This year I’m walking for Opal. This kitten did not deserve what happened to her. In the middle of a frigid Wisconsin winter two young women saw a kitten on the side of the road and stopped to helped. Thank goodness they did. They immediately saw she had some sort of facial injury as they wrapped her snugly in a towel to try to warm her up. They noticed a terrible smell coming from her wound and knew they had to get her help and quickly.

One of the women remembered touring our shelter as a child and learning how we are always available for an animal in need. So, even though it was after normal business hours she called anyway. She got our after-hours person who told her someone would meet her at the shelter! When they arrived, we looked at this little kitten, probably only 4 months old, and our hearts fell. At first glance, it looked as if she might just be terribly sick…her eye was swollen shut and she had difficulty breathing. But looking closer, we saw the entire left side of her face was swollen. But she could walk and when we caressed her, she purred as if she knew she was finally safe. We knew we had to try to help her.

We named her Opal and took her to the emergency clinic in Middleton. The news was not good. They determined Opal had suffered significant head trauma and as a result had a fractured jaw. In the words of the vet, her face was “crushed.” She had fractures in her jaw and skull and there was hemorrhaging behind her eye. Several of her teeth were fractured and/or missing.

Given the state of her injury, it was obvious whatever happened was not recent. This poor little waif suffered greatly, probably for at least a few days. Outside. In the freezing cold. Unable to eat. In unimaginable pain.

As bad as her injury was, the vets told us it was likely fixable but the road to recovery would be a long one. How could we say no? We desperately wanted to save this kitten who was just starting her little life and did not deserve this. So we put out the pleas and because of people like YOU, Opal received the care she so badly needed.

A wire was placed around her lower jaw to hold everything in place. The first four days were critical…the vets cautioned us that they have seen injuries like this and sometimes it takes a few days for the swelling in the brain to cause permanent, severe neurological damage from which they cannot recover. We held our breath. Little Opal made it through that challenge!

When it came time for Opal to finally get adopted, her foster family couldn't bear to part with and so made her a permanent member of their family! She finally has the cushy life she deserves!

This was one of the worst injuries we have seen and it makes us burst with joy that so many of you came forward to make her recovery possible!

When you pledge for me this year, think of Opal and all the other animals like her that come into the shelter needing help. We can ONLY help them because of people like YOU!!