Our office is located in a neighborhood which has more than its share of ownerless cats.  There is a cat lady who cares for as many as she can but they are a somewhat independent group who live outdoors.  We give names to some of them like Tat and Tigger and if there is one asking for food, we keep a stash of cat food.

In early May of 2023, a rough looking orange cat started hanging out by our door.  (A local veterinarian would soon describe him as ‘crappy looking’.)  On Friday, May 12, the folks in the office noticed blood coming from his mouth and were concerned that he had been in a fight or possibly even hit by a car.  We called a couple of local veterinarians but it was Friday afternoon and no one was willing to see him.  The following day he was lying on the concrete driveway in the sun, obviously not feeling well at all.  It was not difficult to put him into a carrier and off we went to the emergency vet.  

He was not vetted at all and we agreed to have only his most urgent needs addressed.  That included a steroid shot for mouth inflammation and antibiotics to treat the infection (that had caused the bleeding).  We followed up with a local vet who half-expected him to have feline leukemia (he did not).  Even then, the vet stated that he was a candidate for euthanasia.  We decided to do further testing and see what we could do to help him.   

Poor fellow, with his infected mouth and his unaltered condition, he was a real stinker.  He was diagnosed with stomatitis and kidney disease.  We decided to give this cat a chance and it was about then that he became ‘Bruce’.  He was neutered and had all 7 of his teeth removed to treat the infection.  Special food was recommended to go easy on his kidneys.  Even without teeth, he prefers dry food to wet although he eats both. 

Our intentions were to vet him and take him to PetSmart for adoption; however, those plans changed.  I could say that was all due to his kidney condition but we had become pretty attached to this orange boy by then.  Fortunately we have an office with a large garage and Bruce started out in the garage with frequent day trips to Uncle Jim and Aunt Flo’s yard.   

He became more comfortable around people and made it clear that he prefers being in the office with company to being stuck alone back in the garage so he has become a real office fixture.  Two veterinarians had remarked that Bruce was obviously a senior cat but considering the way he runs and jumps and plays, I seriously doubt that assessment. 

Bruce ultimatley became a foster fail and went to live with his new brother and sister where he loved to run the show. Sadly, he succumbed to his kidney disease the following August. Still, he remains a mascot for Trail of Tails and a reminder of the joy we can bring to our four-legged companions in their short time with us.