Feral Change: Emergency Medical Grant Report

How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?

This grant went towards helping Cali (since renamed Pewter), one of our organization’s foster cats. It helped cover the bilateral enucleation surgery that relieved Cali of his painful eye condition and put him on a path to a healthy life as an indoor cat.

He had been almost entirely blind and in pain, with inverted eyelids and suspected herpes keratitis. His eyes were severely damaged and one was bulging. His colony caretaker reached out to us for help because she had taken him to one of our partner clinics, Animal Fix Clinic, and they had recommended bilateral enucleation – a surgery that also meant that he would not be able to return to the street.

Since the surgery, Cali has fully recovered physically. Because of his blindness, we had to ensure a transition for him to an indoor life, despite his being undersocialized when we rescued him.

He went into a foster home with Feral Change’s behavior coordinator, where he was socialized and learned how to navigate his new life indoors, fully blind and with humans. He was quickly on his way to becoming a healthy, happy blind cat! He made so much progress learning to trust and receive affection from humans.

How many pets did this grant help?

1

Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.

This grant helped a formerly feral street cat named Cali get the bilateral enucleation surgery he needed to live a healthy and pain-free life.

After his surgery, Cali (who now goes by Pewter) was fostered by Feral Change’s behavior coordinator, who devoted many hours to helping Pewter learn to trust and accept affection from humans in an indoor home.

One of the challenges of socializing Pewter was that he was completely blind. Without eyes, he was unable to see a lot of environmental and social cues. By going slowly and giving him time (and treats!), Pewter’s foster mom was able to earn his trust. He eventually became a very sweet, active, and happy cat, especially once he was better able to navigate his world.

During his time in foster care, we learned that Pewter loves to play. He has favorite toys that make just enough noise for him to chase around. He gets so excited about one particular foam ball that he snorts and drools and flips upside down to attack it.

He spends time wrestling with his cat brother Tofu, taking baths in front of the fireplace, and purring up a storm. According to his foster mom, Pewter transformed from “ultra-fierce to extra-melty cuddly boy.”

After five months in foster care, Pewter became a “foster fail” – his foster mom and dad adopted him! Pewter now lives with three other feline siblings and is loving life!