Paws for Life NC: Emergency Medical Grant Report

How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?

Hemi, a male kitten with a broken leg. The vet diagnosed a broken leg and determined the only way to treat him was to amputate. The funds provided by the Petfinder Foundation paid for his amputation surgery.

Grant funding for Hemi allowed us to pay for his required surgery -- he was in pain and would not have been able to be adopted without the leg amputation. The funding paid for Hemi's treatment, and an added benefit is that we were still able to pay for basic medical care for other cats in our foster program. The $535 grant allowed us to reallocate funding that would have otherwise paid for his care to instead pay for eight spay/neuter surgeries for kitties in our foster-care program.

How many pets did this grant help?

This grant helped one pet, and Hemi now has a chance at a normal life in a loving home. Indirectly, we were able to pay for eight spay/neuter surgeries for cats in our program since we did not have to pay for Hemi's surgery.

Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.

Hemi was 2 months old when he met his Paws for Life NC rescuer and foster mom. He is a gorgeous male tabby kitten. He is what we like to call an “All-American” — he has a sweet temperament and is great looking, but Hemi had a rough start in life. In early June, Hemi was seen running on the highway, frantic to find a safe place. He was saved by construction workers who stopped traffic to try to catch him. Unfortunately, he ran under a car, and after searching for several minutes, the good Samaritans had to give up and let traffic resume.

Unbelievably, Hemi had managed to jump up underneath a car and hide from everyone when they were looking for him. He hitchhiked all the way back to the car owner’s house, where he hid in the garage for a couple of days. After a few days, the car owner realized he was in the garage. The car owner contacted the lady who lived next door, who is a cat foster for Paws for Life! They were finally able to catch Hemi because he got caught on some sticky pads for bugs.

After they cleaned him up, as he was walking around checking out his new home, the foster realized something was wrong with his leg. He was taken to the vet, who told us that he had a broken leg. The vet was going to try and pin his leg so it could heal, but it was broken so badly that the only option was to remove it. Throughout this ordeal, Hemi maintained a good attitude and was loving to all who encountered him. He adjusted to life as a tripod and enjoyed playing with his foster-mates.

Hemi was lovingly cared for by his wonderful foster mom, who helped him heal and experience a safe, happy home. In early November 2017, Hemi was adopted by his furever family. He is loved and cherished by his family and, thanks to Paws for Life NC and the Petfinder Foundation, Hemi is living his happily-ever-after.