It’s hard enough to be sick as a human, even with a support system. Just imagine how much harder it is for a cat — a stray one no less.
‘Lady in a Fur Coat’
Or ‘Lady’ for short is a poor cat who suffered from a chronic infection and hematomas in her ear. This stray cat from Wisconsin was in a lot of pain when she was found by the Dane County Humane Society in December. They began treating her.
However, veterinarians decided that the best course of action would be to remove her outer ear flaps in a bid to alleviate her suffering. Despite that and the fact that the employees at the shelter were worried that she wouldn’t be adopted, Lady still kept her bubbly personality. [1]
The staff members decided to do something nice for Lady
The surgery did indeed give Lady a better life but it also made her appear a little odd. “So to help bring a little more attention to her and help Lady find a home a little quicker, one of our staff members was able to crochet her a new little bonnet with some new ears,” said DCHS spokesperson Marissa DeGroot.
Perfect little ears
Ash Collins, a worker at the DCHS, decided to make Lady a new set of ears with the power of “crochet.”
“Routinely staff members and volunteers at the Dane County Humane Society go above and beyond for the animals, not only in their care, making sure they’re healthy and happy, but we recognize that bringing them a little more attention is going to help them find that perfect home more quickly. We had been discussing, almost joking around about knitting her some ears and Ash went home that night, crocheted her a little ear bonnet and came in the next day with it,” said DeGroot. [2]
With just a little coaxing, Lady fit into her pretty purple ears and has been rocking them ever since. Lady’s resilience has inspired everyone around her.
According to DeGroot, “It’s amazing because we see these strays and medical cases come in and I think we are always surprised by their resiliency.”
A happy ending
Lady who is known for her love of cuddles and head bumps was adopted less than 24 hours after her story was posted on Facebook.
Collins, who knitted her ears, said, “I was more than happy to use my crochet skills to help Lady stand out and get the second chance she deserved, I’m so honored to be a small part of her happy ending.” [3]
“We’re really excited that Lady not only got adopted but she can bring a lot of attention to very unique animals in need and we have over 9,000 animals coming into our shelter every year so she really is this perfect poster kitty for animals in need,” said DeGroot.
This sweet story has gotten more than a few ‘awws’ from people
People have had only the nicest things to say about Lady across social media. One of the comments by Jeri Coa read, “Also, cats communicate through body language. So a cat without ears will be perceived as hostile. She won’t be accepted in any home or colony. The knitted ears are perfect! Kudos to whoever came up with his brilliant solution.”
Another person, Joseph Fagg, just had to come up with a cat pun, “Sort of a knotty kitty!” he said. [4]
Hematomas in cats
Ear hematomas are a common issue in cats. This painful condition occurs when a blood vessel ruptures, filling the area in the ear with blood and fluid. It typically affects the visible outer part of the cat’s ears. This area plays an important role in hearing so a hematoma affects the cat’s hearing.
Hematomas in cats are most often caused by chronic ear infections and ear mites. While it often resolves on its own, it is a rather painful and uncomfortable situation for any cat. [5]
There are several treatment options available for ear hematomas in cats and the most suitable one will be decided by the veterinarian. It could be a surgical procedure where the fluid is drained and the area sutured, or one where it is drained surgically and the area not sutured. It could also be a non-surgical treatment where the needle is inserted into the hematoma and the fluid drained.
In Lady’s case, the combination of the chronic infection and hematomas probably worsened the situation so much that vets had no other option but to remove the ear.
Fortunately, ear or no ear, this Lady is not about to let anything slow down her “catwalk.”
Let’s all take a page from Lady’s book and make the best out of any situation. Best of luck to her and her new family.
References
- “Stray Cat With Crocheted Ears Finally Finds A Forever Home.” BoredPanda. Judita Kusaitytė. Accessed January 21, 2020.
- “Stray cat with no ears get new crocheted set and finds a new home.” Belfast Telegraph. Alistair Mason. . Accessed January 21, 2020.
- “A stray cat without ears has a new set of purple ones, thanks to an animal lover who crochets.” CNN. Alaa Elassar. January 20, 2020 .
- “Cat loses ears, gets set of crocheted ears as replacement.” Channel 3000. Logan Rude. January 15, 2020.
- Aural Haematoma in cats. PDSA. Editor. Accessed January 21, 2020.