STELLA's Story

 

Stella was taken in by the Refuge pour chats de Verdun on May 7, 2009. Still a kitten at the time, she had been living in a home in St. Leonard where there were about twenty other cats. When the woman received an eviction notice from the rental board, she needed to find new homes for all her cats quickly. A few shelters collaborated on this file. Two volunteers from our organization visited the woman's home took three adults and five kittens, including Stella, all of whom were unwell. Stella was very small for her age. Right away, we noticed that she had a lot of ear mites. The waste they had left behind was so great it looked like Stella had cardboard in her ears. She was somewhat aggressive with other cats and with humans, and bit. She also had a poor appetite, and turned her nose up at the food we offered her. Something was not right: she was unhappy, never relaxed, and seemed to be suffering.

 

During her first visit to our veterinarian, Stella had her ears cleaned with the appropriate product, something of which she was in desperate need. Following this, Stella began acting strangely. She kept turning in circles, had poor balance, and kept her head tilted to one side. Later on, recurrent ear infections were ruining her quality of life. The veterinarian decided to anaesthetize Stella so her ears could be examined more closely. It was discovered that she had a polyp deep within her inner ear canal. From this moment, we finally knew why Stella was having balance problems and recurrent ear infections. However, the polyp was too deep within her ear to be reached easily, so the veterinarians who examined her did not have the necessary training to undertake the delicate operation needed to remove it.

After numerous consultations, a veterinarian with experience performing complex surgeries agreed to operate on Stella. Although she was kind enough to offer to do the operation at a greatly reduced price ($900 instead of the usual $2000), we needed to find the money to pay for the procedure. We decided to seek sponsorship for Stella through our website, and managed to raise $925. Generous sponsors have donated the full amount requested by the veterinarian: Anna-Maria, Carolle, Cynthia, Denise, Ginette, Hilda, Karina, Marie, Richard & Sarah. As a result, we could pay for the operation that Stella needed without penalizing or neglecting other cats in need.

 

At a follow-up appointment one month after the operation, with great joy and pride, the surgeon told us that the procedure had been a total success.

The volunteer who took Stella in after the operation tells us that Stella's mood has greatly improved. She is pleasant with people, easy to approach, eats well, plays a lot with her toys, and seeks out the company of other cats. Now that the cause of her suffering has been eliminated, she is no longer intolerant of her environment.

 

Thanks to the generosity of Stella's sponsors, she can finally live a normal life. The Refuge pour chats de Verdun cannot thank you enough for the compassion you have shown when faced with Stella's suffering. It is because of your sensitivity, and your actions, that Stella can finally be adopted. As a final challenge, and to pay tribute to all you have done, the Refuge is now looking for an adoptive family for Stella whose level of kindness matches that of all those who have participated, both from near and afar, in Stella's recovery. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

 

The Refuge volunteers are very pleased to announce that Stella was adopted on March 6, 2011: we wish her a long and happy life, full of love!

 

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