THE CAT NOBODY SAW

When a struggling to breathe, smelling like trash, covered in dirt cat shows up on your back patio…

In February 2023, a white cat sat beside my screen door on my patio. I’d seen him before eating at the 24-hour outdoor cat buffet but he’d usually dine and dish. Today, he did not. I was surprised to see him sitting so still when I spotted him.

When I opened the sliding glass door, he didn’t move. I heard him struggling to breathe as I watched gobs of snot pour out of his nose. It was hard to miss how horrible he smelled, too. He smelled like a trash can.

He was covered in dirt, had open sores all over his body, and looked defeated. I expected him to run when I got the cat carrier, but instead, he walked in when I opened the door.

The veterinarian gave him a strong antibiotic and cleaned up his animal wounds the best she could. For a month, I worked on gaining his trust little by little, every day. I cleaned his ears, gave him flea and tick treatment, wiped his eyes, tended to his wounds, and gave him food and love. The magical antibiotic worked its magic.

Once he was medically stable, he was neutered and ear-tipped through our community cat sterilization program.

By this time, I started calling this beautiful white cat, Ghost. I named him this not just for his white coat but because it seemed like he had been invisible. Just. like. a. ghost.

I simply did not understand how humans could see a cat in so much distress, yet ignore him.

Where was their empathy? Their compassion?

After he recovered from his neuter procedure, we released Ghost back into the wild. He was deemed not adoptable because he would bite when overstimulated. We’re not talking little love bites, either.

I immediately took him into my bathroom where I could keep him away from my other cats, feed him, and get a closer look at his condition. Honestly, I didn’t expect him to make it through it night.

I put out a fundraising call on social media so I could take him to the veterinarian the next day (this was before All These Cats was founded). Through the kindness of social media friends, I raised enough money to pay for a vet visit.

When the veterinarian removed him from the carrier, he didn’t struggle. Maybe he knew she was going to help him.

She first inspected his mouth to see why he was drooling and struggling to eat solid food (he ignored the pate and kibble and went for the mushy, drool). With his mouth still open, she exclaimed, “Oh, poor buddy. You poor thing.” It turns out, he had open cuts and sores on the roof of his mouth and on his tongue. She said the cuts likely came from eating items he shouldn’t have been eating like items right out of the trash can.

He also had multiple bite wounds (suspects: wild animals), a heart murmur, a flea and tick infestation, and ears full of mites. He was also FIV positive.

I had to get a series of rabies vaccinations in those early days because he bit me. And hard.

Even while living primarily on my patio, Ghost seemed to get an upper respiratory illness every other month. When combined with his FIV, he required urgent trips to the veterinarian.

After one such trip, Ghost made it clear that he no longer wanted to live outside.

Today, Ghost lives indoors with his rescue cat siblings. He’s a happy boy whom we adore. He still struggles with FIV but it’s nothing like it was previously.

We love you Ghost. We see you Ghost. We promise to continue to care for others just like you.

Love, your mom (Kim C. Dickerson, Founder/Director)

You can view more of Ghost’s journey on Kim’s Instagram.