and Salem are going to be especially challenging because of their fur color and facial scars.
“It’s hard enough adopting out black cats because of the stereotypes, but it’ll be even harder finding a home for two cats who don’t look ‘perfect’ by society’s standards.”
Sarah hopes that someone special can look past their blemishes and find them beautiful no matter what.
Until then, she is committed to caring for them no matter how long it takes.
After all these siblings have been through, they deserve a true forever family that will love and cherish them as a bonded pair.
However, Sabrina and Salem’s medical expenses and long term foster care are a financial dilemma for Sarah.
