This week has been special for one truly deserving feline at Milo’s Sanctuary in Palmdale, California.
“Tommy’s Week” is dedicated to Sir Thomas Trueheart. The staff at the sanctuary are honoring him leading up to CatCon this weekend where he will be onsite holding meet and greets for the fans who have followed his story. If you haven’t heard of his story yet, prepare for shock, heart-break, inspiration, happy tears and joy!
Back in June of 2016, Tommy was living in the California desert as a stray. He was fortunate enough to have some humans feeding him, but they were unable to give him an official home. Then one day, the friendly boy showed up with horrific wounds.
Someone had poured acid on his head, which devastatingly burned his eye and part of his face!
The cruel humans were never discovered and sadly, his rescuers state this is not the first animal in the area found with acid burns. They are staying attentive in hopes someday it will lead to the perpetrator(s) being caught.
Even more shocking, the veterinarian Tommy was initially taken to misdiagnosed the severity of his injuries and wanted to just give him antibiotics, sending him on his way. Then after testing him, they found he was FIV+ and recommended he be put down. WHAT?!!!! You know how we at the CaM house feel about that ~ argh.
Thankfully, his caregivers knew this was absolutely unacceptable and contacted Milo’s Sanctuary. He was quickly rushed to their experienced vet staff who would provide Tommy with the best chance of surviving the unthinkable abuse.
Sir Thomas spent 3 months in and out of intensive care, requiring pain medications and antibiotics. He underwent surgery and had skin grafts to repair the damage done by the acid. Being FIV+ also made his recovery more delicate as his compromised immune system needed to be monitored closely throughout the healing process.
Sadly, he did lose his eye from the ordeal.
But happily he never lost his love and trust for humans.
Tommy will remain in the care of Milo’s Sanctuary and their Lifetime Care Foster homes, where he has bonded closely with volunteers and staff. He is still experiencing some issues with his eye so he will continue to visit his vet regularly to ensure the proper care is available ASAP.
He even found the purrfect gal to call his own! Girlfriend Daisy, also missing an eye, is always there to support her man.
https://www.facebook.com/milosssanctuary/photos/a.224535968065.176172.207107778065/10157877234773066/?type=3&theater
https://www.instagram.com/p/BlK6zoSHtNi/?taken-by=sirthomastrueheart
Throughout the ordeal, his story won over the hearts of thousands of followers on social media. The 7-year-old stunningly handsome ginger has become famous in the cat world for his bravery and virtue, earning him the title of “Sir Thomas Trueheart”. He now has over 46,600 followers on Instagram and regularly helps raise funds for his fur-iends at Milo’s Sanctuary; a true advo”cat” for those less fortunate!
In 2017, the 3rd annual CatCon was held, introducing their first CatCon Awards. Sir Thomas was the recipient of the Biggest Newcomer at CatCon award. His new celebri-cat status has been an amazing platform to raise awareness about injured, abused or disabled felines. He shows us all that no matter what we endure in this life, it is possible to hold our heads up high and persevere!
This year, on August 4th and 5th, fans of the feline will have a chance to actually meet the dapper cat, listen in on a panel featuring Tommy and take photos with him. 50% of the proceeds from sales for his meet-and-greet (not included in general admission) will go to supporting Milo’s Sanctuary. Hurry though as Saturday’s session has already sold out!
Since Cat Man Chris will be in attendance again representing the Cole and Marmalade family, we’ll try to get him to snap a photo with Sir Thomas =)
If you cannot make it to California, purrlease consider donating to Milo’s Sanctuary and be sure to follow their Facebook page as well as Sir Thomas’s adventures on Instagram!
He’s such a brave boy! Love the article and I love him!
poor baby
Ohhhh wot I would give to meet this handsome 1 eyed moggie.