Her story hasn't ended, but so far is a happy one! Chelsea is seen here at the All-Star Rents lot in San Pablo, where I feed a colony. She showed up there with this harness, and, if I'd been more observant, I would have noticed the collar, cutting into her armpit. You can just see part of the collar here, and the gap in her fur where the collar goes under her front leg. This can be a deadly condition: the collar cuts deeper and deeper into the armpit, gets infected, and the cat slowly goes downhill and dies. She obviously had been with a family, but was now too frightened to let us catch her. The folks at All-Star Rents are kind and considerate. When I didn't see her for a couple of days, they told me she was still in the yard. The rest of the colony takes shelter inside the walls of the yard, and these folks leave food and water for them. KUDOS. Within a few days she showed up outside the yard and, long story short, I was able to trap her.
She was calm when I got her home, and let me look at her.
I put the new ones in a big cage in the living room, so that they can get their bearings. Covered if they are frightened. She was pretty relaxed. She ate well! After she ate, I examined her.
That's when I discovered the collar...embedded in her armpit. I cut the halter off, and the parts of the collar not stuck to her. I didn't dare pull at the stuck parts, for fear of making the wound worse. There was blood on the halter...
In the morning I found that Chelsea had pulled the rest of the collar off! Shown below. She let me lift her arm. The wound was not nearly as deep and wide as another cat's, (Archie) had been yay, but there was a deep hole; "pocket" in medical terms. Fur was missing on her back ( scab from the halter, too) and around the path the collar had taken.
After our experience with Archie, we knew that this was a very slow-healing wound. I geared up for the long haul, and called the doctor.
When Chelsea was seen the next day, I was amazed at how much the wound had closed up! There was no hole, or pocket left, certainly no infection, and the dime-sized area was "granulated" and light, not dark, pink! WOW!!
She was calm when I got her home, and let me look at her.
I put the new ones in a big cage in the living room, so that they can get their bearings. Covered if they are frightened. She was pretty relaxed. She ate well! After she ate, I examined her.
That's when I discovered the collar...embedded in her armpit. I cut the halter off, and the parts of the collar not stuck to her. I didn't dare pull at the stuck parts, for fear of making the wound worse. There was blood on the halter...
In the morning I found that Chelsea had pulled the rest of the collar off! Shown below. She let me lift her arm. The wound was not nearly as deep and wide as another cat's, (Archie) had been yay, but there was a deep hole; "pocket" in medical terms. Fur was missing on her back ( scab from the halter, too) and around the path the collar had taken.
After our experience with Archie, we knew that this was a very slow-healing wound. I geared up for the long haul, and called the doctor.
When Chelsea was seen the next day, I was amazed at how much the wound had closed up! There was no hole, or pocket left, certainly no infection, and the dime-sized area was "granulated" and light, not dark, pink! WOW!!
What a happy surprise! How well these young ones heal!! Even after days, or longer, of privation, she was able to heal this wound quickly. Astonishing...
It was probably only a few days after she was lost that we saw her...yes, I posted posters, put her on nextrdoor.com, etc. No response. Her halter looked new. In any case, it is extremely fortunate that she was caught as soon as she was! More to come!
It was probably only a few days after she was lost that we saw her...yes, I posted posters, put her on nextrdoor.com, etc. No response. Her halter looked new. In any case, it is extremely fortunate that she was caught as soon as she was! More to come!
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