FOXSYLVANIA

— I now have a certified pre-owned cat without a tail; maybe he wasn’t pre-owned at all, but was simply cast out or born in the wild.  It’s not that I needed another cat; I already had three, all of which were abandoned or rescued animals. I’m also supplying food for another cat taken in by an elderly woman, so I really didn’t need another cat!  However, this cat needed me…

It showed up on my doorstep, one of a number of strays abandoned in my neighborhood but more pathetic than the rest.  He had suffered a tail amputation, you see, from unknown causes.  Possibly it was a less than favorable encounter with a dog or other animal, perhaps he had gotten trapped somewhere, or possibly the mutilation had occurred from a sadistic human; I’ll never know for sure.  The wretched remnant of a tail leaked blood wherever the cat rested, and this battle-scarred little guy also had a piece out of one ear.  I say little guy because this was more of a kitten still than a cat, perhaps nine months old.  But it was the tail that really bothered me; I’m no vet, but can usually recognize the signs of infection when I see them.  The blood-oozing stump of a tail lacked hair, with the tissue raw and angry-looking, resembling a rare hot dog fragment.

The clock was running on this little guy, and I knew that if I couldn’t get him to a vet, his chances for survival weren’t good.  Like most strays, he appeared when he wanted to, and not on any schedule.   In a few days, I was able to get him to accept my touch and later some food; he ate ravenously, and I could feel every bone under his hide.  Disturbingly, the tail continued to ooze blood, and medical attention appeared imperative.  I also had to live with the disturbing possibility that the cat might meet his end on roadways that he crossed whenever he left my property; I wasn’t sure how I’d handle it if that happened.

In time, the stray came to accept being held, and  with that step I was able to get him into a carrier, which he liked not one bit.  An emergency vet appointment followed, carrying a diagnosis of a smoldering infection requiring amputation of the remaining part of the feline’s tail plus antibiotics thereafter. — No, I wasn’t going to let him be put down, not while I had it in my power to save him, not on my watch!  Fortunately, he came through the operation like a trooper, which is more than I can say for my wallet…

Summer months bring an abundance of unwanted cats and kittens at animal shelters, where felines outnumber canines in many states by a margin of three to one.  Many are healthy animals that only need a home and someone to care…

As for the one I saved, he now lives in my home quite happily without a tail, and is the best $400 that I’ve ever spent; he seems to like residing with this fox in a man’s body.   Sometimes we choose our animal companions, and at other times they choose us.  A very sweet and loving cat, I call him “Lucky…”