Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Introducing Tilly

Meet Tilly! Tilly is for Otilie which is German for "fortunate heroine" and I'm not sure there's a better name for this little girl! Let me start from the beginning though...

An old friend of mine called me Saturday afternoon to tell me that she has been noticing some ferals not far from the high school we went to together. She wanted information on who to contact about getting them fixed. Relating more to Joa’s Arc though, my friend was calling because not too long before calling me, my friend had seen a smaller, dilute calico dragging her back end (born that way? Hit by car?).

I made arrangements with my friend to meet her near by the next morning so she could show me to the place and we could look for the injured cat. We saw cats, lots of them - but not the one we were looking for. I helped my friend leave food for the cats (who looked to be living off the restaurant left overs and "slop" being fed to the pigs there). You can see in the photo that the orange kitty is eating slop and the little brown tabby with white is eating the dry food we put down. I was surprised they let us get as close as they did before running off - some would let us get within just a couple feet!

I returned for a second visit later Sunday evening and saw even fewer cats and still no signs of the cat with the injured back legs...

With the encouragement of all the other Joa’s Arc members and our supporters, I continued to look for this elusive, injured kitty. I went back Monday morning to feed the kitties and there were a few around, but not our girl. I gotta admit, I was a bit scared because no one was there this morning and there were like 75 vultures picking at the trash and eating along with the cats.

I left, but returned about an hour later. I pulled up where I had been parking for each visit and right in my line of view, sitting in the brush, was a dilute girl. Too good to be true, I thought! But as I approached her (these cats let you get pretty close before running), she got up to run and was dragging her back end! I'd like to brag, but she was pretty slow and didn't put up much of a fight. I went back to my car, got a big comforter and followed her little drag marks in the snow. She was just starting to go under the boat behind the abandoned house when I tossed the comforter over her. She hissed a little, but that was about it.

Medically, Tilly is in rough shape. She suffers from some sort of trauma to her back, though what caused it exactly, we may never know. She has sores on her feet from dragging her feet like the one pictured here. She got her vaccinations and when her sores heal, she can be spayed. Her paralysis in her back end makes her different, but she can still lead a wonderful life now that she's safe and warm inside.

Socially, Tilly seems very, very scared. We're hoping she's not feral and can eventually come around since she obviously cannot go back outside in her condition. Cross your fingers she comes around and learns to trust as her wounds heal.

So far, living outside as she was, she proven she's obviously a survivor. Tweet This

6 comments:

  1. Wahoo! I checked on Tilly in her foster home this morning and she had used the litterbox!!! This is such great news because it means that she has control over her bladder and bowels. :)

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  2. Excellent news. I hope she's friendly!

    Anne H.

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  3. Love to Tilly and you all what a survivor story. I hope you all will find her spirit is as sweet as it is strong and she will find a loving home. I am so thankful you all are out there helping these poor babies.
    Nicole Lewis

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  4. Tilly will come around from fear to acceptance - it took my Cee Cee a year, but even from the very start CC would let me brush her (hold her? forget it!! But now, when I hold her she gives me her face to kiss!!).

    Acupuncture has been proven to be very good for pets with back problems. The acupuncturist might even be able to tell where the energies go awry on Tilly's back. And don;t hesitate calling in an animal communicator.

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  5. Tilly is VERY lucky -- I saw a beautiful white with grey tabby sitting in the middle an office bldg courtyard (people going home from work walked right by her without even LOOKING at her!!) last year, in the bitter cold -- when I approached,she slowly ran off, holding her left rear leg tightly under her belly -- I left food, alerted the (they were pet-friendly) guards there and the local TNR group - but we NEVER saw her again -- OR, for that matter - any other ferals. I looked for her every morning and evening (I work close by) but never saw her again -- I still think about her, more than a year later.

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  6. Tellington Touch works wonderful with ALL animals. Perhaps someone in your area does it? It might be something to look into. I don't have the specific website, but Google, Linda Tellington-Jones, she has practioners all around the country. I used techniques myself an seen amazing results with traumatized animals.

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