Sheb’s Happy Tail

By Savannah Verdon, RedRover Development and Engagement Coordinator

Jesse entered her local animal shelter in 2019 as a single woman, and left as a mother of two. She only planned to adopt one cat that day, but when she realized the gorgeous, green-eyed and long-haired cat was inseparable from the equally precious orange tabby cat, she decided she couldn’t take one home without the other. At six and seven years old, respectively, they were bonded together forever.

Sheb, the baby boy with beautiful eyes, and his big sister Ginger, quickly became Jesse’s best friends. Sheb had been a near-feral kitten when he was rescued from a hoarding situation, and he had a congenital birth defect that left him with only three legs. He lived at the animal shelter for years before Jesse took him home, safe but without knowing the love of a family. With all the attention and affection from Jesse, and Ginger too, Sheb’s happy, playful personality soon revealed itself, and he basked in being the baby of the family.

For the seven months Jesse was unemployed at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, she could rely on her kitties for the strength to keep moving forward and get back on her feet. Just a couple of weeks after starting a new job, while still facing the challenge of recovering from such a tough financial hit, Jesse was concerned to see that Sheb was struggling to use his litter box. This sweet, handsome boy was showing all the signs of having a urinary blockage. 

Over two weeks, Jesse would take Sheb to the veterinarian to be unblocked, only for the blockage to reoccur days later. Each visit would leave Sheb suffering from an upper respiratory infection, and dig Jesse deeper into financial trouble. They tried antibiotics, pain medication, and catheterizations, but the veterinarian warned Jesse that the blockages would likely keep happening, and that a perineal urethrostomy (PU) surgery would give Sheb a much better quality of life. 

Though the surgery would be expensive, Jesse knew that it was best for Sheb, and Ginger would be happier too having her brother healthy and ready to play. She searched high and low for help to pay the full cost of his surgery. Having spent thousands of dollars on repeated trips to the veterinarian, Jesse was overjoyed to be approved for a RedRover Relief Urgent Care grant. Because of generous and compassionate people like you, we can always say yes to families in crisis like Jesse and Sheb.

After a successful PU surgery, Sheb came home to Jesse and Ginger, and could finally enjoy the happiness he deserves without being in pain. Jesse recently shared an update with us on her green-eyed, long-haired baby boy:

“Sheb is doing great! We’ve put him on an all-wet diet, which he is not super psyched about and so he keeps stealing his sister Ginger’s kibble, but he’s back to his happy weird self!”

We are so grateful for your support as a FurEver Friend to the animals. Thank you for helping RedRover bring hundreds of animals like Sheb from crisis to care!