Our friends at Love Your Feral Felines based in North San Diego County, were faced with the most difficult task a cat rescuer can undergo.
Last Friday evening, the team was notified of a feral black cat with an unusual issue. The poor male cat was covered in open sores the size of baseballs! Being Friday the 13th, no one was sure if this was abuse done to the poor black feline or a medical issue.
Residents had confirmed the cat was seen daily and pointed out the best placed around the area to place traps. Numerous unsuccessful hours turned into days, but the team refused to surrender.
Photos courtesy of: Love Your Feral Felines
From that night until Monday the 16th, the dedicated rescuers of LYFF spent more than 100 HOURS coordinating, transporting, setting & monitoring traps to try to catch the cat.
Knowing the cat was suffering, it was imperative they help him get medical attention immediately. Not only to ease the cat’s pain but also because he could be infected with contagious diseases that could harm other animals or children nearby.
Photos courtesy of: Love Your Feral Felines
Using salmon and fried chicken as bait in the traps, they were finally able to trap him on Monday! Quickly rushing him to the veterinarian, their worst fears were confirmed and the heartbreaking diagnosis was given.
Very advanced cancer had spread throughout his entire body. At this stage surgery and recovery was not possible and sadly the most humane thing to do for him was euthanasia. LYFF covered the costs for his vet bill and had him cremated so he could be returned to his caretaker.
*WARNING – GRAPHIC VIDEO*
So some may ask, why waste your time if you knew he was going to die anyway? The answer…. “Sometimes rescue isn’t about saving a life. Sometimes it’s about preventing unnecessary suffering.”
Sharing the update with their followers on social media, they honestly and accurately detail the life of an animal rescuer, which isn’t always sunshine and rainbows.
“Rescue is a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. It is not always cute pictures and happy endings. While this may have not been the ending we were all hoping for we, can find closure and peace in the fact that he exited this world with dignity surrounded by people who cared for him. He didn’t have to die afraid and alone. These are the moments in rescue that weigh heavy on your soul. The ones that keep you up at night. The way you get through it is by being a team and belonging to something bigger than yourself. Thank you to all the LYFF volunteers and the other rescues who got involved and were willing to help.”
“This cat is a perfect example of why spay and neuter and TNR is so important. He was born outside and lived his life on the streets. In honor of Jet we would like to help further the education on TNR and spay and neuter. If you have any questions on how you can get involved or help please reach out. Sometimes one of the worst things you can do, is nothing.”
Bless all the Love Your Feral Felines volunteers and RIP Jet. <3
To make a donation to their cause please visit: http://loveyourferalfelines.com/donate/
this need to be spread on all cole n marm blogs as i have noticed people posting their cats having kittens n boasting n it really erks me. i got annoyed a few times n said things i needed to say but should have kept my mouth closed ..n people said where in cole n marm does it say no breeding so people still not understanding the message .. can anything further be done to stop people posting ?? thank u .
We are avid supporters of Spay/Neuter and no breeding on all of our channels. While we understand there are some places in the world where there are no feral cat issues, it’s rare that it’s a good thing to breed cats. =( Best bet is to report the posts/comments you see this on so we can review and remove. Thanks for your support!
To me, a cat with injuries or illness is just as vital for tnvr as any. I’ve never had a huge number of kitties to trap at ine time, so whoever goes in the trap gets treated.
I wonder if anyone really asked that (why bother if you knew he was going to die). The answer seems pretty obvious.
Unfortunately people ask that quite often =(
I had the honor of helping to trap Jet and driving him over to the vet office, I wish we could have done more for him. He was so sweet and calm the whole ride and even reached out with his paw to touch me when we carried him to our car. I am very partial to black cats and fell in love with him at the very beginning. He had such a hard life and I wish he had been mine at the very beginning of his life so he could have been pampered and never doubt that he was loved.
Thank you so very much for being part of helping Jet, no matter the outcome <3
True, this inspired me to post this bittersweet rescue story, in my group since posting with screenshots on my pages doesn´t work anymore at the moment:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1016113091869798/permalink/1087493834731723/ #PracticeTNR, #NeverGiveup, #SaveAsManyAsPossible!!! ???
Run free precious mini panther Jet!!!
I felt so sad reading the story. Even though the video was graphic I reluctantly watched it and I was so upset to see him suffering like that when I I saw his face, that’s all it took and I couldn’t help but cry. Thank you so much for taking the time to rescuing him like it said to die in peace around people who cared and not alone. So I’m very sad but happy, sad that he had to suffer like that but happy that he got to go over the rainbow to be free and healthy.