Bullet the Cat

Case:

Recently, a caring gentleman brought in a feral kitten (~14 weeks old) that he thought may have to be put to sleep.  The kitten was one of a wild litter he had been feeding and the day prior he noticed that this particular cat was dragging her back legs when coming in for her meal. She had been apparently normal prior to this day.  We examined the kitten and found her to be in alert and responsive with 2 wounds at the middle of her upper spinal area and wounds on the top of both back feet. The foot wounds were apparently from dragging them on the cement while attempting to get back for her meal.  The wounds on her back were suspicious for a bullet injury or two.  As a result the doctors elected to take x-rays of her back and found a bullet (pellet) lodged directly in the center of her spine.  While "Bullet" is able to move her back legs to a small extent she is unable to walk or stand. She has been treated with steroids to reduce the pressure on her spinal cord and lots of TLC for the spirit.  While we don't ever expect her to be normal we do feel that she has a good chance of having a happy life. She currently is able to "scoot" around the hospital and is quickly becoming a loving and sweet kitten.  We have been expressing her bladder but, happy days, she urinated on her own today. We may place her with a family in the near future but they would need to be special people willing to provide the intensive care she will require. 

What do you do if you find or know of a feral cat?
AZ CATS is a rescue group that works hard to keep AZ cats healthy. This group frequently has spay / neuter catch and release programs and are a good source to contact if in need.

How do you keep your cat safe? 

Unfortunately, there are always going to be malicious people who take joy in hurting animals so the best way to keep your cat safe is to keep her indoors.  If you have a cat that “must” have outdoor time the safest method is to build a kitty door with an attached outdoor run.  There are many commercial kits for outdoor kitty exercise and an enclosed patio will work just as nicely.  In additional to saving your cat from deliberate injury you will also be protecting her from fatal viruses, accidental injury, wild animal attacks and parasitic infection.