Tears As Tiny Kitten Stays by Woman's Side During Her Last Few Moments
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A tiny kitten, focused on regaining strength after being rescued, selflessly took the time to be with a woman during her last few moments of life.
When Phaedra Barratt first rescued Tinkerbell, whom she also refers to as Tinkie, she didn't think much of her, other than that she was a tiny kitty, she told Newsweek. Barratt sees her fair share of small kittens come through her nonprofit organization, The Balam Foundation, which can be found at @balamfoundation on Instagram.
Based in Mexico, The Balam Foundation focuses on improvised communities and offers spay and neuter, sterilization, rescue, foster care and adoption. While the organization will help any animal, she said she especially works with cats, which Barratt said are seen as "vermin" in the country.
Tinkie first came to The Balam Foundation in May. And over the next few months, she had her fair share of near-death experiences. Barratt said Tinkie kept dying on the team, and they kept miraculously reviving her. Tinkie "wanted to stay."
Photo of Phaedra Barratt, owner of The Balam Foundation, holding a tiny kitten named Tinkie who she helped rescue.
Photo of Phaedra Barratt, owner of The Balam Foundation, holding a tiny kitten named Tinkie who she helped rescue.
Courtesy of Phaedra Barratt
Barratt believes that because of Tinkie's experience with death, the tiny, old-soul cat knew her mother, Isabelle Barratt, was nearing the end. The kitten understood the "space between life and death."
In Barratt's Instagram video posted to another account for the foundation, @balam_says, she placed Tinkie next to her mother. Barratt needed to be by her mother's side for around-the-clock care, which is why she brought Tinkie along.
For days, Tinkie stayed by her mother's side, refusing to leave. She sat on her shoulder, stomach, or chest, monitoring every breath and nuzzling her way in, comforting her any chance she could.
"When I put her with my mother, it was just so sweet," Barratt said. "I think she understood the state she was in...I think cats have a deep awareness and sensitivity toward people and death in particular."
This special moment shared between her mother and the kitty left Barratt speechless and falling even more in love with Tinkie. She has already been left speechless by the tiny cat's willingness to keep fighting for her life.
Barratt said she tries her hardest not to foster fail the animals she rescues, but she might be too in love with Tinkie to let her go; however, she hasn't decided for certain if she's keeping Tinkie.
In the meantime, Barratt will continue helping Tinkie get stronger and add on more weight. She currently weighs 500 grams, or just over a pound, when a healthy kitten should weigh in at 2.5 to three pounds at this age.
Barratt's mother died at the age of 87 on July 14.
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