This is one very special Lady. Tissue Alert! This is one sad story.
Lady
was brought to the York SPCA as a very pregnant stray with a bad limp.
There was no external sign of injury, so we suspected it was an old
injury and we were right. A few days after we took her in, she was at
the vet getting her left front leg x-rayed and we were all shocked at
what it showed. At some time in her past, Lady was SHOT and her leg was
broken in two places. She has an old fracture of her humerus (the upper
bone in her front leg) that healed poorly, leaving the bone curved.
There are also bone fragments at the top of that bone where it forms her
shoulder and there is a bullet lodged in the soft tissues of her elbow.
We don't know if the bullet ricocheted and broke the bones or
if the same person who shot her also beat her, but it is obvious that
she was brutally abused.
Lady
walks with a very pronounced limp, and if she is sitting, she prefers to
hold that foot up instead of putting weight on it. The vet said that
she is at a high risk for arthritis in that leg due to the poor healing
and in the future it may even need to be amputated. We considered
amputating the leg before adopting her, but she doesn't show any visible
signs of pain or discomfort. We think the limp is just a result of the
way the fractures healed. In fact, the quicker she moves (and we have
seen her run up the stairs), the better she moves and the less she
limps.
Lady
has no fear of humans and just plain loves everybody. She has the
loudest purr we've ever heard, but it is very low and raspy, as if she
damaged her vocal chords at some point (perhaps from screaming?). She
doesn't so much meow as she "croaks" but she does it constantly. Lady is
ALWAYS ALWAYS rubbing up against someone and purring that weird purr,
stuffing her head under your hand when you're trying to read a book or
write, and walking across the computer when you're trying to put her
profile up on line. Getting a picture of her is next to impossible
because she is constant motion whenever you are near her. Whatever
happened to her in the past didn't leave any emotional scars at all -
only physical ones.
Lady's
story has more sadness. Shortly after coming into our rescue, Lady gave
birth to four kittens during the night. Unlike other cats, who just
naturally know what to do, Lady was clueless and didn't seem to have any
idea what was happening. She didn't "take care of" the umbilical cords
or placentas and wanted nothing at all to do with the babies. She almost
seemed frightened of them and just kept trying to get as far away from
them as possible. Sadly, none of her babies lived. But
Lady's indomitable spirit lives on and she is ready to find her very
special forever home.
Lady
will need someone who can provide the future vet care she will
need to keep her pain-free. If she develops crippling arthritis, her new
family will need to do whatever is necessary (including amputation, if
warranted) to keep her happy and comfortable. In the meantime, all you
have to provide is food, water, litter, and lots of love. Lady is approximately 2-3 years of age and has suffered nothing
but pain and misery at the hands of humans, yet she is loving and
trusting, as if she knows that not everyone can be judged by the
inhumanity of some. If you are looking for a special-needs cat, please
consider Lady. Her adoption donation is $80. Lady is spayed, up to date on shots, and tested negative
for FeLV and FIV.
If you can't adopt but would like to sponsor Lady or
any of our other available cats, please click the link below. Be sure
to fill in the comment on the donation page telling us which cat you are
sponsoring. Sponsorship donations are used to offset medical expenses
and/or the adoption donation amount for the sponsored cat.
