The story of a TNR cat named David
By Jessica Hoien, David’s Foster
As I write this from my bed, David is laying between my legs, mouth breathing and purring simultaneously. He has completely woven himself into my heart, my life, and into the lives of Felius’ many followers.
The moment our TNR (trap-neuter-return) coordinator sent his trapping photo, I knew Felius had to help. The guy looked pretty disgusting. He was drooling, one eye was barely open, his fur wasn’t even a real color, and from what his colony feeders said, he smelled like death.
As soon as we got him into the vet, I wanted to know if he was completely feral or if there was a chance for him to be socialized. Either way, we were going to do what we could to help.
Considering his medical issues, nobody really knew if he was friendly or just too sick and tired to care. I decided to take a chance and see what would happen.
Our first course of action was to assess his medical issues. We were told that he had several rotting teeth, which resulted in a complete tooth extraction. In addition to a nasty upper-respiratory infection, he also suffered from entropion. A condition where the eyelid turns inward, causing severe irritation. Thanks to generous contributions from Felius supporters, we were able to provide David amazing medical treatment to fix his mouth, correct his eyelid, and vastly reduce his discomfort. When I picked him up from the vet, I was nervous but also excited for the opportunity to change this hood-cat into a house-cat.
“This is what happens when compassionate people work together to help a helpless animal.”
Our first night at home was pretty uneventful. He was in some obvious pain and was heavily medicated. I was still leery and cautious of him. I set up a dog kennel in our bathroom so he could stay secure and comfy. This also allowed me to assess his temperament without added stress. By the next morning, I had a feeling he was going to be okay with me and with being indoors.
After our second meal together, I knew this former hood-cat would never go back to the streets. Following each meal, I cleaned his chin as he slowly re-learned how to eat without teeth. He then sat on the floor next to me and purred. I like to believe it was him saying “thank you.”
Since then, we've had many vet visits, many chin cleanings, and countless snuggling sessions. With each of these tasks, I get to know David better and better, and he gets more accustom to indoor life.
I believe David wasn’t a lifelong member of any feral colony because he is too comfortable with humans and sleeping on a king sized bed. His colony caretakers saved his life the day they trapped him. Without our intervention, I don’t think David would’ve lasted much longer. This is what happens when compassionate people work together to help a helpless animal. Thanks to them, and to all of you who have supported us through his journey so far, David will never suffer again.
