Finding Hope in the Face of Cruelty

////Finding Hope in the Face of Cruelty

— Warning: Some images may be heartbreaking. —

A victim of senseless violence, tender-hearted Adrienne survived being shot in the face but has not given up the will to live. With a gentle purr and an outstretched paw, Adrienne is showing us he still has a lot of love to give.

Our shelter partner Rescue Dog and End of Life Sanctuary in Tennessee first alerted us to Adrienne’s plight. The two-year-old cat was initially found outside by a Good Samaritan who saw that he was in distress, and they were able to transport him to a local shelter. Initial x-rays revealed that Adrienne still has pellet shrapnel in his jaw. However, they also observed this resilient, orange tabby had a strong appetite and sought out affection from his handlers.

Animal League America’s no-kill mission does not give up on the injured and abused, and we arranged to have Adrienne transported into our care. Following thorough examinations and radiographs, we have learned more about Adrienne’s condition. “His jaw is fractured very far back,” reported Dr. Mark Verdino, Animal League America Chief of Veterinary Staff. “Given the injury is more than a month old, intervention is not advised. Adrienne also has nerve damage resulting in a right-sided head tilt, facial droop, dilated pupil and elevated third eyelid. I suspect this is permanent, but should not affect quality of life.”

Despite the hideous cruelty he endured, Adrienne’s light is shining. In our safe hands, he has been eating well, with a happy, playful disposition. From now on, Adrienne will only know kindness, and very soon will have a loving home to call his own. Your support helped give Adrienne a second chance. Please continue to partner with us so we can provide hope to even more homeless dogs, cat, puppies, and kittens in need.

Adrienne continued to heal at our Pet Health Centers, and as he healed his appetite increased. Originally on softer foods, slowly more variety was added to his diet and this helped Adrienne get the nutrients he needed to grow stonger every day.  Adrienne had a visit with a specialist to see what could done for his jaw. After seeing how well he has been eating, it was advised to not attempt to repair the fracture since he is in no pain and the fracture appears to be chronic in nature. They did however recommend that if there is a malocclusion, a misalignment of teeth, that prevents him from eating that the teeth responsible be pulled.

With this great news Adrienne was now ready to find a home of his own. We had faith someone would see all he still had to offer, and sure enough, Abigail and her family arrived! Abigail told us that as soon as she and her family met this special cat, they wanted to adopt him: “My husband and I were looking around at BFF and were about to leave, and there he was. I actually feel like he picked us; he was so sweet. We felt moved by his story and wanted to take care of him and protect him.” They think of Adrienne as their fur baby, and all love him very much. Said Abigail, “He’s so lovable and affectionate, and has become a real member of our family.”
By |2022-09-02T13:36:40-04:00April 13th, 2022|