This is a story about a little foster kitten of mine that was adopted into her forever home about 10 months ago.  As the story tells she was trapped and brought into the clinic where I worked and then surrendered to me so that she could get the treatment she needed.  Thanks to her vet and her family she lives a wonderful life as a happy, healthy, playful kitten.

Swiffer's story, the kitten with no back feet

As a family tried to do the best thing for the ever growing population of cats in their neighborhood, they trapped every weekend and transported the cats to the vet to be spayed/neutered, vaccinated, and eartipped.  On one occasion, they brought in a little, fluffy black kitten about 9-10 weeks old. 

The wild kitten huddled to one corner and was sedated in the trap.  Once she was asleep, she was removed, and upon examination it was noticed that she had no back feet.  Where her feet should have been, she had little bloody, ulcerated stumps.  The caretakers of the colony were contacted to discuss treatment options, as the future of this little girl was uncertain.  She couldn't be released with the rest of the colony, that was a given.  She needed to have the wounds clipped up and cleaned, oral and topical antibiotics, and a clean place to recover so that her progress could be monitored.  Would the "wounds" heal given she would have to use the stumps to walk?  Would she ever tame up?  Would she need more surgeries in the future? 

Although the caretakers were sad for the kitten, they didn't feel they had the money, time, or skills to work with the little feral and pay for the vet bills that could be a big part of her future.  As an alternative to euthanasia, she was surrendered.  The wounds were treated and she was hopefully on her way to recovery.  She tamed up within a week, and the wounds healed almost as quickly.  This spirited little girl ate well, grew quickly, and loved life.  Her doctor, Dr. Maureen Burton, felt her recovery was as complete as it could be.  She was all healed, doing well, and getting around as good as could be expected.  She thought she could possibly need surgeries in the future to shorten the longer leg and pull tissue over to create more padding, but only time would tell.  Now who would adopt the little black drama queen with no back feet?  Well, she was adopted and affectionately named "Swiffer". 

Her family loves and spoils her.  She has grown up and dealt wonderfully with her handicap.  She has another feline friend and a nice, big dog to torment.  Her family says she can really move when she doesn't want to be caught, but other times she will sit and scream to be picked up and carried to whereever it is she wants to go next.  She gets up on the furniture and basically lives the life of a normal "4 footed" feline.  Thanks to the  people who felt this little feral kitten deserved the chance to live life in spite of her handicaps.

Tina