In early June Christy Nijjer contacted us desperate for help for a stray who limped into her life with leg injuries that looked appalling—exposed bones and tendons—and smelled worse. Tom the Cat was filthy and couldn’t open his eyes, but she insisted he was friendly and “compassionate”. What Christy lacked in creativity (Tom the Cat?), she made up in salesmanship, and after the gruesome photos, pleading texts and assurance that she’d fundraise like a seedy politician, we told her to “Bring that handsome devil to us, and be quick about it!”
The following day the vets at Palm Bluff Veterinary Hospital went to work on Tom, suturing his lacerations, grafting skin onto a large injury, testing, neutering, vaccinating, cleaning the mats from his fur and clearing his eyes. With a few days of after-care, we felt confident to return him to the Christy with instructions to let us know if she noticed anything suspect. Another week in, the vets approved the removal of Tom’s bandages, and other than the setback to street cred from a “super cute” sunflower cone Christy found on Amazon, Tom made steady recovery.
As Tom’s healing progressed, the challenge turned to keeping him from scampering back to the ‘hood that roughed him up. We had neutered him, so chasing local hussies wasn’t the issue, but Tom seemed too kindly to be back on the street. Christy met that challenge by setting up the nicest off the shelf catio we’ve ever seen as an alternative, and we crossed our fingers that Tom would see the upside in the new lifestyle.
A few weeks ago, Christy forwarded us an update and confirmed that Tom had fully recovered, “never leaves home” and was “running around the yard like a kitten”. She also confessed that when she first contacted us, she was at another vet who recommended euthanasia as the only choice and was waiting for a vet tech to be available for the procedure(!). While the vet tech was finishing up her lunch break, Christy was making last minute appeals, and when we agreed Tom was on brand for us, scooped him up, sprinted for the exit and cried all the way home…
Stories like this are possible with the passion and initiative of finders like Christy Nijjer, the team of talented and compassionate vets at Palm Bluff Veterinary Hospital, our dedicated Kirkland Foundation crew and their soft spot for scuffed up cats…and the support of our supporters like PetSmart Charities. When you’re checking out with that bin of treats or bag of litter and prompted for a donation, know that what you give has real and lasting impact on Mother Nature’s little masterpieces. Tom the Cat.
