Their Cat Brought Home a Baby Squirrel, so They Stepped in and Helped the Little One Recover!

If you’ve ever lived with an outdoor cat, you know the familiar – and oftentimes disgusting – feeling when they bring home a present for you from their day out hunting. Surely, our feline friends think they are showing how much they love us with these gifts, but as animal lovers, our hearts sink every time. This is an experience that Imgur user Thatsdoctorconsuelatoyou became very familiar with when her cat Muchkin dragged an Antelope Ground squirrel inside and left it in a little pile of dust bunnies for her hoomans to marvel over.

When Thatsdoctorconsuelatoyou‘s husband came home and saw the family’s dogs staring at the little animal, he assumed it was dead … but on closer inspection, he found the little one was very much still alive. So, doing what anyone with a soft spot for animals would, he decided to help the baby recover.

Meet little Ragnar! 

He was very small and clearly dehydrated, so they set to work learning how to help.

While we always recommend that readers consult a wildlife rehabilitator before taking action, it was clear this baby needed attention ASAP. 

Little Ragnor had to be fed every four hours, a task the couple happily took on. Babies this small can’t moderate their body temperature, so they left out little bottle homes for him to sleep in.

Ragnor kept improving and soon he was eating solid food. Almonds and apples were his favorite.

Soon he was big, scrappy, and very energetic. He had become too comfortable around dogs to be released, so they arranged to have him rehomed to get the proper care he needed. Here’s Munchkin saying her final goodbyes. 

We’re so glad these kind people stepped in to save the small squirrel. We certainly hope that Ragnor will go on to live a happy life with all the space and care he needs to thrive. Remember, if you ever come across an injured wild animal, always contact a professional before stepping in to help. Click here for hotlines you can call for help. If you have an outdoor cat, you can help reduce these sort of incidents by putting a bell on their collar, that way wild animals have a bit of warning and be able to get away in time.

All image source: Thatsdoctorconsuelatoyou/Imgur