Scooter: Special needs Kitten Like Corky Needs Help

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By Karen Harrison Binette

Scooter is a young kitten born with twisted legs like the famous Corky. Unlike Corky, he does not have a shelter, fame and supporters to help him. We’d like to help raise his profile so he can get the help he needs.


Scooter was born to a feral Mama cat on Tambrey Groves’ rural property in Westfield, IA. Tambrey and her husband David discovered early on that the kitten had a twisted leg condition that looks very much like the same congenital deformity as Corky was born with, Bilateral Anthrogryposis.

Tambrey knows about Corky and his specialist Dr. Burchill, and would like for Scooter to get help as Corky did, or as is appropriate for his particular case. Tambrey does not have an excess of disposable cash she can use to fund an expensive operation, so if there is an operation the money will have to come from somewhere else. A ChipIn is set up for the kitten, but, without a shelter behind her, an army of supporters, or intense media coverage or fame, it may be an uphill battle to raise the money. We link to the ChipIn here.

Scooter is safe and well cared for, and Tambrey is pursuing options for his care. She tells Scooter’s story firsthand here:

For years we have taken care of a feral colony here in Westfield, IA and I was down to two queens to be spayed last summer; I could afford that at the time.
Last summer, a (now gone) neighbor got divorced and I was not aware that his ex-wife was hoarding cats in a small shed on their property. When he left, he turned them all loose – approximately 25 of them, and they ended up here.  I am now going through 40 pounds of food a week.

I have taken in feral cats over the years that are sickly or injured and nursed them back to health, and they either stayed here or I found homes for them.  I have also rehomed kittens and cats over the years as homes could be found.  Living in a rural area, feral cats are not a high priority on anyone’s list, and I get no help from the city, and there is no local shelter.

We knew a litter of kittens had been born under a table on our front porch, and through experience, we have learned to leave feral mommas alone or they will move the kittens.

So we left them and peeked in, saw 4 little heads and just peeked in on occasion. As the kittens got older, and came out to play, usually 3 playing and 1 watching, but since there are 3 mostly gray kittens, this still did not concern us. We noticed icky eyes on a couple so got antibiotics to give to them. My husband reached into their nesting area to hand one out to me, and Scooter was the first one out.

We knew something had to be done, so Scooter came into our home for personal care and therapy. The local vet is more of a large animal vet, and his advice was to basically euthanize, but I cannot do that!

At this time, I do not have the funds to get him to the hospital in the city, but am hoping to do that when I return from Denver next week.

Scooter seems to be healthy other than his twisted hind legs. My main concern at the moment is that every time he goes to the bathroom, it ends up on his legs and belly, then he needs a bath. I am worried about raw tender skin and sores developing, either from going potty on himself or pressure sores. I will know more when I get him to the vet hospital next week. In the meantime, after his bath and therapy, I make sure he is totally dry using microfiber cloths and I cross his legs in opposite direction as last time, so the same one is not always crossed on top or bottom.

I have been in contact with Dr. Burchill and he has not ruled out, or totally agreed to take on Scooter.  He has asked for vet report and x-rays, as well as pictures and a video to see his gait and movement to determine the best course of action for Scooter. Then it will be determined if Scooter should go there, or stay at the local hospital, Indian Hills Veterinary Hospital in Sioux City, IA, with advice from Dr. Burchill.  None of those particulars have been worked out yet, but it is on the table and being discussed, so that is a plus!

 

Scooter has a great temperament! He LOVES to snuggle and hold my chin as we play after a bath and therapy!  He purrrs as soon as any attention is given to him and he will never turn down attention and loving!

Since he cannot scratch his own ears, that is a special treat that gets his whole body to quivering and his mouth opening and closing!

He is not afraid of the other cats nor the dogs. We do keep him separate because he is so tiny, but our pit mix, Ghost, loves his “beebee keekees”.  We also have one older rescue cat that loves to mother and we will let Cuddles go in with Scooter so he gets that cat/kitten contact he needs.

As for Scooter’s future, no definite plans yet.  We said NO MORE, but then, how can we turn one away!  It is always hard to give them up once they work their way into your heart, but then you look at the overall picture and sometimes a different home is a better place.

Our home is an old home, with stairs and such, that even with therapy or surgery, I am not sure that Scooter would ever be able to maneuver through.   As he progresses through surgery and/or therapy, if someone along the way falls in love and can give him a good stable home, I would definitely consider it!

I have never charged to rehome any of our cats or kittens, but I am picky about the homes they go to!

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Scooter’s journeys – both his life journey and his treatment journey – are just beginning. Tambrey has done the right thing by beginning to reach out into the community of cat lovers for help, advice and to benefit from the power of networking and support found on the internet and throughout social media. Other than a site post at Reddit, this is the first telling of Scooter’s story.  We will talk to Tambrey about setting up a Facebook page next week.

Tambrey is open to rehoming Scooter to the right home or, presumably, to an organization or sanctuary where he can get the best appropriate care.  We will update readers with a medical report, and hopefully with video, after Tambrey returns from a short absence from home, and Scooter visits the vet.

 

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14 thoughts on “Scooter: Special needs Kitten Like Corky Needs Help”

  1. It would be great if you had some way to get him to “Friends of Felines Rescue Center” in Defiance, Ohio. I’m sure they could take great care of him. Poor kitten.

  2. Just used the Chipin link and made a contribution. I hope the little guy gets all the help that he needs and a great home on top of that. God bless and Good Luck little one.

  3. Pitched in some money, I hope he gets better. I will donate more if I have to, if I come back before the deadline and see that he doesn’t have enough.

  4. Bless you friend for taking such good care of these kitties 🙂 I live somewhat close to you in Lincoln, NE and have a special needs kitty of my own! Contributing to your chip in and as things move along, I would LOVE to be in contact with you and possibly help to heal Scooter, even maybe bringing him into our feline family 🙂 We have 3 cats, the youngest of which has no eyes and our middle boy takes care of her and guides her all over our house 🙂 I’m CERTAIN he’d love to have another little sibling to take care of 🙂

  5. What a precious baby! Thank you for all you’re doing for him, and all the others you’ve helped through the years. Made a contribution… wish I could offer him a loving home, but I have one crabby 10 year old and one 9 year old that thinks he’s the center of the universe! This little sweetheart deserves a wonderful home!

  6. Oh no! That makes me so sad. At least he felt the warmth of human love and caring for some part of his very short life here.

    Thank you for the info.

    Can you forward a message to Tambrey to use my donation in her work caring for the needs of the feral colony? Thanks.

  7. Tears for the precious Scooter….God bless your little soul..Hope you are in a beautiful place.

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