Woman Hears Cat with Horrific Case of Mange Crying for Affection and Knows Just What To Do
When a creature is suffering, it might be our instinct to stay as far away as possible for fear of catching something. However, one woman’s big heart wouldn’t let her walk on by when she heard a cat meowing for help.
Elaine Seamans’ heart ached when she heard a feline’s cry at Baldwin Park Animal Shelter. She turned to find Valentino, a skinny cat with sarcoptic mange, isolated in his cage. The cat was poking its paw through the bars as though reaching out to Seamans.
“He reached out with his little paw and made the tiniest meow,” Seamans told The Dodo. “It was like he was screaming without verbalizing it: ‘Please help me.'”
Valentino had been passed over many times by those looking to adopt. His mange was so severe that his eyes were swollen shut. His fur was so dirty, it seemed he would never recover.
“There are times when it’s not an option to keep walking,” Seamans said. “You just have to stop. This was one of those times.”
Although others may have balked at the idea of approaching Valentino, let alone holding him, Seamans did just that. The cat’s reaction confirmed that he seemed desperate to be held.
“When I picked him up, he put his little head on my shoulder,” Seamans said. “That was it. I had to get him out.”
Liftable, a section of The Western Journal, has reached out to Seamans for comment but has not yet received a response. We will update this article if and when we do.
Determined to give Valentino some much-needed affection and medical treatment, she phoned Toby Wisneski, founder of animal rescue organization Leave No Paws Behind.
“When I was talking to Elaine on the phone and she let me hear his little meow, I said, ‘That’s it,'” Winseski said. “I could hear him. That sealed the deal.”
Seamans took Valentino to the vet, where he received treatment for his condition. Other than his mange, Valentino was in good condition – and eventually was able to open his eyes once more.
If it’s possible for cats to express gratitude, it seems that Valentino certainly did.
“He’s so loving,” Wisneski said. “You can tell he is very grateful. He will purr for them and try to rub up against [veterinary staff]. He knows he is safe.”
“He couldn’t move and he couldn’t see. But God love him, he’s a fighter,” Wisneski said.
A year after Valentino’s rescue, Seamans took to Facebook to announce that the cat had been adopted. Tania Menjivar fell in love with Valentino after reading about his story on social media.
Menjivar reported that Valentino is doing so well, he’s nearly unrecognizable today.
“He’s spoiled rotten, and a little chubby,” Menjivar told The Dodo in a follow-up article. “He wakes me up at 6 in the morning for food — we snuggle for about a half hour and then I feed him … He loves it.”
Thanks to one woman’s willingness to take a chance on a cat when no one else would, it seems that Valentino got his happy ending.
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