12 Saves of Christmas #5: Stitch
It was a cold February morning when FieldHaven received a call. A sweet orange kitty had joined a group of outdoor cats (a cat colony), who were part of our Marysville TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) program. He hadn’t shown up the night before, then, one of the cat caregivers found him with a horrific injury. He was missing his tail and leg. It sounded ugly, so our team hurried to get him, then rushed him to Companion Animal Hospital.
It turns out he was a very cool dude who had zero considerations for his missing pieces! We named him Stitch, and he purred, head-butted, and charmed his way into our hearts in a matter of minutes. He was microchipped too, but no family or contact info on the record.
The veterinary team got to work right away as soon as we arrived. Stitch had an extensive but successful surgery to clean up the traumatic amputations. He was then transferred to FieldHaven for follow-up care and recovery. We got him comfortable in a kennel because he needed to rest to heal, and we monitored him day and night—going as far as to set up a camera so we could keep an eye on him even when we weren’t in the same room. We were initially concerned about damage to his nerves or internal organs, but lucky for him, there was none!
He was alert and attentive right away, had normal potty behaviors (very important with a back-end injury), and adjusted to life with a cone. Except for the fact he had to learn to move around as a tripod, you would never know he just had major surgery! The vets speculate his injury was a result of being caught in a car engine—he may have crawled in there to stay warm. We’re grateful his outcome isn’t worse.
A few short weeks after Stitch fully recovered, he was adopted by an incredible family. They renamed him Archibald, which at the time stemmed from his mostly shaven body! Now, he’s a happy, robust fella, loving life and always up for an adventure, indoors, with a family who loves him.
Cases like Stitch’s are a big gulp for us financially, but they’re always worth it because, well, that’s what we do. Care for cats when they need us most. We’re grateful for the vets who fit us in when we have emergencies and the community who steps up to help us when we ask for it.
This holiday season, we are so happy that we are able to help cats like Stitch, and that we can do so because of you. Every donation counts and makes an impact. Thank you for your compassion during the season of giving and love.
Spread Holiday Cheer: Donate Today!
P.S. Donating to cats like Stitch is a wonderful way to give back this holiday season. Thank you for donating to FieldHaven! Together, we will always continue to save more lives!
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