I wish I could say it happens this was the norm, but that would just be wishful thinking and unrealistic expectations. I’m referring to when animal rescuers join together to save those suffering and in need. But although rescuers would save each and every desperate animal if they could, sadly that’s not the case. Some animals are too far gone to pull back from the brink of death. Most rescuers get dozens of requests to help each day and there just aren’t enough hours to save them all. Shelters and foster homes are overflowing with the unwanted and homeless. And the number of needy animals far outweighs the number of humans willing to lend a hand.

Photo property of Cat Man Chris – local colony where a new cat family was just spotted….sigh.

But worst of all, is when rescuers receive requests to help an animal that lives NO WHERE near them.

It just happened to our Cole and Marmalade family. It had to do with a cat that was not long for this world should help not be found. We are in Tampa, Florida. The cat was in New York. Which left us heartbroken and frustrated that we couldn’t physically go help.

This rescue tale begins with a message on Instagram from a concerned animal lover. The woman sent a devastating photo to the Cole & Marmalade page. The image was of a young tabby kitten with a MAJOR injury to it’s front left leg. She was asking for advice and if we knew of anyone in the area that could help.

(SIDE NOTE here; PLEASE do not expect us or other “influencers” to be able to help all animals. As much as we absolutely do want to! Call your local shelter and ask if they know of organizations that trap. Check on social media for GROUPS WITHIN YOUR AREA. Don’t waste precious time waiting for online replies from people who manage large pages.)

So Chris posted a plea on our Instagram story on Saturday, October 5th asking for anyone in the area who could help. The first thing this poor feline needed was someone to trap it.

While we wish we had a network of shelters and rescue organizations we supported, we do not. But Cat Man Chris Poole tagged Paul The Cat Guy, located in NY. For him living in the same state at least, he may have known more direct groups that could help the cat. Although he had great advice, he also couldn’t help directly.

And as luck would have it, rescuers in NY saw the social media post and contacted us right away. 

It was Faith Levit, an amazing women who traps with the Little Wanderers NYC who reached out by 6:00 PM that night. Their team was on the streets by 8 o’clock trying to trap the feline. But the night was dark and cold, making trapping even more difficult. Experienced trapper Tamara @pwbrockaway was able to spot the kitten, but the stray with feral tendencies bolted away. At a few months of age, it was likely this kitten had been on the streets it’s whole life.

[The let injury] definitely did NOT happen overnight! This poor kitten has been like this for sometime.

Tamara refused to give up on catching the scared kitten, even if it meant going back a dawn to try again. But fortunately, she was successful and Cat Man Chris updated everyone who’d been enthralled by the story. The downside was that the female cat was VERY sickly. And her leg wound was like nothing anyone had ever seen.

Veterinarians are certain she will not withstand an immediate leg amputation. She’s wasting away and malnourished, the infection is severe and the skin is ulcerate. It’s one of the worst injuries they’ve ever seen in 20 years 🙁

Once Angie (named after her vet tech) is better, leg amputation will be discussed. They didn’t go straight to euthanasia, age is on her side and she could make a strong recovery!?

With the support of dedicated followers and rescuers all over the globe, fundraising began for little Angie. 

On our Cole and Marmalade Facebook page, our fundraiser garnered (now) more than $2,700.00 for her medical expenses! (You are all PAWSOME!!!) That, however, wasn’t going to likely cover all the bills that little Angie will be racking up during her recovery.

She is getting everything she needs to make a full recovery so that she is healthy enough to withstand surgical amputation. This poor kitten has been struggling for so long-she is 1/2 dead. But, with all your crucial financial support, she has a true fighting chance AND she’s responding. Thank you Dr. Thomas and the good staff at Astoria Animal Emergency Hospital! Your team is helping to save this poor innocent kitten from a hard, cruel death. Thank you to everyone who cares about life and demonstrates it. Our work would NOT be possible if we didn’t have your love and support!

But by the next night, Angie’s pain hadn’t subsided to a manageable level.

So they had to make the scary decision to move forward with her amputation surgery.

Whether her frail body was ready for it or not, she would certainly die without it.

Angie is having a blood transfusion early in the morning to increase her anemia levels. X-rays revealed several fractures. Her whole leg is inflamed and swollen and there is concern about bone marrow contamination from infection. Her trauma is severe and she is suffering. The pain and stress she is experiencing is because of this horribly infected and broken leg.

So provided the blood transfusion goes well, she will go into surgery after lunch. Please keep this poor kitten in your prayers. She’s suffered unimaginably. She weighs only 2.1 pounds-and she should be 6 or more at four months old. Thank goodness she was rescued.

When the next update was posted on the Little Wanderers NYC Facebook page last night, the world let out a sigh of relief. 

Here is the Angie update you’ve all been waiting for. The very excellent female surgeon, Dr. Bukhanoba and her team spent hours working on little Angie. It was a successful surgery.

She’s back in the ICU, heavily medicated to minimize pain and IV fluids are keeping her properly hydrated. A heat source is available for her if she’d like to lay on it. She’s been though more than anyone can imagine.

During the day, the rescue organization also received some great news from the West Coast. 

We want to thank the Orphan Kitten Club for helping us to defray Angie’s ICU and surgical bill. We also want to thank our loyal donors and followers who graciously help us make miracles happen every single day. Angie will be in the hospital for the next few days and then she will be going into foster care. We promise to bring you regular updates. This could have gone another way had we not had your critical support.

If you don’t know who the Orphan Kitten Club is, you may recognize some of their humans from elsewhere.

Hannah Shaw, is more commonly known as Kitten Lady and her fiancee, Andrew Marttila goes by The Cat Photographer. They are professional kitten rescuers and humane educators known for their advocacy work.

So now, with the combined help of animal rescuers, lovers, supporters and just plain amazing individuals all around, Angie has a chance at life.

And that’s the best thing we could have all given her from afar. Those of you close to her, please give her lots of love from the rest of us.

Please be sure to follow all the social media pages listed here. I mean, that is if you love to see heartwarming, uplifting, educational and inspirations felines and the humans that love them!