Saving Life and Limb

When nine-year-old Frosting came to PAWS, she wasn’t able to show us her true colors. The playful, social cat described by her family did not match up with the quiet, solitary girl who arrived at the shelter. At first, the staff thought her aloofness was just her way of adjusting to a new environment. It turned out to be symptomatic of the large amount of pain she was experiencing.

Frosting was diagnosed by PAWS’ veterinarians as having a severe infection from an old wound in her front left shoulder—one that penetrated all the way to the bone. The medical team knew that caring for her would be a tall order. It would take a foster parent willing to give her both painkillers and antibiotics for an indeterminate amount of time. All the while, the possibility of a limb amputation would be lingering as a potential necessity if, despite all that care, her body was not able to fight off the infection. Fortunately, PAWS’ foster parent veterans Bryan and Rachel Bishop answered the call. For five months, they cared for Frosting and coaxed out her true personality.

In June, a final round of radiographs revealed that Frosting was finally healed, and she was introduced to the colony at PAWS Cat City. There, staff and volunteers saw a cat that matched her former guardian’s description. By August, her quirky charm had caught the attention of a potential adopter, and today she’s a happy, healthy (and four-legged) kitty in her forever home.