LEWISTON – For the past 28 years, workers at Poor Little Stray Things, a small nonprofit in Lewiston run by a few volunteers, have worked tirelessly to take care of sick or injured pets whose families can’t afford to care for them or don’t want to anymore.
Tommy, a young cat was found in November dragging himself across the street with a broken pelvis, has been up for adoption for nine months with no takers, according to Elizabeth McDonald, his foster keeper and a volunteer with the nonprofit group Poor Little Stray Things. Elizabeth McDonald photo
Many times, the volunteers with Poor Little Stray Things will look after the animals until they find the right home for them.
In the case of Tommy, who was found injured in the street after being hit by a car in Lewiston, that wait has lasted a little longer than most.
Elizabeth McDonald, a pet groomer and volunteer with Poor Little Stray Things, said she has been fostering Tommy since November 2019, and while he has been advertised and posted on the group’s Facebook page, nobody has adopted him.
“He is just a handsome, great guy and it makes my heart sad that he hasn’t found a home yet,” she said.
She said Tommy was found last year by a good Samaritan who brought him to the Lewiston Veterinary Hospital on Stetson Road, where McDonald worked as a pet groomer.
“X-rays showed that he had a broken pelvis,” McDonald said. “We consulted many doctors and specialists and they all agreed that surgery was not an option. Aside from surgery costing around $5,000 or $6,000, they said it could cause more complications than good.”
Tommy’s recovery was successful, McDonald said, because he avoided many of the pitfalls cats with similar injuries face.
“A lot of cats with severe pelvic breaks tend to have issues like constipation, but he has none of that,” she said.
After he recovered, he was vaccinated and neutered “so he no longer smelled like a tomcat,” McDonald said. “That’s actually how he got the name Tommy.”
In the months since his recovery, Tommy has acclimated well to his new style of living, McDonald said. His pelvis is considered “permanently broken,” though it’s “supported by scar tissue,” which allows him to move like a regular cat.
“You’d never even realize he’s broken because he can run and jump and climb like a normal cat,” McDonald said. “He’s a very social cat and likes to be in your business. He loves to climb his cat trees and loves scratching, climbing and being up high to watch the world.”
McDonald said there has “not been a lack of interest” in Tommy, though his injury has placed limits on what types of homes he would thrive in.
Tommy, a young cat who was found in November dragging himself across the street with a broken pelvis, has been up for adoption for nine months with no takers, according to Elizabeth McDonald, his foster keeper and a volunteer with the nonprofit group Poor Little Stray Things. Elizabeth McDonald photo
“He just doesn’t do well with other cats, and due to his injury, he shouldn’t be in an overly active or busy home,” she said. “He could go to a home with a mellow feline-savvy dog, just not one that would pounce him or lay on him.”
Tommy would do well with children, McDonald added, but children should be aware that he “can’t be picked up and squeezed.”
“It’s not that he’s fragile or anything, but we wouldn’t want his pelvis to be compromised in any way,” she said.
McDonald said she would give Tommy free monthly nail trims for a year after being adopted “because he can be a squirm for nail trims.”
She said she would keep Tommy if she did not already have 10 cats to look after.
“It’s a bit out of the norm (that Tommy hasn’t been adopted) because he’s so young, though over the years, we have had a small handful of cats that took longer due to specific needs they have,” McDonald said.
Anyone interested in adopting Tommy can message Poor Little Stray Things on Facebook.
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