Thriving and Wild as Before – Tigger’s Happy Tail
January 5th, 2024
By Savannah Verdon, Development and Engagement Coordinator II
Diane and Anthony’s home was never quiet or still for long with her three “kids” chasing each other from room to room. Fourteen-year-old kitty Tigger led the pack with his two canine brothers, a pair of seven-year-old littermates, never far behind. Diane cherished Tigger all the more lately after his older feline sister, Daisy, passed away in the spring at 19 years old.
It was Daisy, at just five years old, who welcomed Tigger and showed him the ropes after he was rescued from a cat hoarding situation. Tigger learned how to be a pet from Daisy, and he excelled at it in the 14 years since coming home with Diane. Even at his age, he still ran and leaped around the house like the fun-loving little boy he’d always been, still chasing and being chased by his brothers with glee.
Not long after Daisy left this world, Diane spotted a strange growth on Tigger’s inner left leg. He had a growth on his little body that was getting larger week after week until it was about the size of a lemon. Then it burst, leaving an open wound that could easily become infected. What had been a looming worry in the back of Diane’s mind was now a crisis, and she and her husband would need a friend to save their oldest boy.
Both she and Anthony lived with disabilities that left them unable to work, but only Diane received benefits every month. After being rear-ended twice by drivers without insurance, Anthony was now wading through medical bills at the same time he was ineligible for benefits. Their budget was tight on one income, and it was devastating to not have the money needed for Tigger to have surgery right away. Thankfully, their veterinarian let them know that they weren’t alone in this difficult moment – they could apply for help from the RedRover Relief Urgent Care grant program.
Because RedRover can always count on the continued support of our FurEver Friends, we were ready to say yes when Diane applied for an Urgent Care grant to make Tigger’s surgery possible. She had found help from other compassionate people as well, and just days after the growth burst open, they had raised enough money for the growth to be removed. And just days after the growth was successfully removed, Tigger himself reached out with an update (translated by Diane):
“Hi, I’m Tigger! I had my surgery yesterday. My boo-boo is gone. My doctor’s office treated me so well, considering they shaved me, put a needle in my arm, and now I have tubes sticking out of me!
“When I came home, Dad held me for a while. I was so happy. Mom put me in my bedroom. I have this thing on my head and she is calling me a conehead. I didn’t sleep much, I was busy purring all night. Mom says she can hear me a foot away! Did I say…I’m so HAPPY to be home!!
“I got my medicine, and I got to walk around the house a little and stretch my legs. Walking is strange with this cone, but I’m not having to deal with my boo-boo when I walk. Mom picked me up and I’m laying with her. THANK YOU AGAIN FOR HELPING ME!!
“Bye for now!”
Six weeks after the surgery once his drains and sutures were removed, Tigger was Tigger again, and this time Diane reached out with an update on her boy and words of gratitude:
“It was a challenge to keep him down after his surgery. He was a busy boy! Climbing, then jumping up on his cat house and my reclining chair. He had to be put in his bedroom at night to chill out. He was so busy that it took an extra week of recuperating before the sutures came out.
“He is thriving and wild as before! He’s running through the house, jumping, climbing, terrorizing his doggie brothers, and he loves looking out the window from his cat house and jumping around. He will climb onto me and lay on my shoulders and chest, and his purring puts me to sleep. Thank you so much for your help in making my boy better! I so appreciate you!!!”
We appreciate you too! Thank you for being a FurEver Friend to the animals and families that count on RedRover for help. We look forward to sharing more Happy Tails about the lives your support will change for the better this year!
