Prayers and Support Needed For This Abused Tabby Cat "Atkins"- Please Help

Tabby Cat Beaten, Burned

Harrisonburg (Va.) Residents Come To The Rescue

Atkins- Kitty that needs support.

By Heather Bowser

HARRISONBURG — A cream-colored tabby cat is down at least one of its standard-issue nine lives.

On the morning of Friday, October 13, Sam Atkins, a 69-year-old Harrisonburg resident, was walking to Massanutten Regional Library in downtown Harrisonburg when he spotted the male cat lying in the street behind Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church.

Concerned, Atkins walked closer to investigate. Little did he know, what he saw next would change the course of his entire weekend.

The cat was covered in dried blood, its face was thin with dehydration and it could hardly move. It wasn’t until later that veterinarians discovered that the feline also sustained third-degree burns on its paws, chest and tail and severe bruising over its entire body.

The cat, the vets say, had been set on fire, punched or kicked and then left for dead.

"I didn’t know he was as damaged as much as he was," Atkins said. "I thought a car ran over him or something because he had all kinds of holes in him."

The Rescue

So Atkins picked up a cardboard box, carefully scooped the feline in it and carried the tomcat home.

"I couldn’t stand the thought of an animal staying out there in the cold like he was," he said. "And he was such a nice boy and didn’t tryto bite me or anything."

Once at home, Atkins fed the cat tuna fish and cat food and then bedded him down for the afternoon. While the cat rested, he called the SPCA to ask for help.

But he didn’t like what he heard. The animal shelter’s policy, he says, was to shelter stray cats for one week and then euthanize them if no one claimed them. That simply wouldn’t do, he said. So Atkins kept the cat overnight while he searched for other options.

The next morning, Atkins phoned Susan Mansfield, a volunteer with Cats Cradle, a local cat rescue organization. Mansfield picked up the cat at Atkins’ home and drove it to the Verona emergency veterinary clinic.

"[The vet] told us that the cat was worth trying to save because he had such a wonderful personality," explained Mansfield, 58, of Cross Keys.

So, for the next week, veterinary technicians nursed the cat’s wounds, constantly changing his bandages — an "excruciating" experience for the young feline, Mansfield said.

"When they take the dressing off his paws, it looks like ground beef," she said. "He just cries and cries when they have to do it."

Furry Future

But there is hope for their furry friend.

Although vet techs say the cat needs at least four months of continual burn treatment, its prognosis looks good, they say.

However, the process will be expensive, they say. Although Atkins paid for the initial vet visit, Mansfield is paying for the current treatments. Despite the fact that the emergency clinic gives "special consideration" for Cats Cradle patients, the cat’s bill has already surpassed $400.

"Recovery isn’t free," Mansfield said.

To help ease the cost, Cats Cradle is taking donations. To help pay for the cat’s bills, call (540) 438-5222 or send checks to PO Box 2152, Harrisonburg, VA 22801.

These days, the cat lives in Mansfield’s living room while she looks for a permanent home for it. Mansfield named the cat "Atkins," after the man who rescued him off the street nearly two weeks ago.

"Atkins will get well," she said, "I’m sure of it."

To donate money to help pay for Atkins’ medical bills, or to get information on adopting him, call (540) 438-5222.

About Cat's Cradle ( No- Kill Shelter)