Help SCOUT, the cool barn cat, recover from his injury!

You’ve never seen such an unhappy barn cat!

This is Scout. He’s a barn cat and needed a little procedure. We want to do right by him, but we could use a little assistance for proper care. Rather than abandon his needs, I’m reaching out to the animal-loving community, particularly those of you who have a soft spot for under-appreciated farm animals. Hopefully we can make a little dent in these unexpected surgical expenses.

Scout adopted us on our farm property last summer. After being incessantly bullied by a larger and un-neutered barn cat at a neighboring farm, he started “scouting” our property for food and love. We gave him both and we accidentally fell in love. We also made him fat, so we’re working on that as well.

Sometimes Scout comes home with a minor injury or two, but he’s a warrior and heals quickly. However, the other night, he came home with a significant wound on his underbelly and we were worried it could get infected. So I took him to a “low cost” emergency surgical center in North Hollywood. After charging me upfront and making me wait outside for over 5 hours in the hot sun, I learned they had put Scout at the back of the line because he is “wild and feral” and they were asking for more money before even addressing his open wound. I knew he was traumatized, so I retrieved our “barn cat” and fled before they touched him. They promised they would send me a reimbursement check. Hmm...

The next day, I brought him to a proper vet. They were incredibly gentle and kind and cleaned out his necrotic wound, stitched him up and gave him antibiotics and a cone. They also dewormed him and will be removing his suture in 2 weeks. Being a semi-feral cat, Scout is aggressively and craftily getting out of his cone, harnessed onto his body, repeatedly, and we have ordered a recovery jacket. It’s exhausting and expensive, but Scout is worth it. He’s smart, beautiful, remarkably gentle, and a formidable adventurer. He may be upset about cones and cages and stitches, but he also seems to know he is being cared for.

Please consider donating any amount to Scout’s medical expenses. We’re giving a super cool barn cat his best shot at a full and safe recovery, and any amount is helpful. Thank you from Dream Acres!