"Slinky came to Boone County Animal Care 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 month-long 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, subq 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."
I was Slinky's foster mom; I decided to adopt her recently to make her a permanent member of our family. Boone County Animal Care focuses on Trap Neuter Return and takes care of our community's feral cat population. Before they were organized this was an under served population. BCAC cares for all cats, whether they are social or feral, young or old. Slinky would have been euthanized anywhere else; BCAC gave her the opportunity to have a life. No one could have imagined what a wonderful girl she would have become.