south carolina - january - 2023

​SOUTH CAROLINA RESCUE
 
Alaunus Story 
Six-week-old, feral baby Alaunus, tried to cross a busy road.  Maybe his mom, and siblings had already made it over.  Maybe he was chasing a rodent or a bird.  Either way, it was ultimately a bad decision initially, but, a good outcome, eventually.
 
He was hit, dragged and left in the gutter to die.  Fortunately for Alaunus, there is a good person out there for every bad one.  A Good Samaritan saw the strike, and quickly turned around to help.
 
He was taken to the nearest vet, treated and stabilized and then transferred to the county facility for further evaluation, pain management and decision.  X-rays showed a bad break to the left knee, in a very bad location, right at the growth plate.  Not a good orthopedic surgery on tiny, fragile bones.  As it was essentially aligned in a good position, the decision was made to stabilize, manage for pain and find him a rescue with the capability of providing 7 weeks of cage rest, and medical supervision.
 
Enter Save Our Strays.  With the help of our local foster network, and rescue partners, he was set up in a medium sized, hard-shell kennel to restrict his movement and climbing opportunities.  Pain meds were given on a regular basis, as well as treatment to the nasty road rash on his legs, abdomen and face from being dragged, and skimming across the road.
 
The feral boy began to trust, as he began to heal.  His kennel was angled to allow him to watch out the window, to see the trees, the birds and the other cats in the household, without stressing that leg.
 
At week/ three, the leg was re-radiographed.  Although not a completely centered knit, the leg was stable, totally usable, pain free and he has it. The alternative was amputation.
 
Alaunus, also known as Alaunicus Spartacus to his foster family, is sweet, fully vetted and is taking applications and interviewing for his forever home. He may have some arthritis in that knee as he grows older, so, his new family needs to be informed and prepared for that.
 
Saving one kitten won’t change the world, but for Alaunus, the world changed forever. 

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