The Challenge of Restoring Broken Bodies

We have determined that we will make no judgment on whose life is worth rescuing. The sick, elderly and homely are as precious to us as the healthy, young and attractive. We will take all of these cases for as long as we have the resources to help them. We work with excellent vets in Maple Ridge who guide us well. We get all the vet care an animal needs for as long as it has a good hope of enjoying a reasonable quality of life. We know that we will have to draw a line sooner or later and refuse animals if there are not sufficient funds. But we will do everything in our power to avoid that, raising money any way we can and buying only the essentials. Once you've met the animals and worked with them there's no looking back.

Below are the stories of a few cats who came to us in within about a week of each other with different histories. There are so many more -- Swayze who is uncoordinated, probably because he ingested a poison; Murphy who hobbled around on a broken leg; Jane who was staggering because she'd had a stroke.... They all showed a will to live and the ability to recover, and they are in our care still. We hope the stories below will show you what we see.

Harris was found lying on Harris Road by a kind person. Cars just drove around him as he lay on the asphalt. But one kind person stopped. Thinking Harris was done for, he took him to the Pitt Meadows Animal Clinic where Dr. Robertson did an assessment and was able to stabilize him. He'd been stunned and in shock but his only real injury was a broken jaw. The kind person arranged to have Harris's jaw wired. Now a relatively high-maintenance cat, Harris came to Katie's Place. He's never known a human home and he's suspicious of all of us. He didn't want to eat because his jaw is sore. But when a volunteer coaxed a dropper of warm, soft food into his mouth, Harris lapped it up hungrily and allowed the volunteer to get close so he could lap from the bowl.

DEC 15 UPDATE ON HARRIS:
The wire has been removed from his jaw and he seems to have made a complete recovery. He also seems quite confident and cheerful these days and should settle well in his communal room until a better situation comes along for him such as a vacancy in a protected feral colony.
OUTCOME - JANUARY 2007: Once we were sure that, first, Harris was fully recovered and, second, that he was truly feral and unadoptable, Harris was moved to a protected feral colony we maintain outside of town where he will have food provided regularly and access to shelter but will otherwise be free within a large, fenced-in area.
 

Morris was homeless. A compassionate person had been feeding him for several months and noticed his eyes were always weeping and were occasionally stuck shut. We arranged for him to be brought to one of our vets where it was discovered that he has Entropion. This means that Morris's eyelashes are growing in towards his eye instead of outward -- how painful! The only way to correct this is with surgery, which we have arranged.

UPDATE ON MORRIS:
Morris had his surgery and the stitches in his eyelids made him look like he was wearing false eye lashes. He should make a complete recovery. He's a big fellow and a lovable guy who should be highly adoptable. So we've listed him on Petfinder.
FEB/07 - Morris has healed beautifully and he's a handsome fellow now. He came to the shelter from his foster home just during open hours one Saturday so we could get new photos and he could maybe meet some potential adopters.We got the photo at right of the new, improved Morris as he emerged from his carrier.
 

Fourteen week old Annie was found with a fractured pelvis and tail and she was dehydrated and infested with fleas and lice. Clearly her first fourteen weeks of life hadn't been the happiest weeks a kitten could have. Annie's tail hung limply, she could no longer move it. It had to be amputated, which may affect her bowel control later. Time will tell. But Annie's not concerned, not any more. For maybe the first time in her life, she feels safe now. Her terrible pain is subsiding and she is no longer tortured by skin parasites.
UPDATE ON ANNIE:
Annie recovered well and was running happily around the vet's office before she was discharged to a foster home. It looks like she'll make a complete recovery and be as good as new (minus her tail).
 
 
 
 

Matthew came to us at about 14 weeks of age. He was born with a severely deformed right rear leg, and a mildly deformed right front leg. He was brought to a vet for possible euthanasia because their momma's human wasn't sure they were adoptable or if it was kind to let them live. The vet recommended that they call us, which they did. It seemed that Matt the Cat has a good chance. He is living with one of our volunteers. We will need to either amputate, surgically fix, or simply leave, his right rear leg. The leg is basically attached upside down so that his paw pads face the ceiling. But Matt is a happy, playful, affectionate kitten. He eats well, he uses the litter pan with no problem, and he manages to scoot around quite rapidly.

You can see from Matthew's photos that he's perfectly capable of chasing a laser pointer beam and that he enjoys a fuss very much. Below are Matthew's videos, taken shortly after he arrived in our care.

NOV 23 UPDATE ON MATT THE CAT:
His foster mom took him to see the vet today. The vet said Matt would benefit from having his right rear leg removed because there is nothing that can be done to correct it. It could eventually cause him problems. He will leave a decent "stump" there for balance. While he is operating, he will try to loosen some of the contracted muscles that cause Matt's tail to pull to one side. He would like to give him another month or so to grow before the surgery.

Eleven-year-old Hardy Boy has diabetes which eventually affected his gait. His hind legs seem weak and he walks stiffly. This may clear up with time. His insulin level has been stabilized and Hardy Boy is a cheerful, friendly fellow. He is such a trusting and loving little cat. He never doubted that we were his friends and that he is safe with us. How could we not help him! Watch his videos below and see for yourself.
 
 

The videos below show how loving Hardy Boy is.

DEC 29 UPDATE ON HARDY BOY:
This is one little soul we lost. When Hardy Boy came to us, his diabetes had been unattended for so long that it was difficult to stabilize him. He spent a lot of time at the vets. Side effects of his illness, such as an infection at the site of his IV needle, added to his problems. Finally he seemed stable and was discharged from the vets. He was fostered in the home of one of our senior volunteers in charge of animal health. She gave him his insulin regularly. But Hardy Boy wouldn't eat consistently. It's impossible to tell a cat that he must eat in order to maintain his blood sugar levels. He seemed to be doing fine but then he had another seizure. He went back to the vet's. There was undoubtedly neurological damage by now from the seizures he'd had. He finally passed away at the vet's. We grieved for him as a gentle little soul who never showed anything but love.

This is the reality of rescue work. Some we can save, and we rejoice in their new lease on life. Some we lose and we ache for them. Then, for those who still depend on us, we carry on. Whether we can give them years in loving new homes or only weeks of being loved and looked after, we think these little animals are worth fighting for with everything we've got. We hope you can see why.
 

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