Cat Without a Nose

by Irene Vasquez
(National City, Ca. 91950)

I was never really was a cat person. Then about 8 yrs ago we moved to National City....Feral CAT Capital of the world. I'd never seen so many kittens. It seemed they were all coming from the same cat. We call her Mama cat. We would try and catch the kittens. So that we could tend to their ailments (thank God for the internet!). A few kittens were abandoned at birth and we neutured them until they were old enough to be placed in a good home.

Mama cat has always had this upper respiratory illness and so did her kittens. In the last year she has become very scruffy and her nose began to run alot.

She developed a scab and soon little by little her nose began to disappear. When I see her I feel this zap in my spine as I could feel her pain, my heart sinks. Mama cat has made a huge impact on my life. She has taught me how important it is to spay or neuter your cat.

I have three rescued cats, all neutered. The youngest Ballou is actually her son - she left behind placenta and all! Mama has opened my heart to all animals in need. And for that she is a hero. She's still quick, cheating death. I guess I'm just waiting for her to slow down enough to take her to the vet and have her put down. I just don't want her to suffer for long.

Irene