One Kitten Falls Into Lucky Hands In Newtown

By Kendra Bobowick

He was dodging cars in Danbury looking for a safer place to hide. Hungry and injured at the time, Joey the kitten is now recovering from his two surgeries in September. His story ends with a sigh of relief.

“It’s really a sweet and touching story,” said Monica Roberto, Animal Center of Newtown co-founder and president. She explained that one volunteer rescued Joey after seeing him struggling in Danbury.

“When we got him he was limping.” she said. More than limping, he was hampered by a lame front paw. After observing the kitten for improvements Ms Roberto concluded: “It was just a dead limb.”

X-rays revealed no breaks in his front left leg. “We were perplexed,” she said. Veterinary surgeons believed Joey may have suffered from nerve damage.

She took Joey to Dr Matthew Palmisano at the Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center in Norwalk where she received blunt news. “They felt the leg had to come off. They couldn’t save the leg,” she said. Describing his efforts to move, Ms Roberto said, “When Joey walked it dragged him down and it flopped.”

But even more threatening than a damaged paw was another problem that the volunteers could not see until Joey had been X-rayed.

Joey had a mass in his stomach.

“It was a large [Latex] glove,” Ms Roberto said. She thinks he may have found it discarded outside a restaurant, licked it for food scraps, and ingested the rubberlike glove. “We had to do surgery right away,” she said. In early September the glove was removed by Dr Thomas Nero at the Cat Clinic of Danbury.

After the stomach surgery, their observations of Joey’s leg continued. “We started seeing ulcers where his leg touched the ground,” Ms Roberto said. She knew his front paw would need to be amputated, but  realized that if the kitten had the surgery, his mobility would improve. “He would be able to run and play like a normal kitten,” she said.

The Norwalk surgeon’s advice? “Removing the leg is in his best interest,” Ms Roberto explained. Although the center did not necessarily have the money for Joey’s expensive procedure, and was already facing the bill from Cat Clinic, Ms Roberto said, “We scheduled the surgery and then worried where the money would come from.” Earlier this week Joey had his surgery — a procedure that is several thousand dollars, but discounted for The Animal Center, a nonprofit organization. Following the surgery, Ms Roberto put out an appeal.

According to a flyer, “[Joey] is a loving 12-week-old kitten who [needed] surgery to remove his front left leg…You can help. Your donation will help pay for Joey’s operation and follow-up care.” Although one kind-hearted person has chosen to adopt Joey once he is recovered, the center is trying to recover costs for his care.

Residents can make contributions to The Animal Center, attention the Angel Fund, PO Box 475 Newtown CT 06470. Contact the center at 270-0228, or visit the website to learn more about Joey at theanimalcenter.org