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Stallone (which he has aptly been named as he has clearly been around the ring a few times in his day) was found in a landlord's basement following an eviction follow-up. He was alone, scared, and in serious need of medical attention. His entire neck was covered in blood, he had a large open wound behind his ear, and an abscess almost the size of a golf ball on his neck. His cheek, neck, and chin were swollen, his eye seemed out of place, and his ear appeared to be either bitten or in the process of necrosis. Rat poison was also found at the scene, but it was unclear if Stallone had ingested any. Desperate to find a place to get him medical attention somewhere that would try to save him before euthanasia, the landlord reached out for help.
I was able to meet the landlord and make arrangements to get him to a local vet. When going to put him in the carrier, a wonderful thing happened! Stallone started loudly purring and even ate the wet food that had been provided for him.
Stallone is currently at the vet awaiting treatment, and the below information is what we know so far:
*** I know the photos at the top are hard to look at, but they do help identify the following points ***
- Stallone is an approximately 5-year 8-month-old, intact male.
- It is most likely that he has spent his entire life on the streets.
- The open wound behind his ear is miraculously clean and not infected.
- His raised eye is because of a previous fight; that is the way it healed and it will most likely be permanent.
- His ear is deformed also from a bite and may have some necrosis from frostbite. It will also remain this way.
- The abscess on his neck is an old bite wound that ruptured and has led to sloughing of the surrounding tissue and skin (the area with no fur). WHAT THIS MEANS IN LAYMAN'S TERMS - The wound pulled in the surrounding tissue to seal in the infection, keeping it from spreading. WHAT THIS MEANS GOING FORWARD - The abscess cannot be removed. Because of the sloughing, the skin is pulled so tight already that there is no skin left to close together if the abscess were cut out. The abscess on the side of his face will be permanent.
- He is not FeLV-, however, he is FIV+. THIS IS NOT A DEATH SENTENCE! He can live a perfectly normal life!
We do not know if these "deformities" will cause long-term issues, but at this time, he is eating, drinking and using the bathroom as normal.
Right now, our goal is to raise enough funds to get him treated and ready to find a forever home, where he can get the life he deserves, INSIDE ONLY, where he cannot pass on his FIV+ status. The treatment plan he needs includes neutering, deep wound cleaning and further assessment, trimming away dead skin (all of this under anesthesia), a course of antibiotics, a full comprehensive blood panel and fecal test to check for additional issues, rabies and FVRCP shots, and a 5-7 day board to monitor for symptoms of rat poisoning. Depending on his labs, further care may be needed. He may need topical ointment/wound dressing for a few days after discharge and will need at least 2 follow-up visits.
From the bottom of my heart, I ask you to please help make this treatment possible for Stallone! Raising these funds will ensure that he is as healthy as he can possibly be for the next chapter of his life. These funds will also help finding a home easier for him as placing FIV+ cats is so hard, let alone an FIV+ cat that isn't fixed, not up to date on shots, has physical deformities, and will have to have follow-up care. Helping to eliminate some of those obstacles now will make housing him easier on both him and his rescuer.
INTERESTED IN ADOPTING??
FIV+ cats can lead perfectly healthy lives, often the same as FIV- cats as long as they receive their regular check-ups and are brought to the vet at signs of illness just like any other cat. FIV is spread through deep bites, not casual contact, food/water, or litter. FIV+ cats can live fine with FIV- cats if there is no fighting. Stallone shows ZERO sign of aggression (he seems to love humans so far), however, because he has had to defend himself for many years, he may have issues initially with other cats (especially if they like to roughhouse). Please take this into consideration when making your decision.
He will be neutered and partially vaccinated when he comes home with you.
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN ADOPTING, PLEASE REACH OUT TO ME OR LEAVE A COMMENT! This platform doesn't like me sharing my personal information, so please figure out my YAHOO email and message me at Heather_Kay85 ....... .com (make sense?!)
Please understand for the safety of Stallone, YOU WILL BE VETTED! This sweet boy has already had a hard life, and sadly there's too many people out there that do awful things. If you are interested, a house visit is required and your current vet's information, if applicable, is needed for a referral.
*** Reminder, he may need topical ointment/wound dressing for a few days after discharge and will need at least 2 follow-up visits. We will help you cover these expenses as much as possible.
Thank you for helping Stallone get the care he deserves!