Bridget

Bridget spent Thanksgiving in the animal hospital recovering from severe burns all over her body. We are so thankful that she is recovering because the week before, when we first learned about Bridget, we were not given much hope for her survival.

Anita, a home health aide, had been hearing cat cries from the apartment next door to the client she cares for. The neighbor was always asking for cat food, and he mentioned that his girlfriend broke the cat’s leg. When Anita brought him some cat food, she saw the deplorable condition that Bridget was in. In a panic, she called Whiskers for help. We told her to bring the cat to the emergency veterinarian. To convince the man to surrender his cat, Anita gave him $47 – all the money she had with her.

Bridget was in horrible shape when she arrived at the emergency clinic. She hadn’t eaten in days and was emaciated. The fur around her leg, back, and chest looked like it was peeling off. Her skin was infected and raw. The emergency veterinarian wanted to euthanize Bridget, but reluctantly agreed to treat her with intravenous fluids, antibiotics and pain medicine until morning, when she could be transferred to Collar City Animal Hospital.

She did not eat during her first day at Whiskers’ vet, and a feeding tube was discussed. But Bridget must have realized she was finally safe because, by the second day, she was eating like a champ and purring. Over the past two weeks, Bridget has had multiple treatments under anesthesia to clean and debride the dead tissue. Her wounds are dressed with medical grade honey, a natural antibiotic, and bandaged daily. She receives pain medicine to keep her comfortable and looks quite adorable in the “onsie” she wears. Her skin has been looking healthier, but we are expecting that she still will need to have more scar tissue removed and maybe skin grafts.

We do not know exactly what happened to Bridget, but we do know this sweet girl was neglected and probably abused. We are truly blessed to be a part of Whiskers and grateful to our supporters who make these rescues possible through generous donations.