Babado - a Tribute

Some cats have an unbelievable will to live. Three years ago, a beautiful long-haired black and white boy was brought to our shelter by a young man whose landlord had insisted he give up the cat. Babado suffered from some type of neurological problem that affected his balance and prevented him from using a litter box.

We provided cage rest and witnessed the cat's gradual improvement until he was frolicking throughout the shelter with little evidence of his disability. He made quite a nuisance of himself, pushing his way into opened cage doors and chasing after certain female felines who didn't appreciate his attention.

A few months ago, Babado suffered a major relapse. Found lying on the floor, unable to move and severely constipated, our boy was rushed to the vet who thought he wouldn't make it through the night. The next day, however, he showed slight signs of improvement and as the days wore on, he regained more and more movement.

Within a few weeks, our boy had recovered to the point where he could again stroll around the buildings and outside courtyards. He remained somewhat off-kilter, but even regained the ability to go up and down stairs without help. He took pleasure in the extra plates of special food he was given and seemed to enjoy smelling the flowers in our gardens.

Sadly, his neurological problems recently resurfaced. He lost bowel muscle control and became chronically constipated. We were forced to say goodbye to one of our most treasured boys.

Babado was a cat who never gave up and we're glad that we didn't give up on him.  He was truly an inspiration and another example of why people shouldn't rush to euthanize injured and ill animals. You just never know what they're capable of.