I am calling her Shell, for she is a shell of what she should be. A young, dilute calico who was abandoned by her owner and then attacked by a dog. Her injuries were so severe that just in opening up her carrier door, I could smell the infection. She has two wounds on her front shoulders, a wound right under the tail mast and in her haste to escape her tormentor, she somehow injured her mouth. Her tongue hangs over like a limp, soggy noodle causing her problems with eating and drinking. With her tongue obstructing her way, she has bitten it repeatedly with her canines, causing a large infection in her mouth. Opening her mouth was difficult as it was glued shut with heavy mucous.

It took two hours to remove all the mats out of her fur and in the end, there was a hospital basin full of mats and hair and she was left with little protection from the cold.

She was pregnant when she was attacked, the kittens have long died inside of her, but she isn’t strong enough to withstand the surgery needed to clean her out. She might absorb the kittens which can cause her some health issues, or if I can get her strong enough, fast enough, the vet can go in and get her cleaned out. She was covered in mud and filth when she was found and even after her shave and a bath, you can’t tell she had a bath.

She is so skinny, and so hungry she dives into her food, turning her head to the right so that she can suck up all the food but in the process, she swallows the pools of infection hanging out of her mouth.

Through it all she has carried herself with the quiet dignity of a queen. She accepts everything necessary that I must do to help her out of pain without a battle, either because she to weak to put up a battle, or somehow, she understands that she is now with someone who cares. I have her in a heated room on a new soft dog bed and am giving her baby food, pedialyte and powdered velvet deer antler to boost her immune system. The vet said she still may die as she has been through so much and her body will soon catch up to it and she may go into shock. But for now, she is my Shell and I am blessed she is here with us.