Nevada's Story

My rescue, "All About Animals Rescue, Delmarva" functions from Pennsylvania and remotely supports certain rescues in Florida. I was told about a section of Hillsborough County with many animals in dire need, and so I work through a few contacts in Florida to help where possible.

Contacts there were attempting to trap and spay/neuter neighborhood cats when we were told about an injured cat on someone's property. The property owners were unwilling to give us the whereabouts of the cat, thinking that they would "get into trouble." I was deeply disturbed by this situation, but we were able to call Animal Control, who found him and took him to PRC, Pet Resource Center/Animal Control of Tampa, FL.

The cat, on examination, had an enormous infected neck wound with an ulcerated area of what looked like at least 12 to 15 cm. in diameter. He was admitted and treated; however, the prospects for a cat with this type of wound in an animal control facility were clearly bleak.

We were fortunate to have contacts who retrieved the cat, and Jean of Hilltop Haven agreed to take him into her rescue and try to heal the wound.

I did not think a wound that size could be healed without skin grafting, which was not a possibility for a stray cat in Animal Control.

Jean accepted him into her Hilltop Haven rescue and began the wound healing treatment. Within what seemed like a few short weeks, the wound was amazingly healed. He was named "Nevada" at Jean's rescue, and he soon became friendly and affectionate in new surroundings with this very serious wound healed. Pictures of him before and after are astounding.

Jean agreed to keep this very lucky cat as a permanent resident and his story is a testament to the transformation of this animal that had essentially no future at all without this intervention. The rescue has (affectionately) renamed Nevada as "Nevada a/k/a Bowling Ball." As you'll see from the pictures, he LOVES to eat!

This is just one story of the many animals in desperate need that Hilltop Haven rescue continues to save. We are deeply grateful for Nevada's story and so many others.