I sometimes ponder what might occur if there were no compassionate individuals like those in today’s article. How many chances for better lives will be lost for stray cats?
Thankfully, more good individuals exist than you probably realize. The tale of the day concerns a stray cat that was seen roaming the streets of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
When Marvin the cat appeared in their area, it devastated the whole neighborhood.
Despite his apparent terrible malnourishment, the community was unaware of the extent of his illness.
As fate would have it, Emilie Rackovan’s home was located a short distance down the street. A well-known foster volunteer, Emilie goes by what she calls herself:
A young woman attempting to rescue several creatures.
Here’s why, in my opinion, she truly deserves the title of foster hero. Emilie quickly hurried Marvin to the emergency veterinarian after her neighbors successfully trapped him in a container.
She was heartbroken by his state. Marvin was so little—just four pounds. But the veterinarian quickly apprised her of his condition, as she detailed in her post on
He suffered from a severe upper respiratory infection, hypothermia, and anemia. His tests revealed that he had feline leukemia, which confirmed our worst concerns.
Despite having never taken care of a cat this sick, Emilie made the decision to bring him home. Marvin’s condition was made worse by the discovery that he also carried feline herpes virus in addition to his diagnosis of feline leukemia.
But in just six days with Emilie, he gained a pound and some of his vigor returned. His foster mother was committed to giving him the greatest treatment she could—warmth, love, and as many sweets as he wanted.
Marvin was able to walk about and gain some weight after spending over two weeks in his foster home. He was a feral cat, though, so when he discovered he was living with a human, it infuriated him. According to Emilie’s update:
“He came to the realization that he was now a prisoner in someone’s house and resolved to harbor a fierce animosity toward me.”
Now that he was strong enough, Spicy Marvin expressed his dislike of being an indoor cat. Emilie was considerate of his personal space, and even though she succeeded in scratching his head a couple of times, Marvin would typically hiss at her.
Unfortunately, Marvin’s only option was to find him a permanent home because he was feral and had feline leukemia.