A few weeks ago as I took my husky outside to go to the bathroom before bed, I was welcomed by a hiss. I looked down on the porch and there it was: a small and unhappy cat. I was taken by surprise as well and had let out my own terrified litle shriek. My nieces wanted to know what was going on. I took a picture and showed them.
Cue the aws.
They have always loved cats. Well, actually anything with fur. They’re like me in that aspect.
As my husky and the cat stared each other down, I was starting to worry that it wouldn’t leave; however, the cat finally slinked off and life continued as normal.
The following morning though, as I gathered leash and collar for my dog, I heard the distinct sound of a kitten mewing. I opened the door and there it was again. It reached up and pawed at the door. I opened the door and managed to shoo her off to the otherside of the porch so that my dog could go out. I found her sitting outside on the welcome mat an hour or so later as I left for work.
Her paw was obviously causing her trouble; she didn’t put any weight on it at all, and there was a visible wound. I thought of her the whole time I was at work, and when I came home, I found her curled up near the air conditioner with her back against the house. It was obvious that the two structures and the shade of the area offered her some comfort. After calling animal control, who advised me that she may be dangerous and to leave her alone unless I had a trap, and the vet, I decided to trap her. We happened to have a trap, and she went into it easily with some tuna.
The vet tech let her walk out of the cage and we discovered she was really friendly and enjoyed purring. Doc decided she was likely shot, which I’ve heard happens in some places here as a method of population control of females. She was treated for fleas, worms, and ear mites too.
After trying to find an owner and coming up empty handed, I decided to keep her. My uncle thinks she was one of the two kittens that was born under his trailer earlier this year, but he hasn’t been here to see her yet to confirm it.
Amputation was deemed the most likely surgery; however, I went to an orthopedic surgeon to attempt to fix it. During surgery though, the vet discovered her nerve was completely severed. She also decided it was more likely that she was bit by something due to the lack of gunshot residue in her wound.
I was heartbroken; I had a hard time believing she’d be okay on three legs despite the fact that she pretty much hobbled on only three the whole time she was with me.
I had a hard time believing she was playing with a toy mouse a mere three hours after surgery too, but they assured me it happened. And so, we welcomed a little kitten into our family. She’s only three or four months old and I swear she’s the sweetest and by far the best cat in the world.
By: KJ & Vinny on August 1, 2014 at 7:57 pm
Awww… yay! 🙂 What a happy story! My cat is 8, and there’s lots of cats on here older than him who do splendidly on 3 legs, so Smore will do just fine – and with her whole life ahead of her!
It’s so wonderful of you and your family to take her in and nurse her back to health. What a lucky kitten! 🙂
Hugs from Vinny and me 🙂
By: tinav323 on August 3, 2014 at 2:26 am
Thank you. It was definitely scary hearing it would have to be amputated. I can’t believe how well and how fast she recovered.
Vinny looks adorable. I think he and Smore had surgery around the same time.
Hugs back from Smore and I! 🙂
By: sebastian on August 2, 2014 at 10:17 am
I’m sorry Smore had to lose her leg but she’s so little that she’ll never know the difference. You’re a wonderful person for saving her, and clearly she wasn’t going to take no for an answer!
Keep us updated and we want to see lots of kitten pictures!!
By: tinav323 on August 3, 2014 at 2:32 am
I was quite upset despite hearing all the success stories and seeing how well she did limping around on three legs. And no, she was not willing to take no for an answer. Ialways say she adopted us rather than the other way around. I’m surprised all the husky hair from brushing the dog didn’t scare her off. Maybe she thought it meant we’d be nice to animals? Who know? All I know is she’s so sweet and is definitely hard to say no to!
Sebastian is adorable!
By: jerry on August 2, 2014 at 5:56 pm
Oh yaaaay! You are such a pawesome pawrent and very good human, thank you for adopting Smore and making her a part of your life. There are a million more gifts to come in that tiny little kitty, I just know it!
We’re so glad you’re here and sharing her story, thank you so much.
By: tinav323 on August 3, 2014 at 2:34 am
Thanks for creating the community that helped me know it was the right decision. My parents were skeptical; my mom even thought it would be better to put her to sleep because she wasn’t sure it was humane or that she would be able to live on just three legs. You helped give us hope, along with all the other critters here!
She really is a great kitty. I joke and say her only flaw was her bad leg, but we cut that off so now she’s purrfect. 🙂
By: Melinda P on August 3, 2014 at 3:21 am
What a heartwarming story! And how awesome for you to take in a kitty and put the time, money and effort into getting her treatment. She knew she was picking the right home <3
And I LOVE her name…too cute! Fits great for such a cute kitty!!
By: tinav323 on August 3, 2014 at 3:27 am
Thank you. I couldn’t say no to that cute little face! My friend suggested it because she’s got all the colors of Smores, and I liked it because she also showed up on a summer night, is super sweet, and really sticky like marshmallows. This kitten just loves her cuddle time!
By: Laura-Jane Sheridan on August 3, 2014 at 6:46 pm
I can’t believe she was shot. Is there any hope of finding the ‘person’ who did this to her??
By: tinav323 on August 3, 2014 at 11:52 pm
Oh my I forgot to put in the other diagnosis by other vet! Orthopedic vet decided it was likely bite wound because no gun residue was found inside. We will never know but I’m in a very rural and very poor area so anything is possible. If she was shot though, I’d definitely want them to pay. I’ve heard people say they know of people who do it though to the strays and overpopulated areas here to get rid of females because a bullet is sadly cheaper than vet. It’s so messed up.