CARLTON Domestic Short Hair & Tabby Mix Grand Rapids, MI

Large but obviously not in charge, Carlton (born in late 2010 I am guesstimating) came to us on December 16th, 2015 when former volunteer Hana H. found him wounded and wandering in her yard on the NE side of Grand Rapids. Being an emotional gal, she quickly called her friend (and ours) Damir to help her transport him to the clinic; she couldn't bring herself to take a harder look at his injured keester for fear of breaking into tears.

Upon arrival at the clinic, this big, beautiful boy tipped the scales at 15 pounds, was already neutered, but had no collar or microchip present. Besides having fleas and some mild dental tartar, he was actually in pretty darn good shape, with the exception of a triangular shaped wound at the base of his tail. Under sedation I gently clipped away the matted fur and cleaned the injured skin, finding a healthy bed of granulation tissue present; the damage done had occurred probably a few weeks prior to his rescue, and the tissue itself was actually in the process of healing. Long-lasting injectable antibiotics were given, and topical medication was applied twice daily as the wound shrunk and scarred over during the course of the next several weeks.

Given the wound's appearance, it is possible that another cat bit him in the butt, but since he seemed to have been outdoors for quite some time, he could have sustained another type of trauma that ripped the skin off as well. One thing that is certain, though, is that Carlton was involved in fighting at some point in his life on the streets, as he tested a very strong positive for FIV, and later positive for Feline Leukemia as well. Had he only been kept indoors...

Once at our sanctuary, Carlton made himself right at home, asking for - no, DEMANDING - belly rubs each and every time his meds were to be administered. Our cat care director swears that, if he could talk, Carlton would say: "Pet my belly! My belly, PET IT!" In fact, she found it quite comically challenging, as he was so busy rolling over to give her his fine, furry belly, that half the time his meds had to wait for tummy-time to commence before she could get down to business.

It is this type of special bond that our volunteers form with our residents that warms my heart, and makes all of the scooping and grunt work they do all the more worthwhile! To see a cat like Carlton totally consumed by the ecstasy of simply being paid attention to, well, it is utterly awe-inspiring. It IS the simple things in life that mean the most, and while Carlton is in our care, you can bet your bottom dollar that all of life's simple pleasures will be his for the taking, no asking required.