On the streets: A big meow for help saves Tigger

Occasionally very sick or injured cats will find you and literally ask for help.
Tigger was one such case.

Tigger at vet # 1

Tigger was a young male cat found in the northern suburbs of Athens by Nine Lives volunteers Roberta and Magda. They were working on trapping some injured cats in a particularly dangerous street when they were approached by Tigger who came up to them limping, crying and begging for the food they were using to lure other cats for trapping. It was clear from the beginning he had a serious front leg injury in the ‘elbow joint’ area (think of it as the shoulder area), and he appeared to be in pain and clearly very hungry. He was very easy to catch, with food at one end of a cat carrier he just walked right in and made satisfied little meows the whole time he ate. Here’s his story (with a happy ending!) 🙂

Words from his rescuer

Tigger at the vet

Tigger struck me because of his beautiful big green eyes and very loud – and demanding – meows. He was extremely easy to catch (in fact I’ve never had a stray walk into a cat carrier before of his own volition!) and I took him to not one, but two different vets. His xrays showed he had sustained a severe injury  (probably from high impact – a car accident for example) that had shattered his small bones in his elbow joint and it was clear that not only would it not heal correctly as there were complicated breaks in many different areas, but that he would also have a limp. It had also been broken for some time so it was unlikely it could be set straight again as it wasn’t a clean break, and due to the injury the leg was quite a bit shorter than his other leg and could not be straightened properly – he had about 30% use of the joint for movement, and wasn’t using it at all to walk. We knew he needed to find a home because injured stray cats simply don’t have a good chance of surviving the streets.

After almost a month at the veterinary clinic in a cage, and weeks spent in a splint, good-natured little Tigger was finally ready for a home. We found a foster home temporarily but needed to find a permanent home – or another replacement foster home – quickly. Unfortunately foster homes are even hard to come by these days so it was no easy task and Tigger absolutely needed to stay indoors or in a very secure garden! Luckily his adoptive family fell in love with him immediately and we managed to find him a home only weeks after his release from the vet. He was a real charmer though 🙂 ~ @rgogos

Words from his adopter

Tigger content in his new home

I live in Greece normally but when I first came across Tigger I was working in Sochi, Russia – and it is very common there to see stray dogs and cats. As life in this resort city is only during the summer, and our work for the Winter Olympic games was difficult, the only thing that was giving us any joy was to feed, take care of and protect these stray lives. We saved about 15 puppies (whose mothers were killed before the games to ‘clean up’ the city in preparation) and 2 cats. They are all safe and in happy homes today and some have even found homes in America. Through this involvement we connected with LAPA (the community that helps animals in Russia) in real life and through Facebook.

After this I became very sensitive to the plight of stray animals and started looking for similar groups to LAPA in Greece through Facebook – and that’s how I found Nine Lives. When I saw that Nine Lives was helping cats (which I am very fond of 🙂 ) I became very interested in them and what they do for stray cats in Greece. Scrolling up and down to see their work, I came across Tigger’s photo and saw that he had been fostered for some time …and I fell in love with him instantly!

When I read his story and about his trauma the only thing I wanted to do was to return home and see if I could do anything for this little ginger soul with the smart face, the pink nose and the light green eyes. The next day we contacted Nine Lives and their response was immediate. They explained that Tigger had a serious accident and his front leg was broken and that he may not be able to walk properly ever again. They explained his treatment at the vet and we understood that he’d been given the best care possible.

After this we were really interested and we asked to meet him. As I was away from Greece at the time, my husband met him first and took a shine to him. His only worry was that I would be upset if I saw this little guy walking funny every day, and sad thinking that he might be suffering in some way. And that was it that did it for me; right then and there rather than fostering him I decided I would adopt him!

Tigger has been living with us for 2 months now, he is about a year old, he is vivacious and witty, sociable, actually likes traveling to the vet (but not necessarily the vet), he has an endless appetite, he adores mezedes (Greek/Arab finger foods) and he wants to be stroked all the time! He likes me to be next to him when he eats, he plays with about three different mice toys and anything that moves – from flies to fallen leaves or flowers on the balcony! Sometimes I think that he is my tail as he follows me everywhere…  I feel I have a child and we have long conversations!

As for his leg he is A CAT and he knows how to protect it but most of all he knows that he has to use it when it comes to play.

Thank you Nine Lives, HE IS JUST BEAUTIFUL!