Once Abandoned and Left to Suffer With a Broken Tail, Sweetie Gets Her Happily Ever After

Since being abandoned by the side of the road on a cold winter’s day, Sweetie the cat’s fortunes have made a total turnaround! Three months after she was rescued and brought to the OHS to get the medical care that saved her life, she met her match in the OHS Adoption Centre and is now safe and warm with her forever family. 

When Sweetie first arrived at the OHS on Jan. 9, the tiny kitten was in terrible pain from a broken tail. She had been dumped by the side of the highway and left to suffer in the snow until a Good Samaritan scooped Sweetie up and brought her to the shelter for help.

The OHS vet amputated Sweetie’s badly broken tail and she spent time recovering with an OHS foster volunteer until she healed from the surgery and from an upper respiratory infection. The vet also treated her for ringworm.

Sweetie was adopted by her new family on April 7.

Sweetie is just one of more than 10,000 animals the OHS will care for this year alone. Help the OHS care for Sweetie and the next abandoned animal like her.

Spring is a busy time for OHS Rescue and Investigation Services agents. As the temperature warms, wildlife become more active and birthing season soon follows. Humans go outdoors more and OHS agents answer even more calls for injured and sick wildlife.

In April, an OHS agent responded to a call from a homeowner about an animal screeching under the porch. The agent could see that it was a baby raccoon but couldn’t see any litter mates. Unfortunately, the agent found the mother raccoon, who was dead, nearby. She crawled under the deck and scooped the baby up with one hand. He was cold to the touch and listless.

The agent rushed him to the OHS and fed him a warm electrolyte mix through a syringe. He spent the night at the OHS on a heating pad then was taken to a wildlife partner the next day where he will get the care he needs until he is old enough to be returned to the wild.

Stumbling upon a baby animal that appears to need help brings out a helping instinct in all of us, but not all baby animals are orphans. With his mother found dead nearby, it was clear the racoon in the story above needed help, but many wildlife parents leave their young alone during the day. How can you tell is an animal needs your help or should be left alone? Visit the OHS website to learn more.