Most stray cats have fleas, ringworm, and parasites, but this sweet cat is in need of serious veterinary care.
Feral cat colonies can take a lot of care, and cats living in them are not necessarily eligible for placement in foster homes since they are typically poorly socialized and difficult to transfer into a home setting. Because many of them are abandoned cats from early in their lives, they may not (if ever) learn to trust people. This is one of the reasons why trap, neuter, and release programs are so important. Cat rescues may not be able to find these felines their forever home, but they can spay/neuter them to reduce the population.
One neglected cat's rescue is trending on TikTok, and this poor girl was in pretty bad shape.
Neglected Cat's Rescue
@ratchetrobin My heart hurts for Petal. #rescueanimals #adoptdontshop #animalrescue #catsoftiktok #fyp?
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Petal is just one of 30 cats in a feral cat colony, living in the neighborhood of For The Cat's Sake rescuer, Robin Dodson. In a recent TikTok video, Robin said she noticed the cat in her driveway, bleeding. She talked to the cat colony's caretakers, and they said they knew she had been bleeding for over two years — The poor, neglected cat's caretakers were just waiting for her to die, instead of taking her to get medical care or asking for help. Robin and the rescue group helped get all 30 of the cats fixed in the past, and she said in the video that she was surprised that they did not say anything about this cat.
This cat had more wrong with it than the usual skin conditions that many stray cats end up with; Petal was covered in blood and feces, and every time she moved, there was blood. Robin took her to their non-profit organization for care. As they gave Petal a bath, they realized that she had a hole in her stomach, after the poor cat's intestines fell out.
The treatment of this poor neglected cat can be classified as animal cruelty, a thought many in the comment section echoed.
Anna wrote, "Poor babe doesn't deserve any of the pain she's endured. I'm so glad you've rescued her. I hope she can be saved."
Aoife echoed similar thoughts, "I don't understand how people can see this and not act on it. Even calling someone else who can help." Another commenter wrote, "2 years!!! That's criminal. Glad she found some love even if it is for short time."
As Robin says, many rescue stories are just sad, and Petal's story may be one of the saddest we've seen in a while. While the veterinarian's outlook may be bleak due to the severity of her injuries, we wish Petal and Robin the best and hope for a positive outcome.
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