Recently we were asked to help with a sick cat that was found in a field. The cat was emaciated, missing patches of fur, had a bad case of fleas, an upper respiratory infection and an injured eye. He was not neutered.
It broke my heart to see him in that condition. This beautiful black cat deserved so much more than this.
We treated him for fleas and then off to the vet we went. We named him Mr. Kittens. He is the most loving cat despite all of his health concerns.
(Courtesy of Lorraine Monfils)
At the vet, he was neutered and vaccinated. Unfortunately, the eye had so much trauma they had to remove it. We also tested him for feline AIDS and leukemia. Sadly, he tested positive for both. There is no treatment for either disease.
So what does the future look like for Mr. Kittens? Most likely he will live out his days at the sanctuary. He will share a room with five other leukemia cats. He will have access to the best vet care, and he will have an endless supply of food, water and love.
While many shelters euthanize cats with AIDS and leukemia, the Ark does not. We give them sanctuary for the rest of their days. We believe that every animal’s life is meaningful, regardless of age or health concerns. We take the necessary precautions and give them quality of life.
Mr. Kittens deserved so much more in life. He is a young cat and so far his life has been filled with nothing but pain. We intend to change that and give him the life that he so deserves.
Now comes the lecture. If Mr. Kittens had been neutered, his life would be so much different today. He might not have contracted two fatal diseases. The most concerning part is that he was out there reproducing and spreading the AIDS and leukemia viruses to unborn kittens and female cats.
So to everyone out there who has a cat that is not neutered or spayed, this could happen to your cats. Is the end result of what happened to Mr. Kittens worth it? Neuter and spay your cats.
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.
