This morning I find myself grieving the loss of cat who showed tremendous courage and a will to survive. Rusty was rescued by our group coordinator in March when she was doing TNR in a local neighborhood. He had suffered head trauma either from being hit by a car or struck when teenagers were throwing bricks at the feral cats. A trip to our vet indicated indicated his chances of survival were good, although he tested positive for feline leukemia. Our coordinator, who has several special needs cats herself, decided to adopt Rusty. Although likely feral, he accepted her care and showed no signs of aggression. He seemed to be on the road to recovery, but developed a severe eye infection, leading to surgery and removal of the eye. In spite of this setback, Rusty continued to grow stronger and was tame enough for our coordinator to introduce him to her three other FeLV postive cats. Just within the past two weeks, Rusty began losing his appetite. The vet discovered a tumor near one of his rear legs and suspected cancer. Rusty continued to grow weaker and it was decided not to subject him to the trauma of further treatment. He was put to sleep yesterday morning. In just a few short months, this beautiful cat touched us deeply. RIP sweet boy. You were loved and will be missed.
