Benny the cat is a special boy with a strong will for life and snuggling. And he’s looking for his forever home. After meeting him, purrhaps you’ll find this good cat is meant to be part of your family!
That Benny survived one bloody ordeal after another speaks to his strong will, as well as the devotion of the Feral Cat Coalition and its volunteers. When Benny came to FCC from the San Diego, California, streets, he needed an eye and half his teeth removed. Being a feral guy, Benny was also neutered and ear-tipped. His surgery went just fine, but the following morning brought horror. FCC staff found poor Benny freely bleeding from all three of his surgical sites.
One Tough Cat
They rushed him to the vet, but the bleeding wouldn’t stop. The vet worried Benny might have hemophilia, a condition in which blood doesn’t clot, and it’s considered rare in felines. If not a hemophiliac, there was also concern that he might have been a victim of rodent poison, which can also cause excessive bleeding.
That night, Benny stayed with the FCC’s clinical supervisor, and she worried the sweet boy wasn’t going to survive the night. Despite feeling so bad, Benny still gave love and thanks to his host.
As Feral Cat Coalition shared on Instagram, “It almost seemed like he knew we were going to do our best to save him.”
And that’s just what they did. But the journey was challenging.
In the days following his surgery, Benny went downhill drastically. He was still bleeding openly from his eye socket, mouth, and the neuter site. Through frozen plasma treatments, pressure bandages, and emergency and specialized care, Benny kept bleeding while growing weaker by the day. Bloodwork revealed Benny had not been poisoned but was indeed a hemophiliac.
The Bleeding Wouldn’t Stop
To get a complete idea of how much this poor, sick cat was bleeding, you can click here to see a Feral Cat Coalition post showing how bad it was. Warning though, it is graphic.
After several days of working to stabilize him, the bleeding finally slowed and eventually stopped. But a new worry had set in. With all the blood loss, medical staff feared Benny might have suffered brain damage. Already he had grown sensitive to sounds and being moved.
On top of neurological concerns, Benny also needed to have his eye removal site repaired after the stitches opened during his bleed out. Knowing the risks of surgery with his hemophilia, everyone held their breaths for the outcome. But as he does with everything else, Benny did great!
“Through all of this, he was still very sweet, nudging, making biscuits and cooing at us,” said the FCC.
Working with Anna Brown from San Diego’s Cat Adoption Service, the FCC staff and volunteers rallied around sweet Benny, and soon, he was getting up on his paws again and free of any neurological damage. Now, they could focus on helping Benny gain weight and kick a kitty cold. Plus, Benny showed that though he’d been a street cat, he was full of love and might enjoy having a forever home one day.
Looking for Forever
Time in foster care proved Benny was ready to hang up his outdoor days to enjoy snuggling indoors with a family!
“Although we had so much hope, we never anticipated Benny doing this well,” his foster family shared.
To help him find his forever home, Benny decided he would enjoy having an Instagram page, so the FCC and his fosters made it happen. And on that page, they’ve shared the best news!
“Benny is ready for a forever home!”
“He is the sweetest boy who would love a warm lap to snuggle on. He is very playful and gets along with other well mannered animals.”
So, what do you think? Could sweet Benny boy be the cat for you? Find out more about Benny and follow @go_benny_boy on Instagram.
@feral_cat_coalition_sd**Graphic Warning** Keep this hood cat in your thoughts as we try to save him. 💜♬ original sound – Feral_Cat_Coalition_SD
Feature Image: @go_benny_boy/Instagram