It’s always refreshing to find people that are always open to helping animals. Those people need their own award show, like the oscars of rescuing animals. Our newest nominee for an imaginary award is…
Kara Burrow!
Burrow runs “Ralphy’s Retreat Animal Sanctuary” which is in Ontario, Canada and they primarily focus on rescuing pigs of all things but she found herself saving a different type of animal this time.
One night she saw a pair of glowing eyes out her window as a cat looked straight at her. She told The Dodo about what happened next:
“As I walked into the kitchen, I saw a little black and white face peering in through the sliding doors. The cat had scratches all over his face. When he turned and ran away, I saw his tail was very badly injured.”
She knew she had to do something. Burrow borrowed a live trap from a local shelter so when her feline friend came back, she’d be ready.
He didn’t come back for two days and she thought he was gone forever before he came back…
“One night, while shutting up the shipping container [a storage space for the sanctuary], I saw two eyes peering at me! I put the live trap in the container and locked the door.
By morning, Ralph was in the trap.”
She named it instantly I guess…
It wasn’t all good yet like above yet though.
She said, “Ralph was wild, hissing and running at the side of the trap. He was also badly injured and needed a vet urgently.”
Not vet would see her though because of how feral this cat was. Ralph wouldn’t calm down and no one wanted to be near him. But Burrow persisted.
Eventually they found a vet that would see Ralph and they learned that his tail needed to be amputated. They got that taken care of as well as a few rotten teeth were removed.
They went home and for the next two weeks Ralph would hiss and attack Burrow when she brought him food and cleaned his litter.
But then one day he changed his tactics…
“One day he head-bumped my hand! The next day he rubbed my arm as I fed him, and then he allowed me to rub his head!”
She let him out of his one bedroom apartment and let him roam free in the house. He was like a different cat she said.
“He cuddles with the other cats and he is in love with our rescue dog, Henri. They are never far apart!”
Now Ralph is loving his new life with Burrow and the rest of her animals. “He will sit on our knees and cuddle with humans too,” Burrow concluded that “he’s done a complete 360!”
Burrow wants Ralph’s story to help spread knowledge that feral cats can change and be purrrific family members. I’m sorry to use such a cheap pun.
She said, “They can make wonderful pets!”
