Monetary donations for our Emergency and Critical Care medical fund are greatly needed. Also thrift shop and yard sale donations, returnable bottles and books. Thank you!
A special thank you to Emily and the China Bistro in York for their very successful Save-a-Pet Day benefit buffet on Jan 22! This delicious event raised over $1000 to help us pay our vet bills.
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Flames, smoke and fire trucks terrified the 12-week-old kitten, Little Oscar, as he ran from his burning home on Lindsay Road in Wells on Jan. 16. Sadly his mommy, a lovely young torti named Scarlet, couldn’t escape and perished in this four-alarm fire. The orange tabby kitten collapsed in the snow suffering from acute smoke inhalation. Wells firefighters found him and administered oxygen to him for 20 minutes in the ambulance. We are so thankful for their care and compassion to this little fellow!
Later in the evening Oscar was returned to his family.
Oscar’s health continued to decline. By morning he struggled to breathe. He was too weak to raise his head. Knowing that Safe Haven is a No Kill organization, Oscar’s owner surrendered Oscar to us. Our volunteers rushed little Oscar to the Maine Vet Emergency Center in Scarborough, where their team began emergency care including oxygen, pain medication via IV, multiple x-rays, blood tests and around-the-clock observation.
Emergency care for pets is very expensive, just like for people. Plus, a 50% deposit is required before emergency care begins. Two weeks prior to Oscar, Carly’s emergency care cost Safe Haven over $2,000, and Oscar’s bill is estimated at $2,600. Cost doesn’t change our No-Kill policy, and we stand firm on this. That’s why fundraising is a constant activity for our team, and emergency cases like these make us work all the harder to keep donations coming in, so every Safe Haven cat continues to receive the gift of life and health.
The vets at Maine Vet Referral Center worked their magic on Oscar throughout his week of hospitalization. He had no burns, luckily, but was incapacitated by smoke inhalation. His nostrils and throat were severely irritated and a prolonged lack of oxygen to his brain caused neurological damage resulting in body tremors.
Despite all this, the little fellow’s plucky spirit surfaced. He showed everyone he wanted to live, and that he was able to lick food off his fuzzy orange paw. His spirit moved Dr. Karin Wagner who developed a tight bond with Oscar. When she called me with Oscar’s latest health update, she said. “Oscar spoke to me. Is there a chance I could adopt him?”
Who better to adopt little Oscar than the veterinarian who worked so hard to save him? She could help him regain his health and understand why his gait is so wobbly.
Little Oscar has gone home to live with Dr. Wagner, his new mom. Now he has dog and cat siblings, and is learning how to drink from a bowl without his tremors dunking his shaky face. He’s happy and active and enjoys kitten play. His high level of activity will be his best physical therapy. I could hear great love and joy in Dr. Wagner’s voice as she said, “He’s a tough little bugger. He’s going to do just fine!”
Our community needs No-Kill alternatives for kitties in great need. Safe Haven survives only on contributions from you. Your generosity helps us save hundreds of lives each year.
Your contributions to our Emergency and Critical Cat Care Fund are desperately needed. Click the DONATE button in the right column, or mail a check to PO Box 91, Wells, ME 04090. Thank you!
The kitties thank you!
