Rescue Wednesday

Yes... We missed Teacup Tuesday. I've been trying very hard to talk with breeders and get factual information and it's just coming up short. I was also very busy yesterday. But I'm back and ready to post.

I have my own rescue story, today. I've had a lot of pets in the past, and they all have stories. The one that I'm going to share today is about my kitty that lives back in Oregon, Spaz.

I found Spaz at a Petsmart out of town about 4 years ago. While walking by the cat cages, he stuck his little paw out of the cage and grabbed my shirt. He was pretty much screaming at me to be taken home. I turned around, new baby on my hip, and Spaz jumped up onto the cage door and hung there. My 5 month old son laughed so hard that it made my heart melt. I decided right there and then that Spaz was going home with us.

Spaz was a hilarious cat. And lived up to his name. He would run so fast along the floor that he was able to run along the walls like he was in the Matrix or something. He quickly became best friends with another rescue kitty of mine, Bluto. Bluto's story is a sad one and Spaz lost his buddy far too early due to some wackjob. I'd rather keep this a happy story, but when Bluto was killed, I had thought that Spaz was killed as well, thankfully 3 days later Spaz was meowing at my door and I was bawling from happiness when I saw him. He was a loner cat ever since.

When I had made the move to a house by the highway, I decided that my little brother, Waid, could "borrow" Spaz. Spaz was an outdoor kitty and wouldn't live any other way. His hair would fall out if I had kept him in longer than a week. And my mom had a nice house on the river where Spaz could run all day. So that's where Spaz stayed.

My little brother and Spaz were inseperable. Spaz would even care for Waid when he was sick.

(Excuse the half naked child. He had a fever.)

Spaz lived very happily at his new home, but one day I had gotten a call from my mother that threatened all of that. My mom called me in a panic. "Spaz was attacked! You have to come and get him out from the corner! He won't come out!" That's all she said. I wasn't sure exactly how bad he was. I figured it couldn't be that bad. I was terribly wrong. Waid was playing in the yard and two stray dogs started running after him. Spaz ran up from the river area and in front of the dogs, directing the dogs away from Waid and towards him. Spaz saved Waid. The biggest dog grabbed a hold of Spaz by the head and bit down, crushing his jaw and part of his skull. By the time I had gotten to the house, Spaz was huddled in a corner pouring blood from his mouth.

We rushed Spaz to the vet and they had told us that the best option was to put him to sleep. The only problem is (and I'm not saying that people should not listen to their veterinarian) Spaz was still purring. He was still wanting rubs and hugs and making biscuits, all while HALF OF HIS JAW was falling off of his face. This was without pain medicine. I talked to my mom about what to do and thought of my little brother. This cat potentially saved his life and I'm going to kill him while he's still showing signs of sheer happiness? I couldn't do it. So I probably made one decision that could have turned out really cruel... I went in to "say my goodbyes" and walked out of the veterinarians office with Spaz in hand. I called a local veterinarian friend and got some antibiotics and pain relief and took Spaz home.

Spaz spent almost two months inside a large crate being fed soft food and antibiotics, but even though he looked worse for ware, he still got up every morning to get loved and pet and still purred like a motorboat. I'm not sure if any one person can tell me that he should have been put down. Day by day, Spaz got stronger and the swelling faded. One day I had noticed that part of his jaw just made it's way out of his mouth and fell out. That actually helped him a lot. Then Spaz started eating on his own. It started with soft food. Once this began, I let him wander the house a little more. Sooner or later Spaz was eating entirely on his own, showed no signs of infection, and was now trying to eat the hard dog food! Spaz never liked soft food, so I figured I might as well see if he wants to eat his old kibble. Sure enough, Spaz wolfed down his food with no problem. I must remind you, Spaz only had half of his jaw left. Spaz pulled through. No surgery and only two months of healing in a box. Two months that I would have done over and over again if given the choice. I could have regretted that decision completely, and would have been ready to put Spaz down if he had shown one sign that he was not wanting to live in pain, but every day Spaz came to the front of the cage and purred and asked for attention. Even with his cracked skull he headbutted.

Spaz lived with my grandma for a bit and kept her company. But after a while, he went back with Waid and is still there, living well. He eats hard food, he catches mice, and he climbs his favorite tree. But better yet, he is still here. He's still Waid's best friend. And he's still a hero.

If you have a rescue story that you would like to share, email Melvin and I at mouchois@catlover.com. I want rescue stories for any kind of animal from cat to dog to deer to moose.