One morning in June, a member of the staff of the Mt. Rainier, Maryland-based Alley Cat Rescue cat shelter arrived at work to discover a carrier on the front steps. He first didn’t give it much thought.
He wasn’t first frightened “until he noticed the sign on top,” Brianna Grant, communications associate at Alley Cat Rescue, told The Dodo. “Sometimes people give carriers.”
“Please help!” someone had written on a piece of cardboard. “He is amazing. I’m sorry.”
The staff member looked inside the carrier and found a tiny 3-month-old kitten with a badly injured eye.
Grant stated, “His eye had swollen up, almost twice the size it should have been, so we realized right away that we had to treat him. “Our veterinarian examined the wound and concluded that it was caused by a quick trauma, such as the kitten falling or being struck in the eye.
Since there was no indication that this injury was intentionally caused, we now believe it was an accident, and his prior owner just became overburdened.
The kitten, whom they started calling Kobu, immediately went into surgery to remove his eye — and he’s recovered remarkably fast.
“He is definitely a resilient kitten,” Grant said. “He has been such a champ through everything. When we first found him he was withdrawn, but has done a complete 180 since then. He is now a happy and goofy boy.”
Kobu is presently housed in the kitten area of the shelter, where he has quickly established a lot of pals.
Grant stated, “He adores the other kitties and is often snuggling and playing with them. He truly is great and such a darling.
“He also loves to meet new people,” she added. “Anytime a new person comes into the kitten room, he runs up to them and immediately wants to be pet.”
Kobu has even escaped once to hang out with the adult cats who live on the floor below the kitten room. “He loved to meet everyone,” Grant said. “He’s definitely not a shy cat.”
Since Kobu is so gregarious, Grant thinks the best home for him would be one where he’s not the only cat.
“We’re looking for him to go to a home that currently has another cat, or [with someone who] is willing to adopt him along with another cat,” she said.
It was evident from the message that Kobu’s previous owner did care about him, but Grant pointed out that it is risky to leave a cat or kitten at a shelter’s front entrance, particularly in the summer heat.
We’re always eager to provide a hand and offer guidance, so we’re delighted the individual brought the cat. But if someone finds themselves in a similar predicament, we hope they will knock on our door, and we will be pleased to assist them in any way we can,” Grant said.
