Cat dumped at dog park
Pixie thriving in cat- and dog-filled foster home.
It is never OK to abandon an animal. But the level of inhumanity required to abandon a defenseless kitten in a flimsy cardboard box in an off-leash dog park is a different scale of irresponsibility.
Fortunately, Pixie, as she is now called, was discovered by a dog who has cat friends. A Good Samaritan was with his dog at the park, on Gilbert, when the pup found the box and would not leave it alone and kept scratching at the box. The person walked over and to his shock found a kitten, seven or eight weeks old, staring up and mewling at him.
Had a less cat-friendly dog – or a coyote or any number of predators – discovered the kitten first, the consequences would have been tragic.
The man took the cat home, cleaned her up and then realized that her head seemed tilted in what might be a sign of a serious condition, like something neurological. He then reached out to RAPS for help. A staff member was able to pick her up and then brought her to the RAPS Adoption Centre.
Pixie is a Devon Rex, a very unique looking, exotic breed of cat – most notably because the ears look like two satellite dishes on the head! – and it’s possible that she was abandoned by a breeder. When profit is a person’s reason for keeping animals, as the RAPS team has seen in the past, potentially costly medical bills can lead people to abandon animals – or worse. Thinking that the head tilt could be a sign of a major neurological disorder, the person may have abandoned her. (Again, though … at a dog park??!!)
Doctors at the RAPS Animal Hospital realized that Pixie’s ears were severely affected by debris. They cleaned her up and peeked inside her ear canals. Everything seemed normal. Pixie’s motor skills seemed unaffected, so the likelihood of a serious neurological condition seemed unlikely. They thought perhaps an inner ear infection could be the reason for her tilted head.
Shena Novotny, manager of the RAPS Cat Sanctuary, took Pixie home that very first night and has fostered her ever since. She gave Pixie antibiotics and cleaned her ears regularly.
Another concern was that Pixie was significantly underweight. Shena made sure she had all the nourishment she needed and got her back up to a healthy weight.
Pixie walked straight – she wasn’t “circling,” or walking abnormally, which could be a sign of a larger issue.
Eventually, doctors did identify a not-terribly-serious bacteria in Pixie’s ears, which may or may not account for the head tilt. They treated the bacteria and the head tilt is less pronounced than it had been.
“There aren’t really any concerns, luckily,” Shena says of Pixie’s current health status. “She’s doing really well, she’s gaining weight and it looks like there’s a chance she might just grow out of the head tilt.”
Now 13 weeks old, Pixie is having the time of her life at Shena’s animal-intensive home. The four dogs and four other cats welcomed her with open paws – well almost …
“The older cats were great with her,” Shena says. “They were just like, ‘Sure, welcome to the house.’ One in particular was fascinated by Pixie and eager to spend time with her and play with her. But my youngest did not like her for the first six days. He was very upset and miffed that she had walked in and now was the new baby in the house. After about a week, all of a sudden something switched and they became best friends. Now they run around the house together. They take turns chasing each other, they rip back and forth across the house and over all the cats trees and then, after having fun playing, they sleep together.”
While Pixie loves her new feline brothers, she is even tighter with one of her canine sibs.
Like Pixie, Blueberry was found abandoned in a field by Shena – a blueberry field, obvs – and so maybe the two sense a common bond. Pixie loves sleeping with Blueberry.
That may also be a matter of surface area. Devon Rex cats do not have a thick coat. Pixie burrows into housecoats and hoodies, cuddling into cozy crannies whenever possible. Blueberry, to her, must look like one giant, breathing duvet!
“She’s amazing,” says Shena. “Right from the beginning, she’s been such a confident little nugget. Very outgoing, very sweet. Obviously, she’s a kitten, so she’s high-energy, loves to run around and play but she also loves to snuggle and give kisses. She has also proven to be quite an amazing therapy kitten – bringing a lot of joy and laughter to my dad who is currently battling brain cancer. She will play in his lap as well as cuddle and sleep on him for hours while he rests in his recliner.
When she’s done racing around the house, she’s onto the lap of anyone available or curling up next to her new cat or dog siblings.
“Everyone that meets Pixie is obsessed with her,” says Shena. “She has such a wonderful personality. She’s hilarious, sweet … just an amazing cat. Whoever dumped her really lost out because she is one in a million.”
