I’m Buddy - can you spare me a dime?
19 October 2015
NBCP has a new cat on the block – and he’s certainly been ‘round the block’ more than a few times!
Just now, he’s got one eye, 4 teeth, and very little fur – but that’s a great improvement on how he was found. Fosterer Jenny Reynolds explains where he came from, where he is now – and her hopes for his future. And she’s sure he has one, as she has given him a name – Buddy – and budded up with him herself to nurse him back to health and happiness.
Says Jenny: “This 10+ year old stray was taken into Scott's vets in the middle of October with a request from the feeder to ‘put him/her to sleep’. The cat was seriously matted, had decayed teeth, a gaping, but not quite empty right eye socket, and emaciation.
“Despite all this, vet Bryn thought the cat treatable. He couldn’t determine the sex because of thick mats around the backside – but asked CP ‘whether we’d be prepared to take him/her on’, and of course, we were. And once we knew he was a boy, we gave him a name – Buddy – and a CP number.
“Buddy was anaesthetized and shaved, revealing maggots crawling out of the mats, and found to be a castrated male. His teeth were mostly removed, along with the remnant of his right eye! His lids are now sewn together. Before shaving he weighed 3.5.kg. Afterwards he weighed 3.1 kg, so he was carrying round an extra 13% weight in filthy smelly matted maggoty fur.”
Now don’t recoil in horror, because – despite what he has been through – he is a lovely friendly boy – charming all his visitors with a head butt and the offer of a kiss! And when homing officer Sheila called in to see him to take photos, he posed delightedly – even giving her the ‘glad eye’ from the only one he has left!
Confirms Sheila: “Buddy is now essentially naked without his fur, and I could feel every bone in his body. But within 24 hours of arriving at Jenny’s after his vet treatment, he was eating well, using his tray, seemed upbeat and laid back at the same time!
Welfare officer Shaki McFarland wonders, too, if someone might have owned and is missing him? She says that ‘because of his lovely nature and the fact he was already snipped (neutered) he may have had a home – so does anyone know who might be missing a long haired black cat?’
“He has been living in Cathel Drive, Great Barr, and if his original family can't be traced then when Buddy is fully recovered he will be looking for a new happy place to call his own and live out his days. It is always a pity when a cat isn't microchipped as, if he had been, we could have reunited Buddy with his owner."
We’ll report back with how he gets on – and hope this ‘before’ picture will be followed by an unrecognisable ‘after’ photo in a few weeks time. Wish him well and, if you can spare a dime for Buddy, you know where the donate button is. CP can only help moggies like Buddy with ‘buddies’ like yourselves - supporters, volunteers, donators – and the help of our great CP vet – Lydons.