On Saturday December 9th, 2017 a called was forwarded to Animal Outreach Society of McHenry County from the Marengo Animal Hospital in Illinois asking if they could assist with a tiny kitten that was just rescued, but was showing signs of trauma in his legs. The very kind lady that found him said he was under her bushes and felt bad he wasn’t using his legs so she brought him in. She didn’t know how long he had been outside. The only thing wrong they could see on the oustide was his nose was scratched up.
Sheryl Ann, an Animal Outreach volunteer immediately called back and left a message saying YES!! Arrangements were made on December 11th that Sheryl Ann would make the drive that day after work to pick up the kitten.
As fate would have it, the Midwest’s first bad snow storm hit that day which made travel not only more difficult but extremely dangerous. Sheryl Ann knew that even though she hated driving in those conditions, she HAD to brave the journey to pick up the suffering kitten.
“What would normally take about 90 minutes round trip took a little over 3 hours. Closed roads, accidents, you name it, it was happening on those roads that night” she recalled.
When she arrived at the animal hospital, she was greeted by a tiny 1.5 pound tuxedo kitten hissing and obviously hurting. She gently picked him up and held him in her jacket where he instantly stopped hissing and cuddled right in. The kitten was named Deacon and coincedently is Sheryl Ann’s maiden name. “Someone meant for me to get him that night and kept us both safe on the way home.”
She brought him straight to a local vet that works with Animal Outreach and they quickly ushered her back with Deacon still wrapped in her coat. After being examined, Deacon was found to have 3 breaks in his legs.
A plan was made to ensure he was treated and strong enough for surgery. He had the procedure on December 14th, where pins and wires were inserted through his growth plates to hold his bones together. The surgery was successful and Sheryl Ann picked him up the next day so he could begin to heal in her foster care. The vet said that once he started surgery, the breaks looked to be about 3 weeks old already. They had estimated him about 1 1/2 to 2 months due to his weight. This little guy showed such strength with everything he’d been through in his short time!
Due to the extensive surgery, the less mobile Deacon was the faster he would heal. He wasn’t allowed to roam the house, was given the smallest cage that would hold him and his necessities but spent many hours in the arms of his foster family. Unfortunately on December 26th, Deacon began crying. At first they thought he just wanted some snuggle time but when they tried to place him back in his cage, he bit them which is when they knew something more serious was wrong.
Another immediate trip to the vet showed that he had rebroken a femur. A second surgery was scheduled for the next day to reset his pins. He made it through like a champ and was back on the mend. He will be going back mid March to have one of the pins removed. It is likely that he has nerve or muscle damage in his right foot as he walks on the top of it and his claws don’t come out. It is possible that his back leg bones will not grow because of the pins going through the growth plates but this has not slowed him down in the least!
He plays with Sheryl Anns’ cats and just loves her orange tabby, Clyde, who has been teaching him how to be a kitten. “It’s going to be a long road for him but I’m sure he’ll come out on top!”
He will be with her family for quite a bit longer at least through his recovery. If the team at Animal Outreach can keep the donations coming in, they will also be taking him for physical therapy to see if it’s possible to fix his back foot. “It’s really really going to be hard to give him up but I really want to make sure that I’m doing right by him” admits Sheryl Ann.
PURRlease consider donating to the Animal Outreach Humane Society to help Deacon and all the other animals they work so hard to save. Their workers and volunteers are amazingly dedicated to helping the unfortunately and Sheryl Ann was actually one of the participants in our rescue of the hoarding house kittens & cats in the summer of 2017! Thank you again to all the supporters, donations and efforts to help precious animals like Deacon have a chance at life.
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