THE SANCTUARY ANGELS sent a £300 Angel grant to Save a Stray, in Sheffield (Facebook: @saveastray.feral) in February 2022 as part of their Spring Sanctuary Programme. Their mission is to try to reduce the numbers of local feral and stray cats having to live on the streets and in the wild. They have a vegan ethic and they are doing the most amazing work with felines in their area. The latest Angel grant is going to help with a very special pussy cat named Doris. It will kick-start the Doris Day Fund, which will cover Doris' vet bills while she is in foster care for the rest of her life.
This is her story: "Doris was being fed by some kind locals who took pity on her living in bushes for up to a year. She was very friendly, happy to be approached for a fuss and appreciated the food, but they were seriously concerned for her health and wellbeing. She didn't appear well at all. She was scanned and no chip found to identify her. Eventually as winter approached someone finally made the decision to get her rescued and that's when we were contacted. So she arrived at SAS on Xmas eve. She was dirty, covered in fleas, anaemic, her chest rattled and she couldn't walk well. She also had difficulty sitting or laying in a comfortable position. We didn't think she would survive much longer and when we took her to the vet we honestly thought she wouldn't be coming back with us. We were prepared to do whatever the kindest thing was for Doris, despite the outpouring of support and donations to get her well. But surprisingly the vet felt she deserved a chance and gave her a long-lasting antibiotic shot for bladder kidney infection and treated her for the fleas. After a few days her swollen tummy started to reduce and she regained some colour in her nose. She started to be able to sit and lay more comfortably but unfortunately seemed she was going to have to live with her wobbly gait. Possibly caused by an old injury. She went back for a check-up and the vet was happy we should definitely continue to give her a chance. So after a short while living at SAS HQ, it was decided she would remain an SAS cat for life; we needed to know she would be given whatever care and treatment she needed and wasn't sure we would find anyone willing to take on that care and commitment. So it was decided we would find a permanent foster home for her. After a short appeal we found our perfect foster carers, Ollie and Clair, who as you know had recently lost their newly adopted young cat, Lemmy, and spent all their savings trying to find out the cause of his illness and to make him better. They live close by and within the vicinity of our vet and we knew they would be the perfect carers for her. She's been with them for a week tomorrow and is doing really well."