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She may be only five weeks old, but a tiny grey kitten in Squamish, British Columbia has got the heart – and the roar – of a lion, her caregivers say. Found in a metal recycling dumpster in a community north of Pemberton, little Ella suffered what appear to be crush injuries to her front feet and a dislocated possibly broken vertebrae at the base of her tail, and will likely need several amputation surgeries among other medical care.
Ella is in the care of the Squamish branch of the BC SPCA.
When then-five-week-old Ella was found and taken to the shelter earlier this month, SPCA staff estimated that she had been in the dumpster for a week. Her injuries are so bad that she now needs to have her toes, a leg, and her tail amputated.
A fighter who survived a week without water or food, sweetheart Ella is ready to get better.
The BC SPCA has reached out to the public asking for donations to help pay for Ella’s surgeries and medicine to save her life and give her a chance at finding happiness. Their Help Ella fundraiser is already slightly more than halfway to its $6750.00 goal. A CBC News story has given greater exposure to the appeal. (Ella is one of several cats and dogs for whom the BC SPCA is holding medical care fundraisers, all grouped together here.)
“This little spark plug has a ton of fighting spirit!” says SPCA Squamish Valley Branch manager Marika Donnelly. “She’s been through a whole lot in her short little life, but her prognosis is good – she is too small to have surgery right now but we’re managing her pain and fighting infection with antibiotics.”
Ella’s entire left leg will most likely need to be amputated, as well as her tail, and a toe on her right foot that is dislocated and broken will also need to be amputated, once the wee kitten grows a little larger.
“Ella likes to roar like a lion – she thinks she’s that tough – and she loves to snuggle with you in her blankie,” Donnelly says. “She’s a real sweetheart. We just want her to have a chance to live out the rest of her nine lives without pain and hopefully, we can give her a much better second start.”
A non-profit organization, the BC SPCA relies primarily on public donations to help the province’s most vulnerable animals. The BC SPCA is also looking for Ella’s previous owner(s) – anyone with information is asked to contact the BC SPCA.
There is no indication whether Ella ended up in the dumpster either accidentally or intentionally.
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what a cutie!