Flatbush Cats shared the story of Jules, the sweetest rescued tabby who purred and loved on his rescuers despite being hit by a car. He won over everybody he met even though he endured such trauma.
One day, in the Flatbush, Brooklyn area, Jules showed up at a cat colony where the rescuers do TNR (trap, neuter, release).
Warning: Some images are graphic.
Purring Loudly Despite Injuries
The right side of the tabby’s face was badly skinned up with a deep abrasion. He had an abscess in his mouth, a badly injured right eye, and signs of internal injuries. He was also dehydrated and starving.
Then rescuers found he is FeLV positive (Feline Leukemia Virus). At the time, they didn’t know what kind of trauma he had experienced.
Jules didn’t know what FeLV was; all he wanted to do was give and receive love.
“Cats with FeLV can live normal, happy and healthy lives; they just have a shorter average life expectancy than FeLV-negative cats,” the rescuers shared. “Jules had more blood drawn for an advanced RealPCR FeLV test, which will tell us what stage his FeLV is at (more details soon). On the plus side: he doesn’t know about any of this, never will, and is happily relaxing and purring loudly. Thanks to you he is loved, and he knows it. 🐾❤️”
Jules Only Wants Love Despite the Trauma
Later, we learned that the cat was most likely hit by a car, and yet somehow, he was all love and affection. Cats can be such amazing survivors and make the best of any situation. In Jule’s case, he even asked for head scratches at the veterinarian’s office.
“After visiting two vets, we can confirm this cat was hit by a car and dragged, causing a deep abrasion that scraped the skin off part of his face. X-ray shows he was hit so hard that he has a hairline skull fracture,” they shared. “We are monitoring the swelling in his eye, which is a concern. We named him Jules and he is the sweetest boy, booping and asking for butt skritches at the vet. He received anti-inflammatory / pain medication and ointment for his eye.”
Quickly, this kitty won over everyone he met with his sweet purrsonality. Now, his charms would be key in finding kind, generous souls willing to donate for an expensive road to recovery.
“We love him dearly, and know you do too, and we’ll make sure he is as comfortable as possible while he recovers.”
Nothing Stops Jules
While recovering, Jules wouldn’t let anything stop him, ravenously eating all food offered. It’s often a good sign that cats will recover when their appetites are strong, so everyone loved seeing it.
They aren’t sure how long Jules was starving on the street, but he was not about to turn down food.
“Jules was also dehydrated and underweight. He’s catching up on lots of missed meals now, and won’t let a facial injury slow down his enjoyment of meat tube treats! Jules will never have to worry about food again, but it will take some time before he understands that – food insecurity is a common challenge for former street cats.”
With such a great cattitude and appetite, he progressed to recovery, and his wounds slowly disappeared.
“His eyes say he just wants to love and be loved 🥰♥️🐱🤗”
The Road to Recovery
After months, his wounds healed, and he looked like a new cat.
“Vibing w/ Jules. his facial injury is slowly healing up day by day 💛 🐾”
Even though he wasn’t starving anymore, the tabby’s appetite remained ravenous. Whenever he could, he let his humans know he was ready to eat –loudly!
“We love a high appetite king! That’s one of the best signals we have that cats like Jules are feeling a little better. Low appetites could be a signal that a cat is stressed or dealing with an underlying medical issue (or maybe they prefer a different flavor). It’s helpful to have set meal times for your cat – they thrive with predictable routines, and this helps you more easily monitor how many calories they’re getting. Remove any food they don’t eat within an hour, and bring fresh food at the next meal. Enjoy breakfast Jules! 🐾”
Below is a still picture of the kitty who rarely holds still for long. He oozes with such charisma.
“Jules is hard to photograph because when you get close, he stands up – hoping for attention and skritches. As the tissue on the right side of his face heals, and fur grows back in, the muscles above his lip have tightened up slightly into a charming snarl. His unconditional love and optimism is contagious – soon Jules will be someone else’s reason to smile. flatbushcats.org/adopt 🐾❤️”
A Forever Home for One Tough Survivor
In late August, the lovable kitty found a forever home. In the video, he seemed to wave us farewell. Everyone was thrilled after rooting for this sweet cat to make it. Many donated to make his recovery possible.
“Jules has found a forever home!! He wants to thank you for giving him what he needed most. The love you’ve shown these cats is truly life changing, and returned tenfold to their new families. Thank you for helping him, and so many others, enjoy the life they’ve always deserved. ❤️🐾”
Flatbush Cats is working to save thousands of cats like Jules in the Brooklyn area. Soon, they hope to open a new affordable spay and neuter clinic in Brooklyn. See more in their video below, and you can follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
Video by Flatbush Cats:
