A stray ginger tabby was found with a large tape roll around his neck by local residents in a Baldwin Park neighborhood in California. Nobody knew what happened to the poor cat, but it was clear that he was in a lot of pain and needed help urgently. They had immediately called Animal Control to rescue and help the cat.
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Many people, along with the rescuers of Animal Control, had attempted to catch him, but they were unsuccessful because he was afraid of humans. However, rescuers Kimberly Saxelby and Chris Gattas didn’t give up and decided to try their luck on Valentine’s Day, hoping to bring the ginger feline to safety.
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“When we arrived, we set a trap just two feet away from him while he lay under a car. We waited for an hour, but we figured out that he was not going in because of the tape roll on his head, so we had no choice but to try and catch him with our nets. After chasing him for a while and cornering him into an old shed, that is when Chris was able to catch him with the pole net as he tried to run out,” said Kimberly.
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After that, they rushed the cat to Rancho Cucamonga Animal Shelter for medical attention. They managed to calm him down to check the injury around his neck, and they discovered it had been on him for months. The vets at the shelter conducted emergency surgery to clean and fix the area around his entire neck and ears.
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“Little did we all know after we sedated him just how bad his condition was until we cut the tape roll off his neck. It brought tears to my eyes because I couldn’t imagine the pain and suffering this poor sweet cat has been through for as long as he has. He is very emaciated and dehydrated from not being able to eat or drink well with the tape rolled over his head,” said Kimberly.
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The rescuers named him Valentine because that was the day he was saved. Valentine made a quick recovery from his treatment and began to eat food properly without the tape rolling on his neck. However, he was still quite timid and shy around people.
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Thankfully, his demeanor began to change when he was moved into a foster home. Valentine’s foster parents cared for him and helped him learn to trust and love again after being hurt.
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“He has been through so much misery and pain, and he is so deserving of a loving home. I know at one time this cat was not afraid of humans and probably loved human touch,” Kimberly said.
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The cat Valentine, in desperate need of love and care, finally found a forever home, where he is enjoying his happy and loving life. Thanks to Valentine’s rescuers and family for giving him all the love and care that he deserves.
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If you love Valentine, you can follow him on his own Facebook account, Saving Sweet Valentine, where his foster mom and Saxelby post regular updates about him.
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