Dumped off a vet's office without a word of her condition, Willow was lucky indeed to find such a caring staff! After contacting us to see if we could take her, they immediately began work on her hernia!
An x-ray of poor Willow's condition when she was left.
Whew! That was a major surgery, with a lot to put back together! After more than a month of recovery, Willow was spayed. She's been vaccinated, and will need a bit more recovery time before she is available for adoption.
Willow
Female, spayed
Shorthair
Born April 2019
As it turns out, nothing was easy with the Slayer litter. Our girl Willow is going to be looking for a very special adopter.
To recap, the fantastic staff of High Valley Veterinary Clinic here in Ramona took on Willow as a special project. They took care of her hernia, which they described as the biggest they had ever seen on a cat. She recovered from that for more than a month. As a result of the hernia, she does have a small part of her muscle wall that doesn't exist. Doesn't hurt her, but just one of a series of discoveries that show just how special sweet Willow is.
Then it was time for her spay, and everyone was in for a shock! Half of her internal organs simply didn't exist! She only had one ovary, one uterine horn, one kidney, etc! Wow! She has recovered with no ill effects from the surgery.
Again, in January, Willow had a second hernia surgery. A hernia developed in the weak part of her abdominal wall. She has totally recovered and is spunkier than ever!
In May, Willow --at about a year old--came into heat! So it was back to the vet for a second spay. The missing ovary had grown back, but was less than half normal size and not the right color. However, it was enough to cause her to go into heat. So, the organ was removed and she recovered with no issues at all.
Because she only has one kidney, she will need to be monitored carefully for any signs of kidney infection. She is not necessarily at more risk of developing a kidney infection with just one, but if she does, she is at risk of it becoming serious quickly with only one kidney. Again, this may never be a problem--but we need any potential adopter to be aware, just in case.
Our list of requirements for Willow's adopter include knowledge of normal cat behavior, stable and settled home life, stable income (and willingness to spend it on any of her potential medical needs), and veterinary references. We are looking for a person or family with a limited number of cats. We are not looking for any rescues to take her, or for her to be exploited as a freak or curiosity. She is a wonderful sweet cat, loves to play with the dogs and any other cats, fearless, charming and curious! We are looking for a normal life as part of a family for her. Obviously she must live in an indoor-only home.
She likes other cats, adults and kids, and has no idea how special she is. She is up to date on her vaccinations. She is playful, but gentle.
Willow was adopted after she recovered from her final surgery. She has had no further health issues. Her adopter is retired and wanted Willow because she had gone through numerous surgeries in her own life, and though our girl was just "beautiful!"