Treating Hendrix the stray black cat
Black beauty Hendrix was discovered lying under a bush with horrible wounds on both sides of his face.
This handsome entire male was very subdued and looked worse for wear. He was taken to a nearby vets, where he stayed overnight before coming to Woodgreen. When our Veterinary team checked him over, they deduced that thickened skin around his head and ears were likely from previous injuries from fighting with other cats. The wounds on poor Hendrix’s face had formed an abscess – which he’d received an antibiotic injection for at the first vets – and two of his teeth were also broken. Sadly, that wasn’t the end of Hendrix’s health woes.
Our Cat team noticed he was walking abnormally, and his back legs appeared stiff. So, our vets decided to delve further into his various issues while he was under anaesthetic for his castration. We removed his two fractured teeth and, because his ears were sore from where the area around it was swollen, we took a closer peek inside. Luckily, both ears were clean and tidy, which meant the soreness was related to his catfight wounds.
Next, we took X-rays of Hendrix’s right knee. Laura, our specialist orthopaedic vet, found signs of a previous injury in his pelvis and knee, which had healed nicely. But, because the bones repaired themselves rather than being treated by a vet, Hendrix was left with a slight limp. Luckily, he wasn’t in any pain and could move freely so no treatment was needed. Following his castration, we then clipped out a lot of greasy and matted fur from the base of his tail, before giving him a series of antibacterial baths to soothe his battered skin. This affectionate lad loved being groomed, so he was more than happy for a bit of pampering!
Once Hendrix was looking and feeling his best, he went to stay with one of our cat fosterers while our Rehoming team set about finding him a new home. He caught the eyes of Lucy and her family, who tell us: “Hendrix made himself at home straight away! He headed straight for his bowl of food and then over to us for some strokes and attention. He has taken pride of place on the sofa in the living room, especially when someone else is sat there to give him someone to cuddle up to.”
Give cats like Hendrix a new home by adopting a cat or fostering a cat with Woodgreen today.
Could you look after recovering cats like Hendrix?
We’re seeing more abandoned pets than at any other time in the last three years as owners struggle with the soaring costs of pet care. Fostering a cat could make a huge difference to a pet’s happiness while we find them a forever home.