Cat Suffers Severe Abuse

A cat that underwent severe abuse is now under veterinary supervision in the SPCA Clinic

Over and over again we witness appalling cases of abuse and one’s heart goes out to those helpless animals

In response to a call from the District Veterinarian, Dr. Abu Ras, from the Veterinary Department in Taibe, we urgently sent the rescuer, Eyal Gatenu, to bring the cat that had suffered severe abuse to the SPCA Clinic. According to reports, the injured cat was tied by a rope, dragged along the streets and had its fur painted pink. The cat was caught and confiscated by the local Community Police Chief with the help of the Border Police, who took a man suspected of involvement in this cruel act into custody. We hope that the police and the legal system will bring the criminals that perpetrated this abuse to justice.

The cat, who was given the name Bazooka, reached the clinic in very bad condition, suffering from dehydration and deep, infected cuts in the stomach area, on its tail and rectum, apparently as a result of burns. Dr. Lena Algerbeli, an SPCA veterinarian, gave him first aid – analgesics, infusions of liquids and antibiotics and high quality food to help him regain his strength. The following day, under light anesthetic, the cat underwent thorough examination and treatment of the damaged tissue. The diagnosis was that, in addition to the wounds, his is suffering a viral infection and eye infection. At present the cat is under close medical supervision, is being administered antibiotics and ointments and his wounds are being cleaned and sterilized. The doctors are following his progress and in accordance with the pace of his recuperation it will be decided whether to suture some of the wounds. The pink color is slowly diminishing with the help of washes.

Poor Bazooka is slowly recovering and the SPCA staff is pampering him all the while. Despite the abuse that he underwent and the wounds from which he is suffering, he puts his trust in those who are caring for him and we see that he is a friendly and easy-going cat. We all hope that he will get well very quickly and once he is fully recuperated we will be able to sterilize him, give him all the necessary vaccinations and find him a responsible and loving home where he will be able to forget about the trauma and live a happy life.

Under light anesthetics. Bazooka being treated for his wounds and burns

We call upon school principals and youth leaders from all over the country to call the SPCA and to strengthen the ties with our Department of Education, which offers educational activities aimed at raising awareness and preventing cases of abuse and neglect of animals.

If you come across an animal in distress, please do not ignore it. Call the SPCA call center at: *4553.

Curiosity Almost Killed the Cat

A cat that swallowed a fish hook was saved following surgery that was performed in the SPCA clinic

The curiosity of a four-and-a-half-year-old mixed Persian cat almost led to its death. The cat, the pet of a Tel-Aviv family, was extremely interested in the fishing equipment of one of the family members and began to play around with the various pieces. The family members believed that their cat had swallowed a fishing line and after several days of the cat suffering from vomiting and fever, they rushed the cat into the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Israel veterinary clinic.

An X-ray performed at the clinic revealed that the cat had also swallowed a sharp fishing hook, which was surgically removed by veterinarian Dr. Lana Algrabelli. “There was fear for the cat’s life” Dr. Algrabelli said. “The greatest danger was intestinal obstruction as well as Gastric dilatation and volvulus syndrome, all of which cause severe pain, infection and lead to a rapid death.

The surgery ended successfully with the removal of the nylon fishing line and hook. The cat remained hospitalized in the clinic for several days, during which it received a special intravenous solution to avoid using the digestive system. The cat was released two days ago and according to its owners, it has made a quick recovery. The fishing gear, they promised, would be kept in a closed place.

Unfortunately, we encounter numerous incidents in which pet owners do not think about items that might endanger their pets in the home. Items that might appear trivial to us might endanger the life of a pet. Attention must therefore be paid to the pets’ living environment to make sure that it is safe for them. Just as we make sure that our home is safe for infants and small children, we must also remove items such as cleaning fluids and toxic materials, spicy foods, sharp objects, toxic plants, various threads (nylon, ribbons, electrical wires) and cans with sharp lids in the trash can. In addition, people must make sure that there is no open flame and avoid operating a gas oven or stove that is being operated without being present. Pet owners must also make sure to shut cabinet doors and open electrical appliances (such as washing machine) in which cats might become trapped.

Substitute Mom

SPCA Representatives Rescue Kitten Adopted by Monkey in Animal Corner

Exotic stories of animals that adopt young animals of the opposite gender occasionally appear in the media, capturing our hearts. This case took place last week in the animal corner on Kibbutz Nir Eliyahu, located near Kfar Saba.

A woman visiting the site called the offices of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Israel to talk about a kitten that was adopted by one of the monkeys and whose condition didn’t appear to be good. SPCA representatives arriving at the animal corner on the kibbutz learned from the employees at the site that the kitten had accidentally entered a cage with one male and three female baboons. The male baboon had been spayed but the three females had not been neutered, leaving their maternal instinct still intact.

The dominant female in the group decided to adopt the kitten as her son and never left its side for a moment. As a result, all of the kitten’s attempts to reach food failed, making it become hungry and exhausted. Animal corner employees claimed that taking the kitten from the money would cause mental distress. In addition, the story became a real attraction. To SPCA representatives, however, the kitten’s welfare and concern for its fate took top precedence and they asked to remove the kitten from the money cage.

The next day, Tamar Freedman, a monkey expert from the Ben Shemen Monkey Park arrived and determined that the kitten must be removed from the cage. Rescue attempts failed and SPCA representatives returned to the animal corner the next day. After several hours of attempts, Dr. Dganit Ben Dov, Veterinary Service official in charge of enforcing the Animal Protection Law in the Ministry of Agriculture, joined the SPCA team.

The difficulty involved in rescuing the kitten was attributed to the structure of the baboon cage, which was composed of two chambers separated by a guillotine door. Working together, with each member being positioned on opposite sides of the cage, the SPCA representative and Dr. Ben Dov waited for the right moment to separate the kitten from the monkey. At a certain point in time, the monkey released the kitten, who momentarily skipped to the other side of the cage, and the guillotine door shut, separating the kitten from its adoptive mother.

The exhausted kitten received nourishing food and underwent veterinary testing, where it was diagnosed as suffering from muscular dystrophy in its legs caused by the monkey’s grip of the kitten as if it were a baby monkey, wrapping its arm around the kitten’s stomach, leaving the four legs suspended in the air and preventing the kitten from using them. The kitten recovered over several days after undergoing physical therapy to strengthen its legs. This kitten will soon be up for adoption, and will be delighted to be raised in a warm home with a loving family.

A well at the end of the tunnel

A rescue campaign for saving a cat that fell into a sewage pit was crowned a success

The street cats that are in a daily battle with their ordained urban abode have to deal with an additional danger when the municipal authorities do not provide a quick solution to sanitation and security problems.

Two weeks after a resident of Rishon Le Zion heard the cries of a kitten coming from an open sewage pit, in the Ben Gurion Center, the staff of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Israel, rescued the kitten from the hole and saved its life. The story happened two weeks ago when a female resident of Rishon Le Zion was walking her dog on the streets of the city and all of a sudden heard a quiet meow. By tracking the source of the meowing she was brought to an open sewage hole. A little kitten had fallen into the hole and it had no way out.

The woman called the emergency service at the Society and a rescue group from the Society arrived there to rescue the kitten from the hole. The rescue mission was difficult since the kitten was frightened and at first did not respond to the rescue attempts. For two weeks the rescue team of the Society came to the area and gave the kitten food and water so that it would not die of starvation or dehydration and also to eventually gain its trust. After this the team succeeded in rescuing the cat by way of a lure and they brought it for treatment at the Society’s clinic.

The Society’s veterinarian, Dr. Sharon Goldstein, treated the cat, which arrived infected and filthy. She cleaned it up and treated it for worms and parasites, and after a few days in which it received lots of attention and love from the attending staff the cat recovered. This week the cat was adopted by Roslan Krimov.

We want to thank the resident of Rishon Le Zion for her awareness, and we are requesting that the municipal authorities deal with the security and sanitary problems of this sort so that similar cases as this do not reoccur.

Stands on its own feet

A cat missing a leg, which was injured in a cat fight on an army base, was treated and found a warm home

The impotence of the country’s authorities in everything that is connected with taking responsibility for the unchecked multiplication of street cats almost took another victim. This time it was two soldier girls who saved the three legged cat after it was injured in a cat fight.

The life of hardships of Tario the cat, who it seems was born with three legs on an army base in Tzrifin, was almost ended in a tragedy three weeks ago. After it was attacked by other cats, it ran in the direction of the soldier girl Hila Muscho, who is serving in the communications unit at the Tzrifin base. Muscho could not remain apathetic to the difficult situation of the injured cat, which was vomiting frequently, and together with her friend on the base, Natalia Chan, brought him for veterinary care to the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Israel.

Dr. Lana Elgrabali, the Society’s veterinarian, says that the cat is lacking one leg because of a hereditary deformity. “He came to us suffering from open wounds and from skin diseases, and was treated with antibiotics and creams. In addition to this he was suffering from diarrhea, and therefore he received relevant treatment and a medically formulated diet”.

During the week that Tario was treated and healed in the Society’s clinic he showed himself to be a wonderful cat, which liked his comfort and was especially sociable. To our great joy cute Tario was adopted last week by Yaara Shtener and Inbal Raveh and after castration he arrived at his new home.

The sad state of homeless cats in Israel is a result of the policy of not taking responsibility for care of animals in our environment. Without an organized activity plan to lessen the increase of street cats by increasing the funding for the matter, and without the willingness of the local municipalities and the IDF, the cats will continue to live miserable lives accompanied by pain and suffering. The good hearts of people who chance upon the appalling results of the problem cannot solve it from its source, but only can lessen the pain.

Emile and the Detectives

Thanks to the resourcefulness of two children a kitten’s life was saved

Two weeks ago, in the afternoon hours, when Lidor Kalay (7) and Ofek Arditi (9) from Tel Aviv went out to play soccer on the courtyard next to their building, they did not imagine that an unexpected adventure was waiting for them – one that ended in an heroic deed.

While they were playing the two of them saw a passerby holding a sack in his hand. They became suspicious when they heard quiet yelping cries emanating from the sack and the curious children asked the man about the contents. The man ignored their questions and continued on his way, and after a number of meters he threw the sack over the fence into the yard of the neighborhood school.

Lidor and Ofek, who were following the man with their gaze, ran quickly to the sack, opened it and were amazed to discover a frightened helpless kitten. Without losing their composure the children found a cardboard carton and put the kitten into the carton. The two of them hurried to call Lidor’s father. They excitedly told him the about the little cat and asked him to take it to the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Israel, so that they would examine it and give it appropriate medical treatment.

The veterinarian who received the kitten at our veterinary clinic was very impressed with the children’s story. After the examination she told the children that the cat was in shock and was suffering from dry wounds, and that she would watch over him for the next few days. The cat stayed in the clinic of the Society and the children decided to give him the name Emile.

We want to express our appreciation to the children, for thanks to their awareness and initiative Emile’s life was saved. Unfortunately, many cats living in the streets are victims of abuse and violent attacks. If you find abuse of animals or injured animals do not just walk past and ignore it.

Emile, two months old, has already regained his strength and now is looking for a warm and loving home that will help him forget the trauma of the past. Anyone interested in adopting him is welcome to get in touch with us at: *4553.

A cat in a hot tin car

A cat’s life was saved after he was trapped at noon in a locked vehicle

The life of a spotted ginger cat was saved two weeks ago after it was trapped within a vehicle in the burning noon heat. This happened on Kishon Street in the Florentine neighborhood in Tel Aviv, when passersby noticed a cat breathing with difficulty and trying to fight for its life in the hot trap within the vehicle. Those present, who crowded around the vehicle which was a Toyota, called the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Israel and at the same time one of them succeeded in breaking into the vehicle without causing damage.

The Society’s patrol arrived at the place and took the cat, which had fainted, and brought it to the clinic where the veterinarians saved its life. “The cat came in completely dehydrated and almost unconscious”, Dr Ayah Peri, the veterinarian of the Society diagnosed. “He received a transfusion of liquids into a vein immediately and now he is healthy and waiting with anticipation for people to come and adopt him”.

After the rescue the Society’s patrol filed a complaint with the police against the owner of the vehicle about neglecting the cat and about a crime according to the law of causing pain to animals. The owner of the vehicle contended in front of the police that the cat was not his and he had no idea how it was found trapped in the vehicle.

We want to praise those present at the site who were aware of the situation of the trapped cat and who telephoned to bring help.

The cat was adopted last week and we wish it and its new family a year of love filled with good moments.