Pussycat Lodge
Registered charity 1209280
THE STORY OF MAX
May to October 2024
Fluffy black and white male, 8+ years old.
May 22nd
Max was straying in Wickford for many years. People were feeding him and letting him sleep in their home, but he was never taken to a vet to check for a chip or get him neutered. One very rainy day, Max was finally tempted into a concerned person's living room and shut in, so we were able to get him to our vet. Sadly, he wasn't chipped or neutered but he has been done now. He was in a very sorry state, very skinny and covered in scratches and scabs.
Max needed a complicated dental as he had 4 broken canines. The poor boy must have been in a lot of pain for quite some time and needed to be referred for this surgery. He was fairly relaxed at the vet - when he wasn't being handled! Max probably hadn't been touched for a long time, even though he was used to asking people for food to survive. He was also blood tested for FIV and FeLV it was just a case of waiting for those results.
May 27th
Andrea took Max to get his 1st vaccination. He was fine being handled and was a very sweet boy.
May 28th
We had great news today! The vet called with the test results and Max had tested negative for both FIV and FeLV! We were so happy! It was very lucky for such a long term stray.
He had settled into a small pen at PCL and was eating well, although Max spent most of his time at this point sitting in a carrier to feel safe.
Maria took him some chicken in and sat on the floor just talking to him. After a while, he felt comfortable enough to take some chicken from her hand and actually let her stroke him. It turned out he was so gentle that she ended up feeding him the whole pot!
June 3rd
Max was moved to our bigger 'socialisation' pen which he was sharing with two older kittens. They all shared the space well and the more timid kitten, Bud, enjoyed hiding in the carrier with Max.
Max hissed and growled a bit when volunteers first went in but was soon happy when given chicken and strokes!
July 5th
Max had the first stage of his complicated dental surgery this week. One canine was removed from both the top and bottom jaws - they were very difficult to remove as they had broken right off and been ground down.
He still needed the other broken canines removed however there was a very big a risk of his jaw breaking to do it all at the same time. Max recovered really well from this first stage, and continued eating with as much enthusiasm as usual!
He had now become an expert at scooping up food in his paw and shoving it in his mouth! He would grab pawfuls of fish or chicken that volunteers took in for him and put as much in his mouth as he could! This was AFTER already having had his normal food.
Long term strays tend to be food obsessed, as they have to eat as much as they can when they find food, not knowing when their next meal might be. Max hadn't realised yet that from now on he will always have regular meals.
July 15th
We had a major breakthrough on this day! For the very first time Max actively sought out some affection. Maria had spent a lot of time gaining his trust and today she finally reaped the rewards as Max started purring and rubbing his face all over hers! He now looks clean, his wounds are healed, his fur is in lovely condition, and he has put on some weight. He looks a very different boy from the one who came to us two months ago.
And one month later...
Max had the final part of his dental treatment and recovered well.
As soon as he sees a volunteer he meows and starts pawing at the door of his pen, waiting for food or a fuss. He is such a loving boy now! Maria tried to pick him up for the first time as he was going for another vet check-up. He didn't particularly like it, but he was ok and didn't hiss or try to swipe or bite. She even had a cuddle with him before putting him in the carrier! Sneaky!
Max was adopted in September 2024 after being moved to our large communal enclosure to give him more space once he was fully recovered. He transitioned easily into a home and loves his new cat dad. Max is thriving on all the attention he is getting :-)
