Super Trooper

I took my big guy Trooper to my regular vet since I adopted him yesterday (I had been s**tcanned when I adopted him, which lasted for 6 months, which puts one about 2 years behind financially, but I digress). The reason I bring this up is because I told the (awesome) vet tech Miranda and then the (awesome) veterinarian Dr. Doucette at Paris Hill Cat Hospital his story for the first time in a long while.

Trooper was a foreclosure cat just as the forclosure crisis was starting, in 2007. His alleged caretaker took her 2 children and cocker spaniel and left a big male tiger and a fat female calico with nothing but a ripped-open bag of dry food. The calico, who I called Miss Moo, helped herself to the dry food and was alert and mobile, but Trooper couldn't even hold his head up. Concerned citizens (read that as you will) broke into the home when alerted by concerned neighbors who had called the Oneida County Sheriff, New York State Police and the Town of Paris Animal Control Officer and said they could - or would - do nothing, even though the cats had been without care for MORE than a week.

One of the shelter staff helped catch Miss Moo, who was terrified, as I held Trooper's head up so he could drink water. The people who abandoned him hadn't even left the toilet seat up or the faucet running for water. I drove him back to the shelter, he on the floor of my car, looking at me like he knew that I had helped to save him. I kept telling him that he was a "trouper" and to just hold on and we'd try to take care of him. He meowed and stared at me like I was the love of his life in reply.

After the requisite 5 days, Miss Moo was up for adoption and quickly found a new home. Trooper receuperated first in a kennel (I visited him every day, and took him into into the "Acquaintance Room" to massage his decimated muscles and encourage him to play. Then, once he could walk again (that's right, he couldn't walk, had to drag himself to the litterbox when I wasn't there to help him, and every muscle was bobbling and twitching from just a week of malnutrition and neglect) he moved into my office. As fate would have it, he developed a mild upper resiratory infection and I brought him home to foster. When I was conveniently canned so the board could hire a trustee's boyfriend, I adopted Trooper. He recovered from the URI and, I have to tell you, is the most wonderful companion. I did come to realize that he refuses to eat dry food (so he did contribute to his horrible state by being picky - men!), and that he had been an indoor/outdoor cat (I take him for walks on his leash now, which he LOVES).

Times are tough. If you, or anybody you know, is facing foreclosure, financial hardship or eviction, please talk to the local humane society, or refer to http://www.hsus.org/pets/pets_related_news_and_events/foreclosure_pets_f... or the other myriad resources that HSUS offers.

Not every person is as lucky is I am to have Trooper, and not every animal that falls victim to the economy and irresponsible pet guardianship is as lucky as Trooper...his shots may have been a couple of months late, but he has his life.