Rescue Tails / Finding a Home for Jack 

Jack Sparrow was number 17 of 40 cats surrendered to our Marathon Campus a year ago due to a hoarding situation. Many of the cats were in rough shape because of their living conditions and most required extensive medical care to be considered healthy enough for adoption. Jack Sparrow was one of three cats with only one eye! We would quickly learn this special orange tabby cat had a long road and a lot of health issues, but we never gave up on finding his forever family.

Many of the cats were shy and Jack would take several months of dedicated patience from our volunteers and staff to learn to trust again. He was nearly feral on arrival and it would be months before we could even pet him. We knew what a hard life Jack had and weren’t ready to throw in the towel when he hissed or swatted. With love and time (and plenty of play sessions) he soon realized life wasn’t so bad in our Catio!

Then Jack was diagnosed with a mysterious ailment called Corneal Sequestrum in his only eye. The degeneration meant that Jack could quickly go blind without medical intervention. Our staff traveled to the mainland to see a Veterinary Optometrist who performed surgery. The surgery was a success and Jack was doing great, until volunteers noticed him straining in the litter box. Even with an average of 50-60 cats in our care, astute staff and volunteers must pay close attention to each cat to ensure their health and safety. It was back to our local Vet for Jack where once again we received a discouraging diagnosis. Jack had mega-colon. These two issues are lifelong and irreversible and would require extensive long term medical care. With so many wonderful cats at our Marathon Campus, who would want to adopt one with so many medical issues? Our hearts sank for Jack but we held out hope that somewhere, somehow he would find his person.

Samantha was visiting from out of town and missing her animals at home. She wanted to visit the Catio and instantly had a connection with Jack. Samantha is a very special person with a huge heart for special needs animals. She had two special needs cats, one which was used as bait in a dog fighting ring. With a special needs horse and a three legged dog Samantha was unfazed by Jacks conditions. With tears in all of our eyes and full happy hearts we watched Samantha adopt Jack, grateful to have found him his forever family.

The Florida Keys SPCA is a no time limit shelter for adoptable pets. When an animal is considered adoptable, we will do whatever it takes to help them find their families. Our Oscar’s Fund is a fund designated solely for helping pets like Jack with medical expenses. You can help animals like Jack by donating to our Oscar’s Fund. Your generous donations help provide surgeries, support emergency medical costs, heartworm treatment and more for our animals at our Key West and Marathon Campuses. For more information on donating or to learn more about adoption contact me at [email protected] or call 305-294-4857.