ALBANY - He sat quietly outside the patio door. He had been here before.
It wasn't the first time Lora Douglas saw the black cat, more of a kitten since it was born last spring, outside her door. He was a stray, just like other strays she sees walking around town in Albany. Douglas didn't think there was anything out of the ordinary when she saw him sitting by the door.
Until he moved.
Then she saw it - an arrow was sticking out of both sides of the cat.
"I couldn't believe it when I saw it," she said, her voice betraying a bit of sadness and anger. "It made me sick to see that someone had done that."
Although the cat's been in her yard before, it's not hers. It doesn't belong to anyone. Somehow, it made its way to her house and somehow, Douglas believes, it knew it could find help there.
When she saw he was injured, she knew she had to do something. She was afraid he would run away. But he didn't.
The cat, more of a kitten than a cat since he was born in the spring, stayed perfectly still as she carefully and gently removed the arrow. He didn't try to run or make any moves as she took the arrow out of its small body.
Douglas didn't think the cat would live. It didn't seem possible that it could, she said.
She left the cat outside and went to work. She assumed the cat would go off to die alone, as is common with strays.
But this one was different. When Douglas got home the cat was still alive and still waiting for her by the patio door.
That's why she named him, "Miracle."
Douglas has two cats of her own and the last thing she wanted to do was bring another cat inside the house. There was no way she would leave the cat outside to die, she said. Dying while being cared for would be sad, but letting the cat experience death by itself, without someone trying to help and someone showing it that they cared was too much for Douglas to bear.
The cat had trouble getting around, she said. It's back leg dragged when it walked. Otherwise, she said, he had a good appetite and drank plenty of water.
She kept him in the garage, surrounded by a warm blanket, and did all she could to help. On Friday, she took the cat to a local vet to receive antibiotics and have its wound cleaned.
Douglas learned the cat was incredibly fortunate to be alive. The arrow went under the spinal cord and above the ribs. Because of the way the cat was wounded, it appears the cat was shot while it was running rather than standing still.
He's still weak and he still has the scars from the arrow. He's also afraid of sudden movements. Douglas has to coax him out of his cage and handle him gently when she cleans the wound.
Miracle's prognosis is good. He's going to be back to normal within a few days. Douglas wants to find a home for him. She'd like him to have an inside home. She wants to make sure he goes to a loving home where he can get all the attention he needs.
He's not the kind of cat to give as a gift to a 2-year-old because he's been a stray, she said, but he is the type of cat that could make a cat-lover happy.
Anyone interested in adopting Miracle can call Douglas at (608) 558-9339.
It wasn't the first time Lora Douglas saw the black cat, more of a kitten since it was born last spring, outside her door. He was a stray, just like other strays she sees walking around town in Albany. Douglas didn't think there was anything out of the ordinary when she saw him sitting by the door.
Until he moved.
Then she saw it - an arrow was sticking out of both sides of the cat.
"I couldn't believe it when I saw it," she said, her voice betraying a bit of sadness and anger. "It made me sick to see that someone had done that."
Although the cat's been in her yard before, it's not hers. It doesn't belong to anyone. Somehow, it made its way to her house and somehow, Douglas believes, it knew it could find help there.
When she saw he was injured, she knew she had to do something. She was afraid he would run away. But he didn't.
The cat, more of a kitten than a cat since he was born in the spring, stayed perfectly still as she carefully and gently removed the arrow. He didn't try to run or make any moves as she took the arrow out of its small body.
Douglas didn't think the cat would live. It didn't seem possible that it could, she said.
She left the cat outside and went to work. She assumed the cat would go off to die alone, as is common with strays.
But this one was different. When Douglas got home the cat was still alive and still waiting for her by the patio door.
That's why she named him, "Miracle."
Douglas has two cats of her own and the last thing she wanted to do was bring another cat inside the house. There was no way she would leave the cat outside to die, she said. Dying while being cared for would be sad, but letting the cat experience death by itself, without someone trying to help and someone showing it that they cared was too much for Douglas to bear.
The cat had trouble getting around, she said. It's back leg dragged when it walked. Otherwise, she said, he had a good appetite and drank plenty of water.
She kept him in the garage, surrounded by a warm blanket, and did all she could to help. On Friday, she took the cat to a local vet to receive antibiotics and have its wound cleaned.
Douglas learned the cat was incredibly fortunate to be alive. The arrow went under the spinal cord and above the ribs. Because of the way the cat was wounded, it appears the cat was shot while it was running rather than standing still.
He's still weak and he still has the scars from the arrow. He's also afraid of sudden movements. Douglas has to coax him out of his cage and handle him gently when she cleans the wound.
Miracle's prognosis is good. He's going to be back to normal within a few days. Douglas wants to find a home for him. She'd like him to have an inside home. She wants to make sure he goes to a loving home where he can get all the attention he needs.
He's not the kind of cat to give as a gift to a 2-year-old because he's been a stray, she said, but he is the type of cat that could make a cat-lover happy.
Anyone interested in adopting Miracle can call Douglas at (608) 558-9339.