Shadow with a Shattered Shoulder

On one of my trips to the hospital to see my mom, I stopped by the shelter where Older Daughter works to make some quick plans.  Younger Daughter was with me.  I was in a hurry, but Older Daughter whisked the two of us through the shelter to show us two specific animals - a dog and a cat, each with special problems.  Older Daughter would look after them.  Younger Daughter and I split up at that point, and I drove on to the hospital.  Normally, I would have found myself thinking about these two needy animals, but my mind was wrapped around the situation with my mom.  Younger Daughter, however, DID think about the situation.  If I had given the circumstances even one quick thought, I would have realized that my girls would be devising a plan.

Lucky for me, the dog got a foster home through Facebook.  The cat did not.  The shelter staff named her Shadow.  She is a black cat, a senior, with a shattered shoulder.  Someone saw her straying through town, walking the streets - ON THREE LEGS.  Shadow doesn’t use the leg with the shattered shoulder at all.  The vet says the X-ray shows a BB lodged in the shoulder.  It is an old wound.  No telling how long Shadow has been straying around like this.  The leg is drawn up and she is not able to fully extend it on her own anymore. 

So there she was - in a small cage at the shelter.  No foster home.  No real plan for her future.  The vet says there is no repairing the shoulder.  And because the damage is in the shoulder, removing the leg would mean removing the entire shoulder, too.  This is not a young cat - the trauma would be great.  There is probably little that can be done except to make Shadow comfortable.  Not having to roam the streets looking for food and shelter is a big plus.  But Older Daughter could hardly stand to look at Shadow in her small cage day in and day out. 

You might recall that Younger Daughter LOVES black cats.  Her tiny new home is full since she has FOUR cats of her own (all black).  But she was equally as distraught by Shadow’s plight as Older Daughter.  What could be done?  Well, once my mom got home from the hospital, the girls had a talk with me.  How about WE take Shadow as a foster?  I could provide a much larger cage in my office.  Younger Daughter would take over her care completely.  And possibly, just possibly, Shadow might one day become Younger Daughter’s fifth black cat.  After all, I’ve always said that when it comes to cats, Five is a Fabulous Number!

Here she is - Shadow with the Shattered Shoulder.

Before I send you into your weekends, if you are someone who purchased a brick in the last batch, and you have not sent me your brick story, please do so asap.  I will start brick stories on the blog very soon. 

Have a great weekend!

Comments

[Random Felines]

awwww - so glad she is now safe and can live out her senior years that way.....

[Ginny & The F'ur Family]

Shadow deserves a better life than she had walking the streets. Poor little thing. She reminds me so much of Ive boo who now is called Ha'penny .Ha'penny walks around with her stretched shoulder holding up her useless paw on her right side front. The vet told me the same thing - remove the leg - so far I have not done that - she uses her little foot for batting at toys and she can do most any thing. Shadow would be lost with out her leg. She can live a long while if younger daughter adds her to her collection of black cats - I have one my self. Black cats are so great. You all are supper and kind to the max. I have started to keep a big soft band aid on the curve of the paw towards the food to keep it from getting a sore on it and that is working for now but Shadow has a different problem. Some body shot that poor little cat and left it injured - a Pox on that mean soul. May they suffer the same when they go over to the other side. In case that sounds mean - your reap what you sow- it is in the Bible. We are supposed to take care of our animals- we are their guardians on this earth. Bless you all for your kindness to the furries... Ginny & The fur Family

[Kat & the Teenage Mutant Ninja Kitty Horde]

You have raised the most wonderful daughters! What a fantastic mother you are!!! Shadow looks adorable! I understand Younger Daughter's Horde of Panthers. I always prefer to have at least two myself. Hence why we wanted Audrey sooooo much. ::grin:: You know she's named after the black cat who was #1 when StarWalker was #2? That's where the StarWatcher comes from. He was Shadoe StarWatcher and she's Lady Audrey Nova StarWatcher. Right now she's laying peacefully at the end of the bed closest to the window since Knives has usurped the window ledge.

You and yours are stacking up a ton of treasure you know. Especially because you're not doing it to gain the treasure. ::grin:: Here's hoping things go well and that all of the kitties who have not yet found Forever Homes do so soon!

[Cat's Cats]

I'm so glad Shadow is with you now, safe and loved!!! I agree with Ginny, I hope karma takes a hand with whoever shot and maimed an innocent cat, it sickens me.

Is there any news about Domino from Florida?

[Nerissa's Life]

Ohhh.... poor Shadow. But just look at what has happened? Now, she's living there with you and I bet that's the best! She'll get the best of care with you and probably more lovin' up than she has ever had in her entire life. You and your daughters are all so great!!! purrs

PS... message from the peep.
Is it possible for the doctor to remove the pellet? She asks this because long, long ago... before I was ever born... the peeps had a wonderful cat named Puss-in-Boots. Well, he got sick and stopped eating and the doctor couldn't figure out what was wrong. After he went to Heaven, the doctor was curious and did an autopsy. He found a lead pellet from a BB gun... the neighbours' boys BB gun! It was lodged in a fleshy part of his leg and oddly enough, wasn't effecting his walking. Also, he must have cleaned up the wound very quickly and then it healed so the peeps never knew he had been shot. After this discovery, the doctor realized Puss-in-Boots was sick from lead poisoning. The doctor never thought of that before 'cause none of the peeps in the house were sick. It was that darned pellet. But the peep doesn't think this always happens 'cause otherwise the doctor would have thought of it earlier.

[meowmeowmans]

Hi Chrystal,

Your daughters are wonderful, and so are you! Thank you all for taking in Shadow. Because of your kindness and compassion, this beauty will now know what it means to be loved, safe, and cared for.

It makes me so angry to hear about the BB in poor Shadow's shoulder. Our cat Sammy also lives with a pellet (in his back leg). Before we adopted him, he was found outside in a feral colony, so he was probably shot during that period. The pellet was only discovered about two years ago (we've had him for six years), during an x-ray for something else. Seriously, what kind of sick person gets their jollies from shooting animals? :(

Anyway ... I'm just now catching up on my visits. We, too, had a family medical crisis to deal with; I just got back from Seattle, where my Auntie K is in the hospital (though out of ICU now, thankfully). Glad to hear your mom survived her heart attack. We'll of course keep praying and purring for her and your whole family.

Hugs to you all.

[Jan (Milo and Alfie's mom)]

Poor little one ~ life must have been so hard on the streets and it worries me that she may have suffered a lot of pain with that injury. I'm so relieved that her senior years will be comfortable. Thank you so much for helping her. xx

[Ginny & The F'ur Family]

Back again- Does Shadow show signs of lead poisoning? I never thought of that. I wonder how long this BB has been in her leg. We all know how much these furries have to go through out on the street and thank God you all have her now. I ask my self what makes some people so mean. I have seen other wise wonderful people take out a BB gun and shoot at birds and squirrels to keep them off their porches. When I see them do that they no longer look like wonderful people to me. They shrink before my very eyes and I have started to speak up for the feathers and furries and have lost some friends over the years. But were they friends in the first place. I hate people who do things like that. -- Ginny & The Fur Family.

[Andrea and the Celestial Kitties]

She's a full grown kitty? Shadow looks like a little teen kitty in those pictures. Of course, kitties come in all sizes. Like my tiny little Star who I mistook for a half grown kitten when she was two, and my giant Leo who's twice as long as any cat I've ever had!
No matter, she's in a much better place now! And sure to get the care, love and attention she deserves, regardless of what some horrible person who should be shot with his own BB gun did.
As always, your amazing family to the rescue! God Bless each and every one of you!!

I wasn't on line yesterday and I just saw the post about those Florida kittens! Oh my gosh! What a pair of sweeties! Now who wouldn't want all that orange fluff at their house?? Or that other pair! What do you say, people, lets get them a real forever home before they have to move to the cathouse! Those sweethearts really need our help to find the place they belong so lets tell everyone we know! Facebook it, twitter it, post it wherever you can, and tell all your friends and family!

Please dont forget donations, with all the extra kitties, I'm sure every dollar would help!

[Colehaus Cats]

What a beautiful girl and what wonderful daughters you have. All treasures, every single one of them. Thank you for the heart-warming story.

Seth, Maxx, Newton, Tessa & Pia Bean.

[Ginny & The F'ur Family]

It is so hot here. How hot is it in Fur a Way land? It is so hot The tiger in my tank took off his fur coat and put on his bikini. I have three dogs in the house on palets in front of the AC and just set out tubs of water for the birds and small rabbits and other wild life in the yard. I have a lot of birds becuse we have feeders. The Squirrels get the things that are on the ground under the feeders and they can climb up and will raid the feeders if they can. It is fun to watch the way they can climb up and hang up side down to get food out. All my kitties are taking long naps and moving around as little as possible - smart kitties. Their human is hustleing around waiting on them. Enough of weather talk- it is rain we need so badly. Every thing here is dry and parched. I saw earth worms trying to commit suicide on the hot concrete drive way the ground is so dry. Their moist environment is gone.Hope every one is staying cool and cuddling on the couch with a favorite furry - Cool wishes for a warm day -- Ginny & THE FUR FAMILY

[Sweet Purrfections]

How wonderful that Shadow will now feel the love of some caring humans.

[John]

What a wonderful looking cat - I'm sure you and your family will give her a wonderful home to see out the rest of her years in, especially if your youngest gets her way!