Rescue Stories - Chance: He was Shot in the Jaw, But His Rescuer Never Gave Up on Him

I've been Facebook friends with Pam for many years now. We met through our cats when Facebook had a very active and thriving cat community. Pam is a very caring person, cat advocate, and feral cat caretaker. She's a wonderful cat mom who has a special needs cat who has seizures. She also has a lovely son, who is an emerging cat man! I'm so happy she chose to share Chance's story for the blog, which I'm sure you'll enjoy reading. Thanks for saving him, Pam! 

Dawn

March 23, 2018 was an unusually warm day, and I’m so thankful that is was. Normally this time of year we keep the overhead doors in the warehouse at work closed, but because it was a warm day the big doors were open. That’s how my friend, Robert, was able to see the new visitor that came by that afternoon.

It all started with a text - “You need to come back here now. New cat”. I was up in the front office at my desk, but as soon as I got that text I went rushing to the back of the warehouse. You see, I have a small feral colony there at my job and my friend, Robert, knows what they all look like. When he saw this new cat stroll by, he knew that I would want to see it.

Robert said that the kitty went towards the back of the warehouse, so that is where I headed. I found the new cat at the feeding area trying his best the eat some dry cat food. Upon first site I knew this fellow was badly hurt. He was longhaired and severely matted. He was very dirty and appeared to have been on his own for a while. Most noticeably was his crooked mouth and how his tongue hung out. With each bite he took the food would just fall back out of his mouth, and I was pretty sure that his jaw was broken. I just happened to have a live trap there at work and a can of tuna. So I went inside ,set the trap, and brought it back outside. I sat it close to the poor guy and asked him if he was hungry. He gave me a hiss but then walked right into the trap. After reaching over to shut the door, I immediately covered the trap and took him inside. I saw my friend Robert and told him that the poor kitty was really hurt and I was rushing him to the vet. So off we went. 

Chance after being rescued.

When we arrived at the vet clinic I told them that I had just trapped this poor cat and that he needed an X-ray to see how severe his injuries were. They took him right back and had me wait in an exam room. One of the vets came in a short time later and said that they weren’t able to get the cat out of the trap but from a visual exam of him that he looked to be in very bad shape and she thought that humane euthanasia would be the best thing for him. I told the vet that I wasn’t sure what to do and asked to spend a little time with the poor kitty. They brought the trap, with kitty inside, into the exam room and placed him on the table. I pulled my chair closer and began to talk to him. I asked him “What I should do for you?” “What was the best thing for you?” As I was talking to him it seemed to dawn on him that there was still a dish of tuna there in the trap with him. He had sat on the bowl in an attempt to not be taken out of the trap. He got up off the dish and proceeded to try and eat. To me, this was a sign that this kitty still had a will to live and that is when I said “You deserve a second chance. Hey, that’s what I’ll name you. Your name is Chance.” 

Hey, Lady! I thought you said you were saving me! 

The vet came back into the exam room and I told her that I wanted them to try and sedate him and get an X-ray. She said that since he had eaten a little they couldn’t sedate him but that they could keep him and fast him overnight or that I could take him home and bring him back in the next morning. I just couldn’t leave him at this point, so I took him home for the night. Once at home, Chance was put into a big cage that I keep for TNRing of feral kitties and I made him some wet food mixed with a lot of water. Chance was so hungry and he was able to lap that food right up. It warmed my heart to see him eat. I took his food dish away later that night so that he could fast and be ready for his X-ray the next day. I told him, “Good night for now sweet boy, you are safe.”

The next morning I was able to get Chance back into the trap. I wasn’t really sure if he was feral or just really scared and wary, but he was a little difficult to handle. He looked so bad and it broke my heart just thinking of what he had been through. 

When we returned to the vet clinic they again took him back and were able to sedate him and get an X-ray. Chance was also tested for FIV and Feline Leukemia. I was called back into an exam room and the vet told me again that she thought that humane euthanasia would be best for him. I was worried that he was leukemia positive and I could see the test laying there. When the vet saw me look that way, she said that Chance was positive for FIV. I was actually relieved because I was worried that it was leukemia. I told her that FIV was okay, we can handle FIV. I already had two FIV positive kitties and they both are doing great. The vet then informed that wasn’t the worst of the news. 

Pin us!

She said that Chance had been shot. The bullet had entered under his chin, where we knew there was an infected wound but didn’t know what had caused it. She said that his jaw was so severely broken that it was not something that they could fix. She said that she didn’t honestly know if anybody could fix it. At this point the love for this poor guy had already started to grow in my heart and I knew that I would do whatever it took to help him. I told the vet that I’m sure she would think that I was crazy, but I wanted to take Chance to one of the ER vet specialists in town and see what they could do for him. My vet did shave his neck and wound area and got that cleaned up for us and they also gave Chance an antibiotic shot to get the healing process started. Poor Chance only weighed 6 pounds and I was pretty sure that a good pound of that was matted fur. They went to get him ready for the next step of his journey and I went to the waiting area to wait for him and settle my bill. I was so heartbroken to know that somebody would shoot a poor cat. I can be very emotional, and when I went to the waiting area I began to cry. There was a nice older lady there also and she began to comfort me, thinking that I had lost a pet. 

Chance and his mom.

The day before I had actually shared Chance’s story on a local pet rescue Facebook page as well as a Facebook page that I have for one of my other kitties. I was reaching out to any rescues that might be able to help him. I knew that if he was savable that it would probably take a lot of money, and while I would spend everything I had I knew that there was a chance that it wouldn’t be enough. Sadly, all of the rescues were full and nobody stepped up to help Chance. As I was telling this lady Chance’s story she told me that she volunteered with one of the local rescues. The receptionist got my bill ready as I was talking and she said “Pam, your total is $233.00.” I went to get my debit card and suddenly this lady that I had been talking to says “Here, let me get that.” I was in shock, I told her that I had the money. She told me that she knew that I did but that I would need it for Chance’s other expenses. She said that it was part of what she does with helping in rescue. I once again started to cry but this time it was tears of happiness. Not five minutes before I was in tears just thinking of the evil that is out there and now I had tears of happiness to see that there is also still so much good in the world.

Once I had Chance back in the car we went straight to Oklahoma Veterinary Specialists. We got him checked in and they put him on IV fluids and more antibiotics. This was a Saturday and the surgeon was not in until Monday so Chance was set to stay there until we could see the surgeon on Monday morning. My son and I went back on Sunday to visit with Chance and to see how he was doing. He was holding his own and eating all the wet food that they put in front of him. He was literally starving to death and very food motivated. 

Chance cuddling with his brother, Mr. Whiskers.

Monday morning came and so did our appointment with the surgeon. He said that Chance was not healthy enough to undergo surgery to repair his jaw. He also said that Chance’s jaw had been shattered and there wasn’t any bone left to put back together. He said that it might be possible to put in a metal plate, but he also said that he had seen many cats and dogs do just fine with a broken jaw without having it repaired. He did mention that Chance should see the local veterinary dental specialist once he was healthy enough because Chance would need surgery to have some teeth removed. He told us to take Chance home, to put warm compresses on his neck and wound area to help the infection to drain out and to feed him well and nurse him back to health. And that is what we did. 

Chance lived in that big cage in my garage for about a month and then we bought a collapsible pet pen which he stayed in inside the house for another month or so. This was a good way for Chance and our other kitties to have an opportunity to get to know each other before having them together full time. Little by little we started to allow Chance out with the others, and at first he did start many a tussle, especially with our cat named Bully. These two handsome guys were both trying to be the top cat in the family. All the kitties get along very well now, and Chance has fit purrfectly into our family. 

Chance has been with us for over a year and we honestly could not imagine our lives without him. He has turned out to be a very loving and affectionate kitty. He purrs as soon as you touch him. He enjoys being a lap cat and loves giving headbonks. A couple of our other kitties are a bit wary of Chance since he was a bit aggressive in the beginning, but overall they get along very well. 

When I look at Chance I am so in awe of him. He went through so much, so much more than what I could ever survive, and yet he did. He is one tough, survivor kitty. He was broken not just physically but also emotionally, but with lots of love, prayers, good nutrition and so much support from our Facebook family Chance was able to finally have the life that he so deserves.

Pam

Tulsa, OK

You can follow Chance and his siblings on Facebook at Spot The Seizure Cat.

I’ve been working hard to get submissions so this column can get up and running again. If you have a story about a rescued pet and you would like to share it with us, just click on the email icon in the sidebar to send us a message.