04/08/2022
Todayโs Feral Friday post is the story of a very special old tomcat. Please note we've included only one photo here since the additional images are more graphic. If his story compels you to see the rest, they can be found on our IG page, tucked within the photo carousel. A link will be included in the comments.
We hope you will read on! โฌ๏ธ
A feral cat's life is harsh and unforgiving, and we often intake injured cats through our free spay and neuter program, Feral Fridays. Sadly, they sometimes arrive so broken we canโt perform their surgeries, and euthanasia turns out to be a more humane option than returning them to the streets to suffer and die alone. Rum Tum Tugger, an elderly tomcat, was one such feral facing an uncertain future when he came into our program.
He first appeared in a well-looked-after feral cat colony in Orange County, California. His fear of humans was palpable, and he would immediately run away at the sight of the colony caregivers. Named after a T.S. Eliot feline character who always did exactly what he wanted, battle-worn Rum Tum Tugger was a challenge to catch for neuter surgery, managing to evade capture for weeks. But after much persistence from tireless colony caregivers he was finally trapped, and when they were able to take a closer look at him, their hearts shattered.
Like most tomcats, Rum Tum Tugger was a fighter who often engaged in scuffles among the existing colony. His years spent battling to survive were literally apparent all over his face as he arrived at our Petco Love-sponsored Feral Fridays event with a massive, infected wound beneath his left ear extending most of the way to his jaw. His devastated caregivers understood his chances of survival were slim, but nevertheless our veterinary staff was able to work on Rum Tum Tuggerโs neuter surgery, also cleaning and abrading his wounds and safeguarding his body with antibiotics in the hope we could give this long-struggling being a chance to recover. As he began to wake up from the anesthetic after surgery, our staff did for him what we do for all our patients to optimize respiration, trying to diligently posture him in an ideal stretched-out, heads-up position. But Rum Tum Tugger, perhaps instinctively protecting his wounds, refused to move out of a tight ball, keeping his damaged face buried in the center of his body.
Once they were able to get him home, his caregivers waited for Rum Tum Tugger to let them know when he was ready to be released back into his colony. Seeming to understand he was safe, he chose to stay in his trap for several days, allowing his wounds to stabilize and even warily accepting food and water. But when he was finally ready to leave, he shot out of that trap and disappeared for days, increasingly worrying his caregivers he might not ever return. But nearly a week after his release and as a huge relief to everyone involved in his care, Rum Tum Tugger returned to feed, his wounds clearly healing well. Now neutered, his fighting days should be behind him, and his life should be calmer and safer.
Though he has no idea of it, of course, Rum Tum Tuggerโs hard-fought existence and against-all-odds recovery has made him the perfect ambassador for our Feral Fridays program as his story serves to educate everyone it touches on the plight of feral cats in our communities and the urgent need to end their future populations through spay and neutering. Millions of feral cats live in Los Angeles and Orange Counties, with females who can get pregnant as early as four months old and again as soon as two months after theyโve given birth. Imagine how many unwanted cats and how many other stories just like Rum Tum Tuggerโs this amounts to. Most feral cats, if not all, will be born into lives of intense suffering, and many will die shortly after birth from harsh conditions, predators, or human cruelty. Those who live longer, like Rum Tum Tugger, must fight every single day just to survive. Golden State Humane Societyโs Feral Fridays program aims to continue to help countless other feral cats just like him until, one day in the future, long-suffering beings like Rum Tum Tugger will exist only in our memories.
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It's now officially kitten season and YOU can help us reach our goal for our next FERAL FRIDAYS EVENT! Please donate today at goldenstatehumanesociety.org/feral-fridays and please share! Let's make EVERY FRIDAY A FERAL FRIDAY!
Established in 1972, Golden State Humane Society provides low-cost spay, neuter, vaccine, and basic veterinary care with a focus on under-served communities and the reduction of unwanted dogs and cats in Southern California.
