Sometimes it feels like cats find their way to SAFE Haven by aligning the Kharma of the universe to bring them the best life possible. This wise, spunky young kitty was no different.

Canobie before

One of SAFE Care’s regular feral TNVR (Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return) caretakers contacted us with an urgent request. She found one of her friendly teenage colony cats with a severe injury. His head was swollen, and he had a crooked jaw!

Once he was brought to the clinic, our team discovered he had a broken jaw and had likely been hit by a car. This brave kitty was put on pain medication and antibiotics. As he was a feral cat, his caretakers couldn’t pay for his care. We knew we had to step in and help.

After more examination, we realized his jaw was not only broken but also misaligned. He could not even fully close his mouth! Even with the pain of his intake exam, he purred the entire time we examined him. He was shy and nervous, but he seemed to know we were going to help him. We named him Canobie.

Canobie now, all healed

We sent Canobie to have his jaw realigned and repaired at one of our surgical veterinary partners. The surgery was a success, but he had to have his jaw wired until the fracture healed. It took six weeks for the injury to recover fully.

During his recovery, he slowly became more comfortable and confident. By the time we had his wire had removed, he was like a different cat! He plays and solicits attention from anyone walking by his cage.

Canobie had a long road to recovery, but he is wholly mended and ready for his forever home. Meet to this handsome gentleman!

If you’d like to start the adoption process for Canobie, please fill out this online form.

Cats that come to SAFE Haven are cared and loved for regardless of their needs. Extra medical care means extra love from our staff.

During Croissant’s intake exam, we discovered she has feline leukemia. Feline leukemia is a contagious viral disease that is present in saliva and other body fluids. “friendly” contact between cats typically spread it. This often means shared food or water dishes, grooming and shared litter boxes. While there is no treatment for feline leukemia, but with proper preventative care, cats can live for years.

Some cats that test initially positive for feline leukemia will revert to being negative in a few weeks. Unfortunately, Croissant’s definitive feline leukemia test came back positive. This test meant that she is positive for feline leukemia.

At SAFE Haven, we believe feline leukemia positive cats are “pawsitively” adoptable! Because the virus is contagious, we will only adopt her into an only cat home. She could not be around any other cats even if they are vaccinated for leukemia.

Thankfully, her perfect person came along quickly and she was adopted in September. Our beautiful girl, Croissant who loves to snuggle found her forever home with a caring family.

To save the most lives, we rely on foster families to open their homes to cats in need. We received a plea from one of our partnering county shelters to take a gorgeous mom and her newborn kittens. Thankfully a foster family was willing to take on the extra work and love on this cat family.

On her initial exam, mom was healthy but terrified. She and her babies had been through a very difficult 24-hours, but they were finally safe. Mom was a beautiful, but skinny, dilute tortoiseshell. We named her Moonstone. Her kittens were feisty for newborns. We decided they needed feisty names. So, we called them Ant-Man, Mantis, Moon Knight, and Phoenix.

Here at SAFE Haven, we can help our cats and kittens thrive and grow. Luckily, thanks to an awesome mom and foster family to support them, these kitties only need a little help, and after eight weeks in foster, they came to SAFE Haven to find their forever homes.

Open your home and have a profound impact on saving the lives of cats in the Triangle. Start your journey to your foster care future by completing our volunteer forms.

By Dr. Jennifer Bledsoe-Nix