Penelope arrived as a broken, homeless, little kitten of just 8 weeks of age brought to us by the City of Berkeley Animal Control. Not only was her pelvis fractured, her right leg was very badly broken. Our only guess is she was struck by a car. Even in her terrible condition she was sweet and loving. She immediately won the heart of the entire staff here at Campus Veterinary Clinic not only due to her sweetness, but her incredible desire to live. Penelope needed surgery on her broken leg and had no loving owner. This surgery was far beyond the abilities of the City of Berkeley to pay for. We decided to help her and the wonderful people of the Berkeley Shelter left her in our care.
The date of Penelope’s accident will never be known and it was clear that when she was brought to us it was not a recent occurrence. Not only was her leg broken, but it had begun to die. The injuries were life threatening. The infection had progressed well beyond the point where antibiotics could cure. It was decided that the only choice was to remove the gangrenous leg. It was a decision made easier by Penelope’s obvious desire to be rid of her right rear leg. Like a fox caught in a leg hold trap she started trying to remove it herself. We quickly prepared for surgery. On December 24th, 2003 Penelope’s right rear leg was amputated. Her life as a tripod began.
While the loss of leg may seem tragic, please remember that Penelope still has three good ones. She seems unaware of the loss that many find so disturbing. In fact the hardest part of her ordeal was the 6 weeks of cage rest she had to undergo after her surgery due to her broken pelvis. She wanted to romp as any normal kitten would, but she needed to heal first.
Penelope now lives with Dr Yen with 2 other cats and 3 dogs that she can torture.