Django at the Foster House
We are sorry to let everyone know that Django, one of the most beloved cats in our foster house, has passed on after a long illness. Little Django came from the free-roaming cat colony we had helped to stabilize and continue to help maintain. He had been born there with only 3 legs, but his determination and courage left an enduring impression on everyone who met him.
While living on his own, he would come to eat at the food the colony caregivers provided. A house in the neighborhood had been partly destroyed by a fire and had not been rebuilt; Django had made it his home, sleeping there on a mattress left on the floor.
He was very smart and looked both ways when crossing the street, but with three legs, we felt he needed to live inside. After trapping and neutering and a veterinary checkup with shots, we moved him to the foster house where he became everyone’s favorite. Although he was born wild, he responded to kindness and learned to trust the volunteers and interact with them. He was a joy, a great spirit, and everyone loved him.
Django Up In a Cat Tree
We named him after the great jazz musician Django Reinhart, a gypsy guitar player whose playing hand was badly burned when he was a child. In spite of his handicap, he was a brilliant musician. In spite of little Django the cat’s handicap, he climbed all the cat trees, and he had a great personality and a wonderful way of capturing hearts. The name fit him, and he soon became one of the leaders in the foster house. His role was Django in charge.
In spite of his handicap and his older age, Django was very active. He even climbed the cat trees like all the other cats. One day he fell and injured his back severely. A disk had ruptured, and the material was pressing on his spinal cord, leaving him unable to use his back legs. We found a specialist in animal spinal injuries who repaired his back. He required 3 months of recovery in a large cage with several therapy sessions per day, and we took him into our home and oversaw his recovery. He came back from this injury with the same courage and determination he had always shown, and once again he was Django in charge.
Django recuperating from surgery with a visit from his friend Jeana
But after many weeks back at the foster house, he began losing weight. A battery of tests discovered he had cancer. One of our talented volunteers took him to his home to nurse and care for him under veterinary supervision. Our volunteer is a wonderful kitty nurse. He administered chemotherapy, tube-fed him to insure he had enough to eat, and gave little Django plenty of loving care and cuddles.
During his follow-up at the vets, the doctor discovered that his little body had developed an infection that required treatment. Unfortunately, treating the infection required we stop the treatment for cancer. There was no way our little friend could survive. It was a sad situation with only one compassionate answer. The vet was very firm that we had to say goodbye for Django’s sake.
We got him the best medical care and gave him the best nursing care with love and kindness. It was so very hard to say goodbye, but we will never forget the little three-legged cat whose life journey took him from the hard life on the streets into the hearts of everyone who met him.
