After spending practically his whole life imprisoned in a pet container, Samuel the cat was saved. His rescuers thought it was too late when he was discovered. When he was brought to BARC, an animal sanctuary in Houston, Texas, Samuel had been kept in a tiny cat carrier for two years and was reduced to skeletal remnants.
The cat had a lengthy number of expensive medical issues, including mange-related bulging eyes. Samuel’s prognosis was so bad that he would be put down as soon as the shelter’s statutory waiting period was up.
On that day, Leslie Raines, a vet technician in the Houston region, was home ill and stumbled onto Samuel’s picture.
Leslie said to The Dodo:
“A picture of a scrawny cat that had tested positive for feline immunodeficiency virus was uploaded online by someone” (FIV). He looked so dejected, but he knew it wouldn’t give him a good start in attempting to leave the shelter. So I wrote in several of the rescue organizations that he would take care of him if he could obtain help.
As a result, Samuel was adopted by Save A Purrfect Cat Rescue (SAPCR), and one of Leslie’s clinic patients offered to take the ill cat out of the shelter.
Lesley stated:
He was in such horrible form that he genuinely believed he was going to pass away while he was in the automobile.
Medical care started as soon as Samuel arrived at the vet. The veterinarians could tell that he had pressure injuries from being confined to a tight place for such a long time, was critically underweight, and was covered with mange.
Leslie stayed upbeat despite her scraggly look and complexion.
Samuel’s dread of being allowed free rein in a cozy home atmosphere changed as he put on weight and his vision improved. He transitioned from hiding for days under the sofa to sitting atop his cat carrier, which Leslie described as his “comfort zone.”
Lesley stated:
“It was like he had to learn how to be a cat as he started to come out of his shell more and more. He had no playing skills. He would tumble off of furniture if you set him on it, and the floor felt like walking on burning coals.
