Just like children, our household pets need to be protected from caustic substances stored in the home. Often, cleaning fluids and other dangerous substances are stored in garages and basements rather than inside the home's living space, and that's as it should be. However, many pet owners also "store" their pets in garages and basements, forgetting that they, too, can get into products that are dangerous. This kitty lost an eye because of such a mishap. She also came close to losing her tongue. Luckily, however, that healed well, but we had to feed her very carefully, with a tube, to get past the damage inside the mouth.

A consequence of allowing cats to roam freely outdoors is the very real possibility of being hit by a vehicle. This sweet cat dragged a broken leg around for a few weeks before being discovered and rescued. Unfortunately, that was too long, and despite good veterinary care, it was too late. She died within a week, possibly from a blood clot.

Another problem with allowing cats to roam is the possibility of cruelty. In some areas, individuals or gangs gather up trusting animals and inflict their demented and cruel tortures upon the unsuspecting pet. This poor little gal had her eyes poked out when she was still a kitten. She has learned to adjust to her new life in darkness, but how much better it would have been to be able to see. The most common question we get when visitors see her is, "So, how does she see?" Or sometimes they ask, "Can she see just a little bit? Maybe light versus dark?" Excuse me, uh, NO EYES?

The cat pictured at the top of this page lost one eye from a blunt trauma that we will never know about. She escaped and was gone for 3 weeks. She found her way home with only one eye. Once considered an "indoor/outdoor" cat, she now resides permanently indoors.

This kitty lost her left front leg when she was caught in a steel-jaw trap. She managed to extricate herself, and then spent several weeks foraging for food and hiding in nooks and crannies for safety in several backyards in one neighborhood. No one knows who set the trap in that area, but there are cat-haters who do such things. Her leg was severely mangled and in danger of lethal infection. After surgery and a touchy recovery, she obviously had been someone's house pet. She was not feral or wild... just severely traumatized and frightened, making it difficult to catch her. She is now a happy, playful indoor cat. A second cat rescued from the same kind of trap a week later did not survive.