Johnny on the Spot
| Home > Rescues |
November 2003 - by Heather Hines
These days, it appears my reputation as an animal rescuer
precedes me. I was at work one day a few weeks ago, when I picked up a message
from a loan officer at my bank branch. She explained in her message that there
was apparently a dying kitten outside the door of the bank, and she wanted to
know if I could do something for it. I called her back and asked if they could
put the kitten in a box until I could make it over to pick it up. She told me
they could no longer find the kitten. I explained that it was probably hiding
in the bushes nearby or under a parked car, and asked them to look again, but
she came back to the phone and said the kitten was nowhere to be found. Of
course, I couldn’t very well just go about my day knowing this kitten was out
there, so I left work, and drove to the bank to search for myself.
I found the kitten as soon as I parked my car. It was actually a young adult orange tabby. He looked really bad. He was lying in the dirt, covered with dried blood. He was very thin and dehydrated looking, and I could smell a sour smell as I approached him. He didn’t try to run, or even get to his feet. I spoke to him for a few seconds, and he gazed pitifully up at me, but nothing more. When I lifted him, I noticed that his rear legs were limp. I knew his condition was grave. He was quiet as I drove him straight to our vet, but he responded to my scratching him under his chin by tipping his head back and rubbing against my hand, still affectionate in spite of his obvious discomfort.
Our vet Mark noticed right off that the kitty’s right leg was out of the socket and his left leg appeared to have some kind of neurological damage that caused it to splay out to the side. The sour smell was a severe infection in the center section of his tail. The flesh was torn away and the bone was exposed. He could stand and move on his legs, but it was painful, so he would growl at himself when he tried to move. We realized then, that he had probably been run over, causing the damage to his tail and rear legs. Mark put him on IV fluids and antibiotics, treated him for flea infestation and started feeding him. He was both dehydrated and anemic. His injuries were such that he had probably been struggling along in the parking lot without food or water for over a week. I named him Johnny, because I needed to think of a name “Johnny on the Spot”. I checked on him every day, but Johnny was on a bumpy ride to recovery. When I brought him in, his temperature had been normal, but a few days later, it had jumped to one hundred and six. The next day it was down to one hundred and four, but his blood work showed the anemia was worse. A normal blood packed cell volume (pcv) is thirty, but his was only seven. Later that day I received a call from Dr. Elsur, and she told me that Johnny had gone into a full arrest. One of the techs, Holly, had heard a human-like moan from his kennel, followed by a loud thud, and found him in a full arrest. They worked frantically and were able to resuscitate him, but Dr. Elsur felt he might arrest again if they removed his oxygen. We made the decision that if he arrested again, we would let him go. I clung to the hope that his young heart would be strong and help him fight back against his weak blood. Dr. Elsur told me then that Johnny’s pcv had fallen to four. She was not certain whether he would have permanent brain damage from the time he had been without oxygen.
A few minutes later, Dr Elsur called back and told me Johnny was breathing on his own without oxygen, moving his tail and looking around, so they were pretty sure he had not suffered brain damage. Dr. Elsur felt a blood transfusion was Johnny’s best chance for survival. She suggested that Roscoe, one of the two cats who reside at the clinic, was a good candidate for the transfusion if their blood was compatible.
Roscoe has lived at the clinic for about five years, since being rescued with both of his rear legs cut off. He’s a sweet boy, who wraps his arms around your neck and cuddles with you when you pick him up. Roscoe loves to sit in the sun, so during the summer, every visit I make to the clinic I take him out to the grass across the parking lot and we sit in the sun together for awhile. I was very worried for Roscoe, because he’s not a spring chicken anymore and I couldn’t stand the idea of jeopardizing his life to save Johnny’s. Dr. Elsur assured me he was a good candidate and she would not risk his health.
The blood was a match, and the transfusion took about an hour. When I called back, the staff was excited to tell me that Johnny was standing up eating! I was right, his heart was strong, and Roscoe’s blood had saved Johnny’s life! Dr Elsur said his survival was a true miracle. The next morning, his pcv was seventeen, and each day it continued to climb until it reached twenty-nine, and then thirty. Roscoe ate ravenously the next day, and was sleeping soundly when I came up to visit him and Johnny.
A few days later, I brought Johnny home to recover. He eats a lot, and lounges in his special bed. He loves to butt heads. His rear legs don't work normally, but in about a month he’ll be strong enough to surgically repair the leg that’s out of the socket, and from there he’s truly on the road to recovery. Another very lucky boy!!
e-mail update 1/17/04
Remember Johnny on the Spot? He was the adult male
tabby we rescued in late September from a parking lot at a bank where he had
been laying for a couple of weeks after having been hit by a car. His pelvis
was crushed, his tail was run over and the bone was exposed. He was covered
with dried blood. He was dehydrated and starving. A few days later while
rehabilitating at our vet clinic, Johnny had gone into a full arrest and was
quickly revived and given a blood transfusion. Johnny has been eating and
lounging, lounging and eating ever since then. In a short three months, he has
grown from a tiny 5 lbs, to a sturdy 14 lbs and he's still gaining! His hair
has filled out and he looks like a different cat! Johnny stands a little goofy
on his back legs, and he can't run very fast, so he will need to be an
indoor-only kitty, but he is a VERY affectionate and happy guy. He loves to
stand up on his hind legs, stretch as tall as he can and gently paw your cheek
to tell you when he wants something. We're amazed he can stand up on his hind
legs like that! He's a big head-butter too.
Please see the before-and-after pictures of Johnny to witness the wonder of rehabilitation. The first picture was taken two weeks after his rescue, and the second was taken two weeks ago. You won't believe it!
Heather Hines