Wouldn’t it be wonderful if every cat had a home with owners to love and care for them? In a perfect world that might be possible.
But we do not live in a perfect world and there are way too many homeless animals out there. At our new location we see so many stray cats that are starving and neglected and yes some of those cats belong to someone. That makes the work we do even harder.
I don’t think anyone can help these animals until they understand what they go through. They are not disposable. You don’t get a cat just to open the door and let them out and let them fend for themselves. They have certain needs and one of those is vet care as well as getting your animal altered.
The story I am about to tell is about a cat that belonged to someone, but was never allowed inside or given the proper medical attention that it deserved.
Well over a month ago we received a phone call about an injured cat laying in a driveway. Its leg had an open wound and the cat was very weak. The cat did not belong to the person that found it. It was very clear that the cat needed medical attention.
We made the necessary phone calls to make sure we were OK to go and get the cat and get it to the vet. Within an hour the cat was on its way to the vet. Once at the vet he was given a thorough exam and they found that there was a piece of flesh hanging off the leg from an old injury and to add insult to injury there were maggots eating the flesh.
The cat was infested with fleas and ear mites, it was de-hydrated, underweight and had a fever. His body was full of infection. When they tried to clean his ears blood and pus oozed out. He also had a hematoma. He was so weak he just laid there.
The one positive thing was the cat was neutered. Given the condition he was in and the area he was found in we had blood tests run to see if he had aids or leukemia surprisingly the tests came back negative.
That day the healing process finally began for this cat after years of neglect. We needed a name to suit his life’s story so we have named him Trooper. Despite his circumstances, Trooper is one of the sweetest cats you will ever meet. He has some pretty serious battle scars but that just gives him more character. Weeks later Trooper has made great progress but he is still at the vet. The bandages on his leg need to be changed every two days.
Yesterday the vet told us that Trooper was now well enough to have surgery to repair his leg, flush out his ears and have some much needed dental work done. He has been put on the surgery schedule and that should happen in the next few days. Please keep Trooper in your thoughts and prayers.
Now I know you are all thinking that our vet bills must be astronomical for this one cat and that most people could never afford to do this for their cat. One thing you need to understand that anytime an animal in need passes through our front door we will make sure that it gets whatever it needs. Euthanasia is never a consideration unless the vet deems it necessary for the quality of life. The money part of it just means we need to work a little harder and have a few more fundraisers, which is something we have become very good at.
One thing everyone needs to consider is that Trooper did not get this way overnight. If he had been properly treated for fleas and ear mites, which would cost about $20 a month, some of his issues would never have reached the point they did. Early treatment of the leg and follow through on keeping the wound clean could have also prevented some of issues.
The maggots eating the flesh … how did the owner not notice that? No animal should ever have to live like this and we as pets owners need to take responsibility to make sure these things do not happen.
We are in hopes that Trooper will come back to us a happy, healthy cat so he can start living the life he so deserves. No more living outside. No more pain. Only plenty of love and attention. From this day forward there is no looking back for Trooper. The past is the past and cannot be changed but tomorrow just think of the possibilities for this cat.
Thank you for your continued support and as always thank you for reading our column.
To contact the Ark, call 532-7387, check out their Facebook page or visit http://www.arksanctuary.com
