Animals in Need
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Update on Darwin
You might remember Darwin, the sweet little black cat who was abandoned on Galiano Island. Because of his FIV-positive status and a lack of adoptive homes, he was going to be euthanized. However, a VHS employee adopted him into her home of FIV-positive cats.
Darwin’s tail was paralyzed and didn’t seem to be giving him any problems at first. But after he’d been in his new home several weeks, he started chewing on the end of it. Apparently, damaged nerves can regenerate to some degree, causing pins and needles, which can be extremely irritating. Nothing could be done to stop it, so poor little Darwin had to have his tail amputated.
Before surgery, x-rays were done to see the extent of damage to his spine. Sure enough, it showed scar tissue indicative of tooth marks from a large dog or wild animal. It appears that he was caught from behind and then managed to struggle free. But he sustained damage not only to his spine, but to his bladder, and possibly his bowel.
Although his tail is gone and he has to have a litter box nearby at all times (he doesn’t seem to know when his bladder is full), he remains the happiest, hungriest, most energetic little guy. The joke is that he always gets there before you – if he sees someone heading in any direction, he’ll even leapfrog the dog if necessary to get there first!
Darwin and Karma (a beautiful cat featured in our spring 2010 newsletter) are living proof that cats cannot survive outside without human intervention. Don’t ignore strays!
Karma
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