Karnak Street Kats

One early spring day, a pretty tortoiseshell cat appeared on our front porch hungrily munching on my cats' dry cat food. I went out to examine the new arrival because I was always aware a new arrival could spread disease among my crew. The friendly cat came to me. With shock, I noticed (smelled first) that she had fecal matter smeared around her rear. I picked Stinky up and looked closer: the cat had a wound near her rectum that was leaking fecal matter. Despite this horrific injury, the cat kept her poise and purred. I named her Lady Barbara after the wife of Captain Horatio Hornblower. (We already had Horatio.)

As soon as I finished examining her, we headed to my vet. He determined that she had received a puncture wound into her colon. He had seen such injuries in dogs, but never cats. He immediately scheduled her for surgery. Meanwhile, I looked for her owner.

The surgery did not go well. My veterinarian was unable to seal the hole. Lady Barbara, however, was otherwise fine. I, however, had no luck finding her owner.

Afer consultation with my vet, he made an appointment at the small animal clinic that was part of Texas A&M University's Veterinary College. Lady Barbara came home until the time for her appointment. She stayed in one of my big cages because of her condition. She remained a sweet cat that loved attention as much as food.

The day of her appointment we left early because it was a long drive. Lady Barbara slept peacefully inside the largest carrier I owned. The carrier was in the back seat. We stopped for a hurried lunch, then on to A&M.

At the clinic, we checked in and waited. My vet had been encouraging, but I knew there was a chance that Lady Barbara was not fixable. Even if the wound sealed, the muscles that controlled her rectum might not work. What would we do if Lady Barbara could not be healed?

To learn what happened next, click here.