Boone County Animal Care: Grant Report
How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?
Sponsored adoption fees for cats in the care of Boone County Animal Care for six months or longer.
This grant provided additional exposure for a handful of cats who were previously overlooked for adoption. The sponsored adoption fee was an additional way to highlight these cats.
How many pets did this grant help?
8
Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.
Slinky came to Boone County Animal Care (BCAC) from a city animal-control facility that does not practice trap-neuter-return. She was considered feral and was going to be euthanized simply because she wasn’t social. Within 24 hours of arriving at a BCAC foster home, she went into premature labor and lost all of her babies. It was soon discovered during an emergency surgery that she had an infected, necrotic uterus. She would have died without the surgery and was quite sick during her monthlong recovery period. She was scared, couldn’t be handled, and didn’t eat well during this time. Her foster mom diligently nursed her back to health during this challenging time. She then lived in a garage until a permanent barn home could be identified.
Through yet another twist of fate, a promising barn home fell through, so Slinky was still in foster care when she got sick and nearly died a second time. In this case, her urine was as thick as syrup because she had so many urinary crystals. After a few more weeks of medicine, fluids, and prescription food, she started feeling better and finally decided to trust people. She tested positive for FIV, and it was now apparent that her placement into a permanent home would require a special person willing to accommodate these two health conditions: FIV and urinary crystals.
Following Slinky’s second near-death experience, she began to blossom in her own way. She “asks” for her special prescription food, which she eats in her kennel. She sometimes searches for a nice, warm lap to sit in, but she mostly just hangs out in the room with her foster mom. She’s not a fan of being picked up, but she occasionally demands attention or rubs up against her foster mom’s legs for petting. She fits in well with the other animals in her foster home.
Slinky was available for adoption for more than a year before her foster mom decided to make her a permanent member of the family. Slinky had been through so many experiences with her foster family and was slow to adjust to change, so it seemed like the best outcome for her. The sponsored adoption fee made possible by a Petfinder Foundation Adoption Options grant was the extra incentive needed for the foster mom to make her decision. Slinky is now enjoying her life in a loving, nurturing home!
