Nubby The Cat Needs Help

Sometimes bad things happen to good cats.

Take Nubby, for example. When this big orange stray was saved by LifeLine Animal Project, it was immediately obvious upon his arrival at the rescue that he had a host of physical problems. He had entropian, a painful and problematic inward rolling of his lower eyelids, a condition more common in dogs than cats. His tail was horribly mangled, half it already gone and the rest infected, consistant with a run-in with a coyote or stray or off-leash dog. He was also diagnosed FIV-positive but was showed no obvious symptoms.

Another thing that was immediately apparent: How sweet natured he was. Incredibly, although he was in obvious and terrible pain, he never tried to bite or scratch the hands that helped him.

"He's a big orange lump of a tom cat who just wants a friend, " said Mickie Blair, LifeLine's field coordinator, "He's had a run of bad luck, but thankfully most of his problems can be fixed."

It took two surgeries to fix his tail, most of which, finally, just had to be docked. It's now about an inch long. After that, the staff took to calling him "Nubby", and it stuck.

The entropian of his eyelids is a bit more complicated but it can also be fixed with a surgical procedure at a veterinary specialist. While his actual sight is not affected and he can see, it's a painful condition with his lower lashes facing inward, constantly rubbing against his eye. This causes his eyes to always be inflamed and watery.

"He will be a lot happier after he has the surgery, " said Blair. "He'll be able to see even better and he won't have hair stuck in his eyes."

Addressing his being FIV-positive, Blair stresses that the disease is not a death sentence. LifeLine has adopted out many "FIV kitties" as Blair calls them and she says they can live a happy and long life with good care and proper nutrition.

The disease cannot be spread to dogs or humans and only to other cats through fighting or mating. Neither is a likely problem for Nubby, who is neutered and at present co-exists calmly with five other felines in LifeLine's administrative office.

The office cats spend their days waiting for adoption by sunning themselves by the window, playing with toys on the floor, eating their meals together and "helping" the staff by sitting in laps or on computers while people are working.

"Except for the problems he came in with, he's extremely healthy," said Blair, "He will make someone a wonderful cat once he's had his eye surgery."

Nubby's eye-saving surgery is estimated to cost about $800 and LifeLine is currently taking donations to aid in the rehabilitation of this friendly, down-on-his-luck orange cat.

To donate, go to their website at www.LifeLineAnimal.org or contact info@LifeLineAnimal.org. To inquire about adopting Nubby, contact mblair@LifeLineAnimal.org.