Esso

[Shy_Koi]

This is one of my sweeties, “Esso”
He’s never been inside a real house before, but appears to be right at home tonight.



I found him as a tiny kitten, wandering around the local gas station (hence the name) 5 yrs ago.
Couldn’t take him home, as I already have 2 very spoiled, jealous, fur babies living with me, so I took him to my hobby farm (don't live there), where there was already a herd of various stray/rescued cats. They are all just as spoiled as my town cats, with lots of straw bales, fuzzy blankets and heat lamps (when needed). I drive out to feed them and the horses twice a day, and they get their vaccinations, as well as spays/neutering, as required. Esso fit right in and has always been a favorite of everyone that visits, as he is just so darn friendly.

A week ago this past Saturday, someone drove a mile down our private road, and shot and killed 3 of my pet cats as they sat at the front gate. I couldn’t find Esso anywhere, and hoped that he had just run away after what happened. I finally found him at the edge of a field Tuesday morning. He’d been shot also, but was miraculously still alive.

Rushed him to the local vet, who removed the 22-calibre bullet from his back, and he came home Friday. It’s a 3-ring circus in the house right now, trying to juggle Esso from room to room, without my house cats noticing him. They are majorly teed off right now. He needs a lot of care, and can’t go back to the farm yet. He’s very lucky – no broken bones or vital organs hit – just needs to heal from his wounds and massive infection.

Here’s his injured side:



I’m beyond angry… I’m sickened and devastated at the vicious attack on these poor animals. They likely walked right up to the killer(s) looking for a treat. I’ve had some of these cats for 7 & 8 yrs. They stay close to home and there are no neighbours for them to bother. I'll really miss them.

I hesitated to post this, as there are a heck of a lot worse things happening in the world around us right now, but I guess I just needed to vent – it’s been a sad week.
Thanks for listening, if you read this far…

~Tamara