A cat named Richie Cunningham, for his “easy-going personality and his distinct reddish fur,” suffered the most unimaginable abuse. Someone shot the orange cat in the face. However, he somehow survived the ordeal, remaining loving and gentle.
Notably, Richie earned his cute name from the popular “Happy Days” 70s television classic. Thanks to the kindness of rescuers at the Oshkosh Area Humane Society, Richie has happy days again. Now, he won’t ever face abuse again.
Richie Survives Unimaginable Abuse
First, it’s impossible to understand how a human being could have done it. Unimaginably, some monstrous human shot Richie in rural Winnebago County, Wisconsin.
Sadly, along with losing part of his lower jaw, vets found buckshot throughout his body.
Perhaps, they didn’t understand the suffering they inflicted without empathy for another living animal. Whatever the case, this story shows that love and kindness win. Despite everything, Richie was unimaginably strong, overcoming it all. Today, law enforcement is investigating the incident, reports Yahoo!
Richie Remains Outgoing and Friendly
One Saturday morning, a kind soul in rural Winnebago County spotted Richie. Then, they brought him to the Humane Society. Immediately, Richie went to surgery. As noted, the orange cat amazingly remained friendly and gentle.
“He came through with flying colors, and he picked up a really sweet personality,” said the Human Society’s Joni Geiger. “(Medical staff) said that through this whole process, he had to be in excruciating pain. But still he was very, very friendly, very outgoing.”
Appallingly, the cat had “clearly been a victim of cruelty more than once.”
“Despite the trauma he had endured the cat was friendly and enjoyed gentle pets and even tried to head butt hands to solicit more attention,” they said.
Richie Recovering in Foster Care
After recovering from surgery, Richie went to a loving foster home. Although badly injured, he could still eat and drink on his own. Eventually, he will be ready for adoption.
Now, the rescuers ask that Richie’s story serves as a reminder:
“We ask that Richie’s story be a reminder to always report any knowledge or suspicion of animal cruelty, abuse or neglect. Richie is such a nice cat, and we can’t imagine why anyone would have caused him such pain. It takes all of us working together to put a stop to animal cruelty. Please be their voice,” they wrote on Facebook.
An Update
Recently, the Oshkosh Area Humane Society shared a wonderful update about Richie on Facebook.
“After surgery to remove the bone fragments and to stitch the skin and tissue, Richie went into a foster home. And he’s doing great! His foster mom said his personality is really starting to shine. He adores being inside and happily rolls on the floor, purring the whole time. He’s eating like a champ (thankfully, his tongue and upper jaw was unharmed). His facial swelling is going down, and according to his foster mom, “he’s clearly enjoying life.”
A Cat Named Bernard
Unfortunately, this wasn’t the first time the Humane Society had seen such horrific abuse. Last year, almost to the day, Oshkosh Area Humane Society took in Bernard. Again, someone shot another orange cat in the face, this time near Omro, Wisconsin.
“We had hoped Bernie was an isolated incidence of cruelty that we wouldn’t ever see again,” the Humane Society posted to Facebook.
Like Richie Cunningham, Bernard, or Bernie came through despite server injuries.
“Thankfully Bernie survived after getting multiple surgeries and the care necessary to live a happy life. He’s now at home with his new family,” they wrote.
Thus, Bernie was also amazingly resilient and overcame it all.
Thanks to the kind people at the Oshkosh Area Humane Society, an average of over 2,000 animals are saved each year. Through their efforts, they hope to “build a community that promotes humane treatment of all animals.”
At any given time, there may be 200 animals looking for forever homes.
“We have kittens. Lots and lots of kittens. No adoption fee. All spayed or neutered and have their age-appropriate vaccinations. **Please note that all kittens do need to have an age-appropriate cat buddy,” they wrote on Instagram.
