Three-legged Kitten Ted

  ANIMAL CONCERN CUMBRIA   North Lakes and Solway Branch

The uplifting, story of an abandoned, injured eight-week old kitten.

I took a call on a Saturday morning asking if I could take in an 8wk old kitten that had been found abandoned in a shed near Langrigg. The family who lived there were well known animal people and often had creatures dumped in their garden! When the little black scrap arrived it was immediately obvious that one of his back legs was damaged in some way; he wasn't putting weight on it and was dragging the foot. One of his front legs was also very swollen. I phoned our vets at Paragon and shipped the little guy off to Dalston straight away. It was vet Laura who examined him and suggested X-Rays as she was fairly certain the leg was broken - the X-Rays confirmed this and as the break was so severe, and Ted so small, we had to decide to amputate. It's always a bit shocking to have to make decisions to have bits removed! Never more so with such a small, frail kitten. Laura suggested that Ted may have ended up with a broken leg after being kicked or stood on! A car accident would have been far more damaging. Thank goodness for the kind people who found Ted and contacted us or he would undoubtedly have died ouside, unable to fend for himself in such pain and distress. We can only wonder at why anyone would dump such a vulnerable kitten, doesn't bear dwelling on too much. Ted recovered from the amputation remarkably quickly and proved to be a cheeky, affectionate little fellow who was more than able to run around like a mad thing and play with other kittens in my care. I knew he would attract a lot of attention when it came to adopting but I already had someone in mind for him. Lynsey and Paul had adopted from us before and very recently had lost one of their beloved cats. Shiloh had died very unexpectedly and left everyone shocked and upset. I didn't want to force a new kitten on them, but as they keep ther mogs as house cats, I knew it was the perfect environment for three-legged Ted. Despite being quite mobile and no doubt adaptable, a three-legged cat is always going to be more vulnerable to traffic and dogs than other cats. I approached Lynsey by email and mentioned Ted and low and behold they visited him the next night! Paul insisted that he didn't really want to take another cat but would happily offer a home to one with such special needs as Ted! It was one of those cases where the perfect home is there for the perfect cat - which I feel is fated to happen! Ted has since been renamed Salem- which I'm told is more suited to his slightly devilish nature - and continues to grow and adapt to his predicament while annoying his feline friends Diesel and Oscar! To the left are some pics of him in his new home.