Mafalda's story

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A story that has the incredible that of Mafaldina that dates back to June 2004. We were on vacation in Sicily. An area often abandoned and careless of the animals that reside there.

I have seen animals in the most inhumane conditions in this land full of contradictions. Then June, the month of births… Needy kittens appear from every corner. We have rescued several. But now we will tell the story of Mafalda

Mafalda was rescued and recovered in a hot street in a small town between Catania and Etna. I don't think I've ever seen a kitten in such desperate conditions so tiny, only 30 days old. She was asphalt colored, almost one with the road. She is dirty and dusty from the dust of Etna.

I was taking a walk through Valverde. I passed near a doorway and saw her in the corner. A micro kitten rolled up on itself, immobile, almost invisible. I approached, she raised her little head and with her eyes glued together by the scabs, she asked me for help meowing. I couldn't take her in my arms, it was evident that she was in severe pain and perhaps something was broken.

I ran home, grabbed a cardboard box with a towel in it, and went back to retrieve it. I picked her up delicately and laid her inside and took her home, where Dumbo had already been living for a few days, another blind mini-kitten found and recovered in a deserted street at night a few nights before.

The next day we took her to the vet. Poor thing from her pain she was holding a towel edge in her mouth in such a strong grip that we couldn't get her to abandon the cloth edge. She had a broken femur, a very serious infection in her abdomen, she was eaten up by intestinal worms. We started the treatment hoping she would get through the first few days. Sicilian cats are strong, tenacious and with incredible pain tolerance and so little Mafalda was saved. Giving us great joy.

Qualche giorno dopo saremmo dovuti ripartire per Roma. Le vacanze erano finite. Mafalda non poteva viaggiare, era ancora troppo malata e debole. Trovai un gattile a pagamento che la ospitò e la curò. Li rimase per 3 mesi.

Trattata benissimo ma forse spaventata da altri gatti ha sviluppato un carattere diffidente e pauroso. Ricordo che quando venne adottata dai genitori di mio marito, visse per un anno dietro la lavatrice e nei cassetti del bucato terrorizzata da tutti e dalla gatta già presente in casa. Ci vollero anni per recuperare la fiducia. Ora ha quasi 20 anni e da pochi si fa accarezzare.

Dopo 7 anni, di vita a casa dei suoceri, è venuta a vivere da noi e ora vive felice e contenta nella villetta a Bracciano, anche se lei preferisce non muoversi dalla mansarda. Con gli altri gatti è sempre schiva, ma la piccola ventenne, che ha superato mille avversità e anche un tumore all’utero, è la gatta più longeva che abbiamo mai avuto. Grande Mafalda, i gatti siculi sono veramente forti!