JOAQUIN Domestic Medium Hair & Tabby Mix Grand Rapids, MI

On the morning of November 19th, 2012 a woman showed up at our doorstep at Crash's asking the volunteers for help with an injured stray cat she found in her yard, just down the street from our facility.  So the terrific trio of Jenny Pullen, Marcy Moorhead and Sharon Wylie all hopped in the car and drove down to retrieve the poor cat, whose face was a hot mess.  Shortly thereafter Sharon dropped him off to me at the clinic where I sedated this poor guy to better evaluate his wounds.  I am not going to include his pre-op pictures here, as they are a bit gruesome, but suffice it to say that the laceration he suffered on the left side of his nose sliced him deep back into his upper lip, extending into his nasal tissue, leaving a nasty hole.  Although the would wasn't too old, kit wasn't that recent either, so I made work of anesthetizing him, flushing it and then gently pulling the tissue back together, positioning his nostril and upper lip back where it belonged.  Now the picture you see posted on him currently shows the fancy purple sutures, which stayed put for about 2 weeks until I was sure that everything was not going to pull apart.  Once the fur grows back in, the deviation of his nose won't be that noticeable, but even it if is, it is just a testament to the strength of this remarkable stray boy.

Joaquin was born in the summer of 2008 I would guesstimate, and although I had not seen him wandering around our neighborhood, it doesn't surprise me, as the apartment complex across the street is a notorious hang out for wayward felines;   many an owner has moved on out, leaving behind their former feline.  What is most disturbing is that not only was he injured while probably seeking refuge up inside of a car engine (cats crawl up inside of warm cars to keep warm), but that he has FIV, or Feline Immunodeficiency Virus, and in no way, shape or form should have been allowed outdoors.  Lucky for him he is healthy now that his wounds have healed, and he is taking well to his new digs at our sanctuary.  Although a bit timid and reserved at first, once he warms up to you he is pure putty in your hands. 

I am thrilled that we were able to not only help this cat in need when it was called for, but that we had a spot for him at Big Sids, since we are almost always at full capacity, housing 130 FIV or Feleuk cats.  I shudder at the thought of what would have happened to him had he not been found when he was.  thank you to the kindhearted woman who brought us to him, for not looking or walking away - you helped us save his life, and we are fur-ever grateful!