Sad tales with happy endings

If we – and the animals – are fortunate enough, sad stories become tales of recovery and happy endings.

Two such cases occurred recently at the RAPS City of Richmond Animal Shelter.

Simon, an emaciated senior cat came to us as a stray in terrible condition. He was little more than skin and bones, with an upper respiratory infection, and flaky, paper-thin skin. With a little care and attention – including from our in-agency vet and the special treatment of our staff and volunteers, Simon is really holding his own. He’s eating like a horse, while being kept warm and cozy by being wrapped in dog clothes. (He looks very thug in his gangster hoodie.) He purrs non-stop.
We estimate Simon is somewhere between nine and 13. Unfortunately, the tattoo he received when he was younger has faded and his family is untraceable. But the vet says he is medically fit overall and so we’ll continue to give him extra love, food and warmth and hope that he can find his forever home soon.

Similarly, Tracker is a stray kitten who was found all alone. He smelled terribly, reeking of garbage, was emaciated and had a wound on his tail. After a clean, a check-up and, again, special attention and plenty of healthy food, Tracker is thriving in a foster home, preparing for the next phase of his young life.

These are two stories of animals that might not be with us if it weren’t for the support of our community, which keeps an eye out for stray and imperiled animals and helps fund RAPS so we can save and improve the lives of animals.

Simon and Tracker can’t thank you in words – although the purring certainly speaks volumes – but we can. Thank you for supporting RAPS so that we can share happy stories like these.