Lady Carmel

I am the Easter Miracle - a blessed little kitty who is lucky to be alive! I was first spotted by the Brothers from the Church - seeking refuge in a window. They approached and tried to help me, but I was too afraid and hid. The next day, they saw me again shivering under the window ledge, so they put food out for me. Again, when they approached, I disappeared. But later when they checked, the food was gone. They put more food out for me, and this time I did not hide. They also noticed that I was limping, so they contacted Hungry and Homeless Cat Rescue to see if they could help bring me in. The Brothers kept me around with food, until a rescuer came to get me. By this time, I was so starving that when I smelled the food, I leapt into my rescuer's arms and asked to be rescued!

I was taken to the vet and the diagnostic results made all my rescuers very sad. The reason that I was limping so badly is that all my feet were badly burned. The pads on my feet had blistered to the point of just raw skin being exposed. Because of this, the raw skin was quite infected, making it extremely painful for me to walk.

No one knows how long I was outside, but because I was unable to walk very well, I was unable to get much food. I am therefore incredibly thin and tiny - weighing only just over 2 kg (less than 5 pounds). The vet estimates me to be about 1.5 years old, but I am the size of a 7-month old kitten. 

In addition to the burns, being underweight and starving, I was covered in ticks. I even had one attached to my lower lip. I was also very dirty and smelled of cigarettes  - which is also very puzzling since I was living outside? The good news is that I am on the mend! My emergency fosters are applying antibiotic ointment to my burned feet 4 times / day, and they are coming along nicely. I am eating regularly and getting lots of rest, and getting stronger day by day. I spend most of the day laying in my little cat bed - resting off my feet. I have been vaccinated, de-wormed and treated for fleas. And the great news is that I tested negative for Feline Leukemia and FIV!

No one knows how my feet ended up being burnt so badly, and I am not able to tell anyone. The vet said that it is possible that I tried to get warm, and may have been laying on a hot engine which burnt my feet?  Coincidentally, there was a house fire not far from where I was located, and three cats may be missing as a result:
http://www.ottawasun.com/2013/03/11/vanier-woman-loses-cats-after-fire
Unfortunately, I did not turn out to be one of those cats. [For those of you reading this, if you come across any other kitties with burns in the Vanier area, please contact the lady in the article - in case they are her cats.]

There is also the possibility that I could have gone into the burnt-out building  - to try and find warmth and food, and burnt my feet in the process? No ones knows..... A report was filed for me at the Ottawa Humane Society, and various ads were posted, but so far no one is missing me or looking for me.

If it hadn't been for the kind Brothers noticing and helping me, I would likely not have survived much longer. I was weak from starvation, and the infections from the burns would have gotten worse. Therefore, in honour of the Brothers who helped me, and the Church which provided me with shelter, I was given the name of "Lady Carmel".

I am a very sweet, cute, affectionate little girl. As exhausted and weak as I am, I am so grateful for the help that when my caregivers come to see me, I get up and hobble over to greet them. I enjoy cuddling, and sometimes call out to my caregivers to come and snuggle with me. To complete this Easter Miracle, I urgently need a home, as I have nowhere to go. I can only stay for a couple of weeks at my emergency foster home until the end of March. Please help me.