“Benji” May have Injured Himself after Losing Track of his Mom, Tumbling into Open Basement Window
BOSTON and Methuen, Mass. July 27, 2018 – The MSPCA-Nevins Farm is lauding an anonymous good Samaritan from Haverhill, Mass. after she rushed a critically injured three-week old kitten to its Methuen adoption center on last month, a move that in all likelihood saved the young feline’s life.
Staff named him “Benji” shortly after his June 16 arrival. He is now eight weeks old and recovering from an amputation of his front left leg, which was so badly damaged that the shelter veterinary team was unable to save it.
“Basically his entire front leg and paw were ‘de-gloved,’ which means all of the skin and most of the tissue had been torn away, exposing the bones,” said MSPCA-Nevins Farm Adoption Center Director Meaghan O’Leary. “This is a horrific type of injury that we typically see in cats hit by cars—but in this case we just don’t know how this happened to him.”
From the moment he arrived, Benji was as friendly as they come, seeking attention and belly rubs from staff and volunteers at Nevins Farm, despite the intense pain he had been enduring.
Risky, Rare Procedure
Amputating a limb from so little a kitten is rare—especially since Benji weighed a mere 10 ounces when he underwent the procedure on June 20. “But in this case we had to do what we could to save him, as we would do for any of the animals in our care,” said O’Leary. “And now, a month after his surgery, he is adjusting well to his new reality.”
Benji, who was so young when he arrived that he had yet to be weaned from his mom (who has never been found) needed to be bottle fed until a few weeks ago, but now has transitioned to kitten food.
“He’s been living in a foster home since his surgery and we think that’s done wonders for him socially,” said O’Leary of the kitten who rides back and forth to Nevins Farm everyday with this foster parent, who works at the facility.
Next Stop? Home!
Benji’s plight did not go unnoticed at the MSPCA and, as of this writing, there are three potential adopters eager to take him home. “We’ll evaluate each potential home carefully and place him where we know he’ll do best—and we’re so happy that he’ll soon be in a loving home,” said O’Leary.
Benji’s surgery and after-care, which totaled about $1,500, was paid for by the Angels for Animals fund, a restricted fund that provides medical care for the hundreds of sick and injured animals that the MSPCA-Nevins Farm treats every year. Readers who wish to donate to the fund may do so by clicking here.
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