11/01/2025
*****LONG OVERDUE TIMMY UPDATE!!*****
Remember our sweet boy Timmy? He came into the shelter in late March in dire need of help. This sweet cat had somehow slipped one of his front legs through his collar, causing it to become embedded around his body and under his front leg. Because he had been seen for a month like this, we weren’t sure we could help him. The resulting wound was deeply infected…it was so bad we could smell it from across a room.
We can’t imagine how long he suffered, but it was clear it was far too long.
Despite everything, Timmy was a gentle cat and sat patiently as we examined him, looking up with the saddest eyes, as if he had just accepted his fate. But we couldn’t let him down. Timmy needed more than we could provide on-site, so we rushed him to Veterinary Emergency Services in Middleton where they cleaned up his wounds and stitched what they could but given the location under his leg it was touch and go. Would the stitches hold? We were optimistic! His care was very expensive and thanks to YOU we received enough donations to help him through it.
But…the wound never completely healed and after two weeks started to completely open and within just a few days became infected again. We were heartsick. This cat stayed patient and loving despite being cooped up in his kennel with a very small amount of time allowed out. We took him to the emergency clinic where they gave him antibiotics and restitched the wound. Again, we held our breath. Over the next weekend, it opened up again. Timmy was then under the care of a surgeon who explored various options.
Timmy’s recovery wasn’t smooth. In July, after the wound continued to refuse to heal, they performed another surgery, this time going deeper into the tissue to stitch everything back together. But we almost lost him. Timmy entered post op at 3:30 but just wouldn’t wake up. The team gave him every reversal drug they could, monitored his vitals, and consulted numerous times with critical care vets. At 10:00 pm he was still unresponsive and the veterinary team started to prepare us for possibly having to euthanize him. We were devastated. Another call at 1:30 am didn’t offer any encouragement. The following morning call was slightly better but the 10:00 am call was the one we were hoping for! Timmy was not only awake but playing with toys!! After everything he had been through we just couldn’t imagine losing him!
In August, a few more times the stitches didn’t hold and had to be resutured. It was all so very frustrating…and costly. Since March, his wound opened up at least five times! But through it all he continued to be a patient, loving little cat. And with help from generous people like YOU, we were able to continue to help him fully recover and even save his leg!
Timmy was finally given the green light for adoption in September! He is such a nice cat and is just waiting for the purrfect forever home! It’s rare that an animal takes this long to recover…the road was bumpy, frustrating, costly, scary, and at times very depressing…but it was well worth it to save this sweet cat! Will you be the lucky one to welcome this kitty into your home? He’s just waiting for YOU!
