This past week we took in three cats, two of which were injured, and the third was malnourished.
A grey and white cat whom we have named Kevin came in with a very serious wound to his tail. The smell of infection was horrible. Once at the vet it was determined the wound was so severe that his tail would have to be amputated. He had surgery that same day and is back at the sanctuary resting comfortably.
The only information we know about Kevin is that he was living in a barn and he is a young cat. He was an owner surrender. Kevin is now enjoying life at the sanctuary pain free. Once he is healed he will be up for adoption.
The second cat we took in was a black and white cat who had been showing up at a business in Medway for a while. They were very kind and fed him daily, but they knew he needed medical attention. They contacted us and we agreed to help. Olaf went to the vet, where he was neutered and vaccinated. They took X-rays and found his hind leg had a fractured fibula and tibia, which had healed on its own over the course of time, leaving him with a gimpy leg.
It is sad to think he was out there on his own and had suffer the pain from his injury with no vet care. Olaf is enjoying his new life and will be up for adoption soon.
(Courtesy of Lorraine Monfils)
The third cat was a little white and grey tiger whom we have named Clara. Clara was extremely thin, suffering from an upper respiratory infection and a bad case of fleas. She was taken to the vet, where she was spayed, but not without complications. She had an ovary that was extremely tiny so they had to make a larger incision to remove it. In doing so they found she only had one kidney.
Clara can live a somewhat normal life as an indoor kitty only, and she will have to be closely monitored by her new owner and a vet to make she remains healthy.
Why am I telling you all of this? Vet care is important. Your pets should have access to routine checkups. If you think any of the stories I have just told you won’t happen to your cat, think again. The total vet bill for these three cats was just about $3,000.
It was obvious all three of the cats had belonged to someone at some time. They are all very sweet and trusting. The condition they all were in when they arrived into our care was not good. They deserved better. Today is the beginning of a much better life for all three.
Thank you for your continued support and, as always, thank you for reading our column.
The Ark Animal Sanctuary is located at 102 Old Woodstock Rd., Houlton. Visit them online at arkanimalsanctuary.org/home, call 532-7387 or check out their Facebook page.
