By Monica Roberto

Do cats really have nine lives? Well, this beautiful little kitten sure does, although she’s already used one of them up. Her name is Charley, and this is her story.

On July 21, Animal Center rescuers responded to a call from Sandy Hook resident Dorothy Tani about a little kitten she had seen wandering the neighborhood alone who she suspected was sick. When we arrived, we spotted the kitten in a neighbor’s yard; and the kitten had spotted us and wasn’t coming any closer.

So we set up our humane kitten trapping equipment, baited with tuna – a sure favorite with cats – and waited.

The kitten sized us up for about 20 minutes before starting to head toward us. We could see that Charley was having difficulty walking, taking a few steps then laying down to rest. But she was determined, walking right past the kitten trap and heading straight for us. 

But then we realized why Charley was moving so slowly. She had scrapes and wounds across her buttocks, gashes in her back paw and her front pads were scraped and bloody and an untreated upper respiratory infection had produced so much mucus that it glued her right eye shut.

She was also riddled with fleas and ticks nut, most seriously, Charley had wounds and maggot infestations in her neck, tail and genital areas.

Charley was hospitalized at The Cat Clinic in Danbury for the next week and doctors explained Charley was lucky to be alive.

What had happened to this poor little kitten in the first seven short weeks of her life? Charley was very friendly and loving from the first day we met her (and continues to be), which strongly suggests that she had been with people before, as opposed to being born “in the wild,” unsocialized and frightened of humans. We may never know what happened to Charley before she came to The Animal Center, but we do know what happens from here.

Charley is now back in The Animal Center’s care, where she will remain until her wounds heal and she is well enough for adoption. Today, Charley shows no signs of her ordeal except for some large scabs on her old wounds, playing and purring like any happy, feisty young kitten. Considering her delightful disposition while very sick, we are certain that this little kitten will be a delight once in good health again and will make a wonderful addition to a caring home.

To adopt Charley, contact The Animal Center at www.theanimalcenter.org or call (203) 270-0228.