Mermaid’s elderly guardian was evacuated on Wednesday night from the Coney Island building where the two lived, leaving Mermaid cold and alone in her home. Mermaid and her guardian had been without power or heat for over a week, since Hurricane Sandy. The woman was moved to a long term care facility and was not in a position to take or go back for the stranded cat.
Queens based For Animals, Inc. rescued Mermaid and took responsibility for her care.
When Mermaid’s rescuer went in to save her she was found hiding in an empty cabinet, completely terrified. She was covered in a towel to keep her calm, placed in a carrier, and brought to the vet.
Weighing just 4.4 lbs, she was treated for pyometra (an infected uterus), an ear polyp that was plucked and sent for biopsy, and ear mites. She was shaved down due to severly matter fur and had a nail trim due to overgrown claws.
A full blood panel revealed a high WBC but the rest of her blood work was normal. Mermaid only has 2 teeth left and those need to be removed. It’ll be a major dental surgery because of roots remaining from the lost teeth. The dental will wait for Mermaid’s overall health to improve.
For videos with Mermaid’s rescue and her trip to the vet, see our post from October 10, Mermaid’s Rescue: Coney Island Cat Saved After Storm.
Mermaid is seen in her photo at top the day after surgery and a shave down. Her ear is much worse than originally thought and she needs a procedure called Total Ear Canal Ablation on her left ear.
Mermaid has moved to her foster home, where she is in a calmer environment. She’s already come a long way from the terrified girl hiding all alone in a cold, dark apartment. She is eating with great interest, and is even purring!
Here’s video with Mermaid, in For Animals’ words, “eating her way back to life!” Mermaid enjoyed her first full day in foster care today.
For Animals is accepting donations toward the costs of Mermaid’s medical care.
If the above widget does not take you directly to PayPal, you can go to Mermaid’s Chipin page and donate HERE.
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