The cat we came to call Cato jumped off the computer screen into our hearts before they could put him down.
A friend had seen something special in Cato's eyes, emailed his photo and description, and asked if we might consider adopting him.
His time was up at a high-kill shelter in another state--we were barely able to contact them before the deadline.
Cato struggled with many problems--teeth so bad (stomatitis) they would need to be removed, gums bloody, mouth ulcerated and inflamed, unable to eat, dehydrated, proteinuria, thickened intestines, enlarged spleen, diffuse bronchial patterns on his radiographs, etc. -- and we had to hospitalize him immediately.
After his hospitalization, we took him to a veterinary dentist who took care of Cato's mouth.
Cato has turned out to be a wonderful end-of-summer gift to all of us, showing such joy as he eats, plays with others, eats, purrs in laps, eats, races around the house, eats, and lazes here and there.
Did I mention that he especially enjoys eating?
Here he is soon after we brought him into our home:
In his first few days in his new home Cato has shown his affection for the other special-needs dogs and cats who live in our home as part of our family but he especially loves his new friend, Jason, a cat found half-dead by the highway, his spine fractured, half his tail torn off, and permanent cognitive damage:
Here's Cato hanging out with Jason and Harmony, who has an incurable, progressive muscle disease (feline congenital myotonia) and mild heart disease:
Cato in his favorite window:
Discovering a box:
And in his favorite chair:
Please follow this link to learn more about a family of special needs cats and dogs in our home.