Balthazar

Meet Balthazar. A stray tomcat I came across as I was trapping stray cats in Onehunga, Auckland.

I was actually there to trap some 6-week old kittens with the knowledge that they could be easily brought up to health, desexed, microchipped and vaccinated and adopted out to their forever homes. I was also trapping any adult cat I could for TNR. But then I saw this guy.... He was still more interested in mating with all the ladies than he was about the collar he had embedded in his chest. He had obviously once been owned, had a collar placed on him (likely an adult collar on a kitten) and stepped his front left leg through the collar. There it stayed as he grew. And as he grew, it embedded into his flesh all the way through the muscle. But did anyone call for help? Sadly, no. It was just by chance that I came across him.

It took me nearly a week to trap him, but when I did, I took him straight to the vet for surgery to remove the collar, and a desex to boot. He stunk of rot and it took an hour to stitch his gaping wound closed.

His initial surgery cost $600 NZD. He will need further surgery to remove the nylon stitches holding him together. I work a full-time job and do as much rescue work as I can outside of office hours (and often within them too, lol). Balthazar has proven to be such a sweet boy who loves head scratches and yowls for attention as he is recovering in his crate. He will make a super addition to a family.

I can't see a living soul struggle so I was happy to take on the burden of beautiful Balthazar, but I help many cats who would otherwise be lost and forgotten. If you would like to help my cause, and help Balthazar, please consider donating towards his care.

*This boy was not microchipped. I asked around the neighbourhood and could not locate an owner. He has been desexed, treated for fleas & worms, microchipped and vaccinated and be on the hunt for a happy ever after soon.