Louisa arrived at our shelter with a severe tail injury, pneumonia, and large areas of fur missing from along her back side and legs. The 8-year-old was in rough shape, and our medical team quickly sprang into action to help her.
After receiving a tail amputation, Louisa went to stay with one of our foster volunteers for what we thought would be a short recovery. But while she was still in her foster home, the doctors discovered that Louisa also had nerve damage from the injury to her tail. The nerve damage was causing her to lick and bite at her sides, which explained her missing fur.
Our Shelter Medicine and Foster departments teamed up to help Louisa. Over the next several months they tried a special diet, over 10 medications, skin diagnostics, x-rays, lab work, and even medicated baths to help alleviate her pain. Throughout this ordeal, Louisa stayed with her foster parent, who made multiple trips back and forth for medical appointments. Happily, the medical team was able to find the right combination of medications that worked for Louisa to get her stabilized and comfortable.
Louisa was now ready to be adopted! And within two days, someone inquired about her. The gentleman was looking for a senior cat and was not at all fazed by her extensive medical history or having to give her medications 3x/day. It was a perfect match!
Louisa now lives an incredible life with her new papa. He is absolutely smitten with her and says she loves bird watching, playing with her toys and lots of cuddle time. Louisa’s fur has all grown back and is now sparkling white. She even knows “sit” and “paw,” proving you can teach an old cat new tricks!
The silver lining of shelter-in-place is that wonderful special needs animals, who would sometimes linger in the shelter for weeks or even months, are finding their forever homes in record time. We hope this trend continues long after the pandemic ends.
Please consider making a gift so that we can continue helping animals like Louisa: Donate today!