From Buddy to Brody, how a one-eyed feral cat found a new life

This is a happy story about a one-eyed kitty that some of you might know from photos on our website.

Exactly one year ago we trapped a very sick, feral cat. We named him Buddy. As a result of an untreated upper respitarory infection (URI) one of his eyes was very badly infected. When we took Buddy to get neutered, we found out that his eye had to be removed. The vet told us, however, that the cat was very mellow and that with a lot of attention and love he could probably be tamed. Well, we decided to give him a chance.

During his recovery and taming process, Buddy stayed at my house for a few months. Slowly we witnessed how he started to trust humans. I still remember his first purr, his first play with a toy, and his shy approaches toward my hand to get a little rub. 

Buddy turned out to be a very sweet cat and he even became friends with my chichuachua. My time with him was precious and intersting. While helping him recover, I learned from him patience and gentleness. Buddy showed me how a broken cat can get a new start and begin a new life with only one eye.

After four months, Buddy was ready to go into the world. But before I could even put up his profile on Adopt-A-Pet, a dear friend of mine told me that her daughter would like to adopt a special needs cat. What a lucky coincidence! I knew that family and I was sure that Buddy won a lottery. It was wonderful news.

Our lucky rescue joined a family of four humans and three cats. His new family loved him from the moment of meeting him. They gave him a new name, Brody. They spoil and love him and he is very affectionate in return, especially towards the head of the family. Brody loves to sleep in his lap.

But let me tell you, even with only one eye, Brody is quite a mischevious character! He loves to eat, so as soon as he finishes his food he gets into the other cats' bowls. What's more, he jumps on the counter and steels food from the people!

This is such a happy end for a once homeless and sick feral cat, and I am so glad we gave him a chance to find a good and safe life.

Not All Rescues Are Happy Stories

This time, I would like to tell you about Bobo, a blind three-month old kitten.

Bobo lived with his cat mama in a small green area in the middle of a busy parking lot. A kind lady, who worked nearby, found them there and started feeding them. But her employer was not happy about it, so she contacted SOKS for help.

When we saw Bobo, we suspected that he was blind, but we did not know whether it was permanent. Together with the kind lady, we spent five hours trapping mama and her kitten.

Once trapped, mama cat got spayed and relocated to a safe place, and Bobo came home with me. A wonderful local rescue agreed to take care of Bobo’s medical needs and we scheduled a vet visit to assess his eyes.

Bobo spent seven days with me. He did great and had a good appetite. He had his own little enclosure behind my kitchen, next to a big garden window full of green plants. He spent time playing, exploring nooks in my kitchen, or lying on the windowsill, listening to birds and smelling the fresh air.

All seemed well until one morning.

When I woke up, I went to say good morning to Bobo. I noticed that his food was not eaten over the night which was unusual. Bobo was laying down; he had no energy, and his little body was cool to my touch. A quick visit to a vet’s did not help nor gave us any answers why a happy kitten turned for the worse so suddenly. Despite all the efforts to bring him back, Bobo went over the rainbow that day.

I will really miss little Bobo sitting on my lap and purring ...

I want to thank Diane, Marian, and the West Lane Veterinary Hospital for all the care and support.

Fall Adoption Is Back at In Season, Stockton

Do not miss SOKS fall adoption event at In Season Market & Nursery on Saturday, October 21, 11 am - 2 pm. Please share our flier on your social media pages if possible. Or encourage your friends and family to follow us on Facebook and Instagram @sokstockton. Thank you!