Late one Sunday night, Calvin’s Paws, a rescue organization in central North Carolina, received a call. The sound on the other end of the phone was of a cat crying pitifully, full volume and nonstop.
It turned out that the sound was coming from a super sweet Tonkinese kitty who was at a shelter and was not doing well at all. The sweet boy had first been abandoned in a home when it was foreclosed on and the sheriff was called in to get the kitty out. It was unknown how long he had been in there alone.
Now, he was alone and traumatized in a metal cage and had contracted a bad cold. It was also suspected that he was diabetic and possibly blind.
Calvin’s Paws chose to step in, knowing that those animals in the most need are often the most grateful. So, the sweet boy was picked up the next day from the shelter. He was highly congested and not eating well.
They placed him in a foster home, where his foster mom had to medicate him and ply him with food and drink to keep him going. Upon snuggling him, it was also discovered that he was declawed in all four paws-utterly defenseless!
He wanted nothing more than to be in his foster mom’s lap. After two weeks, Tonks’ eating had improved and his cold symptoms were better but he suddenly became lethargic and didn’t want to get up. He was raced to the vet where blood work and other tests showed that he was seriously anemic and had a blood borne parasite.
He was treated and released with injectable medication since he had learned how to spit out medication during his time fighting his cold.
Things were touch and go for a while for this sweet boy, but after six weeks Tonks was as good as new and was jumping on his mom’s shoulder and riding around like a parrot while she cleaned. He became more talkative and even more loving.
Then, suddenly one morning he walked into a wall. He was taken immediately to an ophthalmologist, who discovered that Tonks was suffering from high blood pressure and, as a result, his retinas had partially detached. Medication was started immediately and his vision began to return. He again began to act like his normal, talkative self and was back to being a “parrot” and helping his foster mom clean the house.
Tonks is named for both his toughness and his breed and has beat all the odds. He loves all people and cats and takes it on himself to enjoy any lap he finds. He is a senior boy at an estimated 13 years of age, though he feels he is a youngster. His favorite pastime is lap sitting and talking in his very Tonkinese voice.
Sweet cats like Tonks are the very heart of rescue and are the reason to keep going. He won’t stop giving love and that inspires us to keep helping. If you are looking for unconditional love, Tonks is available for a special home!
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Calvin’s Paws is 501(c)3 nonprofit animal rescue. They rescue homeless cats and dogs, including senior, disabled and those with special needs, while providing leadership to change central North Carolina into a NO KILL community. They are dedicated to rescuing and finding homes for stray and abandoned animals, providing education on responsible pet ownership, FIV and feline leukemia, the importance of trap-neuter-release and partnering with other rescue groups to help change the world for animals and to make their existence pain-free and full of love.
