Stormy's Story
Story added August 2007
Stormy after his eye surgery
Stormy, a recovering tom cat, was running as a stray in a trailer park in the northern suburbs of the Twin Cities. A rescue group called St. Francis of Forest Lake, MN initiated a trap/neuter/release program for the many cats who ran loose in the trailer park, most of whom were presumed feral or untamed.
While setting traps and making ready their preparations for the widespread feral cat operation, representatives from St. Francis observed a blind cat running frantically in and around the trailers. He was thin and had obviously been struggling to survive for a long time. They were able to trap the cat, known as Gumby, and called Home for Life® to ask if we could help him.
Upon admission to HFL, Gumby, now called Stormy, was neutered and what remained of his eyes carefully examined by a veterinary ophthalmologist. Stormy was found to be blind in both eyes with no hope for future vision. The specialist determined that Stormy had suffered trauma to the skull, from either a car or, most likely, from a kick or a smack with a bat or shovel.
Stormy's right eye has a full cataract and the retina is detached. What's more, the lower eyelid rolls over and rubs painfully on his cornea—a condition called an "entropion." The left eye is very small and probably took the brunt of the trauma. The third eyelid rides up high over his eye and there are signs of extensive damage, including a cataract.
The specialist believed that Stormy suffered severe head trauma that resulted in retinal detachments and bleeding into his eyes with cataract formations. When there is enough inflammation to cause the eye to shrink, there is a chance of a future tumor in the eye called "posttraumatic sarcoma."
Stormy recently had his left eye removed and closed to prevent any chance of a tumor forming. The painful entropion in his right eye was repaired at the same time. Although Stormy cannot see with his right eye, the pressure in the eye is normal, so the eye can be spared. The money to help Stormy and pay for his surgeries is available through Home for Life's Emergency Medical Care Fund, which pays for treatment for animals admitted to the sanctuary with serious injuries or illnesses.
Stormy has been at the sanctuary for several months now and seems to be trying to put hard times behind him. Initially, he stayed in the outdoor cat run at all times and had to be fed out there. He only ventured indoors to the cattery late at night. Although tolerant of petting and not feral, he did not seek contact was very wary and timid. But the appeal of regular mealtimes, a warm place to live, a soft bed, and kind people to care for him finally persuaded Stormy that life is worth living as a tamer cat. He will never be a gregarious cat, but he now enjoys receiving attention from our staff and also eagerly awaits his twice daily meals of canned food.
Many cats that are deemed "feral" are simply stray cats—house cats who have been turned loose outside and abandoned to fend for themselves. They grow cautious out of necessity, but once their confidence is won again, they readily take to being cared for like the most loving of house cats.