In March of 2024, a rescuer in Little Rock, Arkansas received a call about two kittens found in a tire swing at a daycare.
However, when she arrived, she found something far more disturbing…
Keep reading to discover how this chance encounter turned into a life saving mission!
A S.h.ocking Discovery
Sarah Richardson, a cat rescuer with Community Cats of Central AR arrived at the daycare to rescue two kittens found in a tire swing.
The kittens were found safe and sound, but Sarah still needed to locate their mother.
Sarah set up a humane trap to catch the mom, but what she caught was not the mama cat.
Instead, she caught another cat.
When Sarah took a closer look at the cat, she was shocked…
A Life of Suffering
The cat was in critical condition.
Upon taking a closer look, Sarah realized this cat was in dire need of medical attention.
She took him home and treated him for fleas ticks and parasites.
Then he was given a name: Rixie.
Sarah said, “He was completely infested with parasites. It was unlike anything I’ve ever seen!
The more Sarah looked at him, the more injuries she noticed on his poor, frail body.
“He was bleeding from the ears. My heart broke just looking at him,” Sarah shared.
On the Verge of D.e.ath
After taking him to the vet, she discovered he had abscesses on his ears and the back of his head.
Once he was sedated, the vet discovered he also had a large abscess on his chest.
The vet was surprised he survived as long as he did in this condition.
“The vet said he was within days of dropping dead. We caught him just in time,” Sarah told National Kitty.
His injuries were most likely from being attacked by a large animal.
Luckily, there was still hope!
The vet drained the abscesses and Rixie was sent to his new foster home to recover.
A Picky Eater
“The first week or so, we weren’t certain he would survive,” Sarah shared.
To make matters worse, Rixie was struggling to eat.
He was in so much pain from his wounds and weakened from starvation that he could barely lift himself up.
He could still move enough to sniff the food, but continued to reject it.
“We were going to use IV fluid, but I finally found a canned food he would eat,” Sarah said. “He wouldn’t eat just any kind; he’d only eat tuna.”
Rixie was a feral cat the vet estimated was over 10 years old.
Consequently, Sarah guessed he just didn’t recognize cat food as real food.
Once Sarah finally found a way to get him to eat, he began gaining both weight and energy!
Road to Recovery
Now that Rixie has been in Sarah’s care for over 2 months, he has gained back much of his strength.
However, he’s not completely out of the woods yet.
He’s eating regularly and has been cleared of his ticks and fleas.
“His hole in his chest is now almost closed, and he is healing,” Sarah said. “His head abscess looks phenomenal. It’s completely gone!”
While Rixie’s personality is still a little rough around the edges from being feral, he is on his way to being healthy and socialized.
Sarah wanted to keep him safe but also didn’t want to deprive him fully of the environment he lived in for so many years.
She found the perfect solution. She placed him in his very own catio behind her house.
“I think he’s living his best life compared to what was before,” Sarah said. “But, he’s still a bit of a picky eater.”
Happily Ever After
While Rixie is a noble, independent cat, he’s still learning to accept the love and affection of humans.
With each passing day, he grows more comfortable around Sarah and her family.
This is the first time in 10 years that he’s been shown real love.
As he continues to recover, Rixie’s unique personality grows stronger each day.
Thanks to Sarah’s hard work and determination, he’s alive and safe!
About Our Hero
Sarah Richardson is one of the few people in Arkansas that rescues elderly cats with special needs.
If it wasn’t for Sarah, cats like Rixie would be euthanized or die a painful death on the streets.
Sarah is committed to giving a second chance to cats that other rescuers turn down.
Sarah is entirely self funded. If you would like to help, please click here to donate food and supplies directly her from her Amazon wishlist.
If you would like to donate toward a cat’s medical care, please click here.
At a small cost, you can help Sarah continue to rescue cats that would otherwise be neglected.
Be sure to follow her on Instagram to keep up with her latest rescue cats!
