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Stray cat's shattered leg gets last-minute reprieve
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Bill
White
August
17, 2002
I've
been shying away from animal-related topics since writing so much
about embattled kennel operator Derbe Eckhart, although I continue
to hear from people who have experiences with him -- mostly grim
-- to share.
But
the animal story I'm going to tell you today is good news, not bad,
so I decided to go ahead. It involves a stray cat named Talker and
the kind-hearted volunteers who changed his life.
Talker
is a 6- to 8-year-old orange domestic short-hair tabby who, until
last month, was living on his own but being fed by a woman along
Old Route 22 in Lenhartsville, very close to Interstate 78. He got
his name because he was so vocal.
The
cat never let her touch him, and she assumed he was feral. But one
day she found him in the back yard, one of his legs badly injured,
and coaxed him into her enclosed porch. Her call for help led her
to a volunteer for the Cat Shack, a cat-adoption agency based in
Trexlertown.
When
Cat Shack volunteer Tanya Patterson arrived, she found that the
injured animal had a compound fracture of his leg. It appeared that
he had been hit by a car.
She
was surprised at how tame the cat was, particularly considering
his pain from the bone sticking out of his leg. She saw that he
had been neutered, indicating some level of previous care.
She
took the cat to veterinarian Marian Boden, who contributes services
to the Cat Shack and serves on its board. Boden works at a veterinary
clinic in New Jersey.
Boden
suspected it was not a recent break, and an X-ray confirmed that
the injury was about 6 weeks old and that the leg was shattered.
She concluded that it couldn't be saved, short of extraordinary
surgical measures by a specialist, and there was no money available
to pay for that. She reluctantly decided on amputation, reassuring
Patterson that cats cope well on three legs.
The
patient was ready to be prepped for surgery when he used the broken
leg to scratch his ear. ''My gosh,'' Boden thought, ''I can't do
this.'' Just then, veterinary surgeon Caroline Garzotta walked in,
asked what was happening and began examining the leg. The surgeon
concluded, ''Why don't you get him ready, and we'll see what we
can do?''
They
opened up the leg and saw how badly it was healing. Garzotta, who
specializes in orthopedic surgery, said, ''There's a way to do this
to salvage the leg. He might have a limp, and that leg might be
a little shorter, but he's going to have his leg.''
She
used pins that extend outside the leg to stabilize it and promote
good healing. The surgical and veterinary services were donated,
so the only charge to the Cat Shack was for the materials used.
''We never would have been able to afford it otherwise,'' Patterson
said.
As
I sat in cat foster parent Patterson's Allentown home this week,
less than three weeks after the surgery, I watched Talker walk easily
on the leg, still sporting its external pins. Patterson said, ''I
honestly believe he has a little guardian angel that sent him to
the Cat Shack.''
The
cat turned out to be amazingly affectionate, as he demonstrated
by purring and rubbing against her as she petted him. ''He's definitely
not feral,'' Patterson said. ''He's reeeaaaalllly friendly.''
The
attempt to save his leg isn't over yet. Patterson cleans the area
carefully every day. In a few weeks, the external pins will be removed,
and he'll eventually be available for adoption.
Patterson
thinks the perfect home would be one with an older couple who are
receptive to a lap cat that seems to get along well with other cats.
Call 610-967-9097 or e-mail thecatshack@prodigy.net if you're interested
in Talker, one of the Cat Shack's other prospective adoptees or
in donating to or volunteering for the organization. Adoptable cats
can be previewed on the organization's Web site, thecatshack.petfinder.org,
where you'll find more information about the group.
Talker
makes a pretty good poster cat for the organization and the dedicated
professionals who saved his leg. As Boden told me, ''I think everything
seemed to come together for this cat in the perfect way.''
bill.white@mcall.com
610-861-3632.
Copyright
(c) 2002, The Morning Call
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