I am always saddened when we get a call at the shelter about an abandoned animal, but I’m also glad that I can help.
Valentino was left on the street but luckily, a kind shelter worker found and rescued him.
This shabby orange cat was left on the street, presumably after his owners moved away. The shelter workers first thought he was a female cat because he was extremely malnourished and also neutered. The shelter worker who saved him says:
“He just allowed to be picked up and he wasn’t moving. So it’s worse than I thought!”
When they got to the veterinary clinic, the cat had a temperature, and as they examined him it was visible how skinny he was. His fur was shabby, and he had patches of skin showing.
The vet examined him and his big forehead abscess. He was in pretty bad shape.
The vet prescribed him antibiotics and as soon as they started taking care of him, the cat became happier. They named him Valentino.
He must have liked it, as his face changed, and it was like he was excited that someone was finally going to help him, and he would get better.
“For the first day, he was very weak, very dehydrated. We started giving him sub-q fluid injections and once the hydration started he was still shaky. But he would stand up to eat.”
He soon became stronger and started gaining weight. His abscess and inflammation were healing, he just needed to grow his hair back.
“As soon as he started to heal, he started to form a connection with us on a different level. He became almost like a different cat.”
He became a cuddly and affectionate cat. Or maybe he was always like that, but it took him some time to trust another human again.
That’s when the kissing began!
He started kissing his humans every time they picked him up. He rubs his head against their head, licks their nose, and just snuggles up to them like he’s saying don’t ever let me go.
Valentino became the sweetheart of the shelter, enjoying all the attention he could get from his new owners.
Valentino’s recovery is visible and it is clear that not only did his health suffer, but he also needed to be brave enough to trust another human again. However, his kind rescuer did her best to make Valentino healthy and happy again.