To inflict pain on those who are so trusting and vulnerable is undeniably an act that is beyond our imaginings. Why would anyone hurt an innocent animal? Those of us who work day and night year after year to rescue and repair “broken” animals from those who have either neglected, abandoned or harmed them find animal abuse loathsome and inexcusable. Laws have to be upheld, expanded and enforced when a human takes an innocent creature and breaks it’s bones and mutilates or terrorizes it. Until society and the laws are truly active on protecting our animal companions we have to each work all the harder to be sure that animals are safe and when an unfortunate animal becomes a victim to an abuser, that animal must be given all the medical care and emotional support it needs to recover.
We were angered by the brutal cruelty targeted at a 13 week old, 4 pound kitten a week ago. A man took this kitten and slammed it against a wall so hard that its femur shattered into pieces and broke thru the skin on its thigh. The kitten suffered from such trauma force it had a bloody eye and nose. Now crippled, he couldn’t use his hind leg and he was in severe pain.
That kitten is in Safe Haven’s care now and we have named this brave little survivor Trooper II. He truly is living up to his name. This brave little fellow has undergone examinations at several vet offices soon after his attack and thanks to good pain medication he was purring up a storm and kneading his baby blankets.
After consulting with 3 different vet offices, it was decided that his condition was so extreme he would not simply be able to have a pin put in his leg. Since the femur was in shattered pieces, it had to be held together with a plate and screws. This kind of surgery had to be done by a board certified surgeon and so we rushed Little Trooper to the emergency hospital in Portsmouth where he was put back together and given back to us with a protective cone on his head and pain patches and bandages and stitches. Now Trooper must recuperate with 6-8 weeks of rest and little activitiy. He will need some physical therapy and we are hopeful he will be able to walk again.
He’s a very sweet kitten with a good appetite and is tolerating taking his medications. He seems to be so happy to have toys and soft blankets and someone to scratch his chin and behind his ears. His stitches come out next week and after that we are hopeful he won’t have to wear that darned Elizabethan collar around his neck which he finds such a bother!
Trooper’s medical care will cost Safe Haven about $3,000, barring complications that might cost more. Our budget has taken a very hard hit on this case and we are asking everyone to please help us by making a donation in honor of Trooper.
Our vet bills this year are much higher than last and our budget is so tight. We currently have an empty food cupboard and are in desperate need of canned food and litter. With our vet bills costing around $70,000 a year we need all the help we can get to continue taking on the cats from our communities that no one wants. Your donation to help us afford Trooper’s expenses and other cruelty cases like his will also will help us afford the care of the more than 140 cats currently in our care. All of these cats are local cats no longer wanted by their owners or are strays that fortunately found their way to safety. They are all safe now in our care. We’ll provide for them until adopted, no matter how long that takes. This is their Safe Haven. Please help us keep it going!
In closing, cases like Trooper are so deeply disturbing and we see abuse and neglect all too often. Please do not give away your animals to anyone you don’t know. Please do not let your animals wander around and get lost. Please do not let your cats have kittens and then give kittens away to just anyone.
Trooper was a stray. He wandered onto a doorstop looking for shelter and food. What he found beyond that door was cruelty. Let’s keep our animals safe. Let’s look out for them all, our own, and the strays that are so very vulnerable and easily victimized. Thank you for your support.
The kitties thank you!
