5 days ago
Shelter cat was giving birth when something tragic was found. ‘A lot of tears'
Animal shelter workers in Ohio are in mourning after a tough situation presented itself with a sweet cat who was brought into their care.
When Tiger Lily first arrived at the Ohio Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and Humane Society in Lima, she was in distress.
'A few days ago we had Tiger Lily brought to us. She was very emaciated, pale, dehydrated, and just sickly,' the shelter said in a May 27 Facebook post.
'Tiger Lily had a very noticeable ear tip which typically indicates she was spayed. Which made for bigger worries to why her abdomen was so large and pregnant like. The doctor was initially concerned about FIP. An ultrasound was performed and determined she was indeed pregnant.'
And not only was she pregnant, but she was on the verge of labor.
'The doctor suspected she had several kittens in there. We took her back to the shelter to monitor her since she was due anytime,' the shelter continued. 'She started labor 24 hours later. Tiger Lily had two kittens without issue. But then nothing happened. We consulted the doctor and she was given several doses of oxytocin and still nothing.'
The staff had to dig a little deeper and discovered not only complications, but something more tragic.
'So our medical staff took her back into the clinic for another consult and X-rays / ultrasound. It was determined she still had 4 kittens and THREE bullets in her spine area (suspected old injury). The doctor was baffled and worried her overall condition would make the odds of her surviving a c-section very small,' the shelter said.
Their decision in the end was to euthanize Tiger Lily.
'We couldn't see putting her through that and still not make it. We discussed with the doctor and elected humane euthanasia,' the shelter said. 'The kittens were put in foster care. Tiger Lily is one of so many cases the last few days. It has been exhausting, financially stressing, and a lot of tears.'
The shelter posted a video of the sweet Tiger Lily receiving pets and giving loving nuzzles before she died.
'We wanted share a small glance into what we deal with on a daily basis. We wish the outcome for Tiger Lily was different, but she is no longer suffering,' the shelter said.
Lima is about 90-miles northwest from Columbus.
