Rising from the Ashi
Thursday, March 1, 2018
By: Wendy Welch

The little phoenix kitty who turned her life around

In the cold days of December, while most of us were enjoying the warmth of modern furnaces and the beauty of open fires, little Ashi was braving the weather in a busy intersection in Milan. She was hard to notice, being so tiny and hunkering down, trying to keep warm. Trying to find food. Fortunately a Good Samaritan heard her whimper.

Many would be deterred by how Ashi looked. Crusty eyes. Both ears caked in dark crud. She had an open, bleeding wound on her little back paw-- with a broken toe poking through the skin. Worse, yet, one of Ashi's tiny back legs was unable to move. A very kind woman carefully lifted the tiny kitten up and brought her to us.

And Ashi immediately began to purr.

Many would think she was a lost cause. But not the Good Samaritan. Not us. And not you (which is obvious, because you're reading this story)! Our veterinarians and staff gave her the royal treatment, gingerly cleaning her ears and eyes and tending to her broken toe and leg. She gratefully gobbled up her kitten food. And enjoyed chin scratches. And because her little back leg could no longer move and was a drag on her, we carefully removed it. 

And still, Ashi kept purring.

After more than two weeks in our care, including time recuperating in a loving foster home, Ashi was ready for adoption. She was adopted in less than a week by someone who, when asked how much she thought she'd spend annually on veterinary care said, "Whatever is needed."

Thank you for always doing whatever is needed to help the animals like Ashi!