Sometimes I wonder what would happen if kind-hearted people like the ones from today’s story didn’t exist. How many stray cats would miss their chance at a better life?
Fortunately, there are more kind people out there than you probably know. Today’s story is about a feral cat that was spotted on the streets of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
An entire community was heartbroken once Marvin the cat showed up in their neighborhood.
The poor soul seemed extremely malnourished, however, the community had no idea just how sick he was.
As luck would have it, just a few houses down the road was Emilie Rackovan’s house. Emilie is a well-known foster volunteer or as she describes herself:
“Just a girl trying to save some animals.”
Well if you ask me, she is a true foster hero, and here’s why. Her neighbors managed to trap poor Marvin in a carrier and Emilie immediately rushed him to the emergency vet.
She was devastated by his condition. Poor Marvin weighed only four pounds. However, the vet soon informed her about his state, as she shared in her post on Instagram:
“He was hypothermic, anemic, had a ragging upper respiratory infection. Our fears came true when his tests came back positive for feline leukemia.”
Emilie decided to take him back home, although she never cared for such a sick cat. In addition to his feline leukemia diagnosis, poor Marvin also had feline herpes virus which made his situation even worse.
However, after only six days with Emilie, he regained some of his strength and even gained a pound. His foster mom was determined to provide him the best care possible, warmth, love, and as many treats as he wished for.
After almost two weeks in his foster home, Marvin gained some weight, and was finally able to move around. However, since he was a feral cat, he then realized he was living with a human, and that made him furious. As Emilie shared in her update:
“He realized that he was now captive in someone’s home and decided that he hated me with a fiery passion.”
Spicy Marvin now had enough strength to show his disapproval of being an indoor cat. Emilie respected his personal space, and although she managed to scratch his head once or twice, Marvin would hiss at her most of the time.
Since he was feral and since he suffered from feline leukemia, finding him a forever home was unfortunately not an option for Marvin.
Emilie had to think of another solution so she reached out to one of her friends who was working at Best Friends Animal Society.
This organization was a true sanctuary for animals in need and they even had a special department dedicated to cats with feline leukemia.
This meant Marvin could spend the rest of his days away from the harsh streets with the best medical care.
Thanks to the amazing community in Milwaukee, Marvin was saved and got a chance to enjoy the rest of his life.
