When a bear at a Denver wild animal sanctuary hadn’t come out of its den for a long time, the staff decided to find out why.
When they entered the den, they could not believe what they saw: kittens!
The kittens were unharmed by the bear, but one of them seemed to need some help.
Keep reading to find out what happened to this special kitten!
Out of Hibernation
When staff at a Denver wild animal sanctuary noticed one of their bears was not coming out of their den, they decided it was time to take a closer look.
They lured the bear out of the den so they could go and inspect it.
The staff never would have guessed what they were about to find.
Three two week old kittens were huddled up together in the back of the den!
It was clear that the bear hadn’t harmed any of them, and might have even been staying in her den to protect them.
However, one of the kittens seemed to have some birth abnormalities that needed immediate attention.
So, they decided to take the kittens out and give them medical care, instead of waiting for the mother.
Safe and Sound
The staff immediately called up Jen Koscheka, another staff member who was heavily involved in helping and homing the stray cats that hangout around the sanctuary.
She agreed to take all three kittens in and bottle feed them.
Two of the kittens seemed to be in great health, but one of them, named Ollie, was missing an eye.
Jen immediately formed a bond with Ollie.
“He was just sitting at the front of the kennel while his siblings were huddled in the back,” Jen said. “And I immediately fell in love.”
Now safe and sound, it was time to head to the vet.
Getting to Know Each Other
At the vet, Jen discovered Ollie had a number of birth abnormalities.
He needed a few teeth removed, amongst other things, and he also had a condition called microphthalmia.
This condition resulted in one of Ollie’s eyes never growing to full size, which explains his “missing” eye.
His other eye also had some extra cell growth, which clouds the vision in his remaining eye.
So, Ollie was essentially blind, but that didn’t stop Jen from giving him all the love a kitten deserves.
Jen made sure to give his siblings the love and care they needed too, but she was a bit partial towards Ollie.
Finding a Forever Home
Eventually, it was time to find forever homes for the bear den kittens.
“Ollie’s siblings were adopted out quickly,” Jen said. “But, pretty much the day we brought Ollie home, I knew he was my baby.”
There was never a doubt in Jen’s mind that Ollie was already in his forever home.
Now with Jen all to himself, Ollie could get all the love and snuggles he wanted.
One Happy Family
Ollie’s life with Jen is better than he ever could have dreamed.
While he is essentially blind, he never lets that get him down.
He makes his way around the house in what Jen calls a “boop parade”, walking around giving everything and everyone little boops with his little forehead.
From day one, he has shown Jen just as much love as she has shown him.
“I’ve fostered over 200 kittens, and he’s the most loving kitten I’ve ever seen,” Jen said. “I’ve just never had one bond with my soul so immediately.”
Ollie has a lot of love to give, and Jen isn’t the only one who knows that!
Happily Ever After
While Jen is definitely Ollie’s favorite, he’s sure to give Jen’s partner some head boops from time to time.
“He sleeps in between me and my partner at night,” Jen said. “He’s usually on my lap during the day, or plays with the other cats.”
He loves to play and snuggle with new foster kittens especially.
It’s almost like he knows what it’s like to be in their shoes, and wants to show them it will all be alright.
Ollie also adores Jen’s dog, Tilda, and follows her around the house like a little shadow.
It goes without saying, life has never been better for little Ollie, and his best days are yet to come!
Click here to follow Ollie on Instagram and keep up with his day to day!