Declawed, Deaf, and Left for Dead

By  Janet Bennett

It's sadly a recurring and routine situation.  A family moves and leaves their beloved pet behind.  A pet who was cared for is suddenly left homeless and must seek its own food and shelter.  If it's lucky, it will find a kind soul to take it in. 

Despite the all-too-common belief that cats can care for themselves, they absolutely cannot.  And especially not a cat that was once a member of someone's family, as Francesca was.

Francesca, matted and losing her fur

Francesca came to us earlier this year by way of a kind neighbor who had found her starving and roaming the neighborhood with severe mats and bare spots where she was biting her fur off.  Being all white, we examined her and confirmed that she was deaf.  The vet approximated her age to be around twelve years old.  Her mats were so severe and close to her body, that she had to be shaved everywhere except her face and tail. 

Francesca, or Frannie as I call her, is an affectionate and opinionated cat.  She let's you know when she wants something.  Being deaf, she can't hear herself, so when she meows, you know it!  What she looks forward to most is her twice-a-day Fancy

Feast.  She will nibble on the high-quality dry food in her room, but being the finicky cat she is, she holds out for Fancy Feast.  And not just any flavor either.  As far as we can tell, it's got to be some version of seafood, although even that is not always a sure thing!

Frannie is a beautiful cat.  Her hair is finally growing back and feeling healthy.  She recently had some bowel problems and we are treating her

Frannie, free or mats and cozy in her bed

with steroids.  There's a possibility she has a more serious, untreatable condition, but at this time we don't know for sure.  In the meantime, she knows she has a loving home in our "senior ward" where she can live out her remaining years in comfort and care, without a worry of ever being left behind again.