Left to fend for himself, Thomas the cat finds a forever family

Thomas the cat is lucky to that there are people like Tracy in the world. Thomas, a handsome grey cat with bright green eyes, was left to fend for himself in the outside world when his previous owners moved away. Not only did they leave social, friendly Thomas outside, they gave him little chance of survival. You see, Thomas was declawed, which made him incredibly vulnerable to the dangers of the outside world. Cats’ claws act as a defense mechanism against predators, and claws are essential to helping cats escape a dangerous situation. With no claws to defend himself or climb away from predators, Thomas had the odds stacked against him.

That’s when Tracy and her family, long-time animal lovers and all-around great people, stepped in to help Thomas. Tracy’s daughter was able to help coax Thomas out from under the truck where he was hiding and examine the frightened cat. They saw that Thomas’ leg was badly injured, and they rushed him straight to the vet hospital for an emergency exam.

Not only did the veterinarian confirm that Thomas’ leg was indeed broken, it was discovered that poor Thomas had a shattered hip, too. The veterinarian recommended amputation and a permanent indoor residence for Thomas. Tracy knew a friendly, declawed, three-legged cat could never make it on his own, so Tracy and her compassionate family resolved to help the broken kitty. Though the family was struggling to stay afloat with bills, mortgage, and one of their kids’ college tuition, Tracy would do whatever it took to help Thomas. He had been dealt such a bad hand, and Tracy was determined to see his luck change for the better.

Tracy reached out to RedRover, and filled out a RedRover Relief application for Thomas’ care. RedRover Relief grants help provide financial assistance for veterinary care to families in need, and when case manager Laurel read Thomas’ story and saw how lucky he was to have found Tracy and her family, Laurel knew we had to help. We provided a RedRover Relief grant and worked with Thomas’ veterinary hospital to make sure he got the surgery he needed.

The RedRover Relief program functions solely on donations from compassionate people and we were able to help Thomas and other animals like him because of the generosity of people like you. Tracy was so moved by the help and support she received from RedRover, that, when she had enough to spare, she paid it forward by donating to the RedRover Relief program. This means another animal just like Thomas will receive the lifesaving care they need to survive.

Once Thomas had his surgery and a few nights of a difficult recovery, he began to adjust to his new life, with one less leg and a whole new family. Tracy gave us an update on Thomas (her kids renamed him “Charles”) a few weeks later: “Thank you so much for your help in saving this big sweetie. He is getting along very well after his amputation. I just don’t know what would have happened if you had not contacted me. I made a promise to myself that when I was able, I was going to give back the kindness RedRover played in helping save my sixth rescue. A check is in the mail.”

Do you want to learn more about how you can help animals like Thomas? Read about our RedRover Relief progam: www.RedRover.org/DonateRelief