When Cats of San Bernadino found a feral kitten they named Bastet, she was in a terrible condition.
Both physically and emotionally.
Yet, with some love and care, they were able to turn that around completely.
https://www.facebook.com/catsofsanbernardino/photos/2426436007656540
Jaina of Cats of San Bernadino got a call from a woman saying that she found a kitten in a septic tank hole and needed help rescuing the feline.
“When we first saw her, it was a terrible sight,” Jaina told The Dodo.
She was sitting in a tiny pool of water inside the septic tank hole and was hard to reach.
https://www.facebook.com/catsofsanbernardino/photos/2444850535815087
“Every time I reached my arm, the dirt kept falling down further and further and I couldn’t reach her,” Jaina said.
So, she figured she would lure the kitten out with some food. The cat immediately licked her lips and Jaina knew that she was hungry and this method might work. Sure enough, Bastet inched closer and Jaina was able to grab her.
https://www.facebook.com/catsofsanbernardino/photos/2444850539148420
“You could hear her growling and hissing, she was trying to bite me through the net,” Jaina recalls. “It was even hard getting her into the carrier cause she was trying to claw her way back out.”
Bast was very angry… and very mean.
“I think we were the first human beings to ever touch her. She was super feral,” Jaina said.
https://www.facebook.com/catsofsanbernardino/posts/2429695233997284
But part of the reason she was so ill-tempered was that she was in pain. When they took her out of the carrier, they realized why.
Her legs just fell completely straight down and looked like they were broken in the opposite direction.
Bastet couldn’t work and could only drag her hind legs behind her.
https://www.facebook.com/catsofsanbernardino/posts/2439425023024305
“We were heartbroken because we know what that means. We knew it was going to be a struggle. We gave her the pain meds and that calmed her down a lot because it took the pain away,” Jaina said.
https://www.facebook.com/catsofsanbernardino/posts/2459934644306676
Trust began to build once those at Cats of San Bernadino were able to get Bastet into the water and give her that calm soothing feeling of being cared for.
They assumed that they would just have to take care of Bastet since the vet said she would most likely never be able to walk.
“We didn’t really want her dragging herself very much. So, I carried her for weeks. We knew that she was needing some to get used to human contact,” Jaina explained.
https://www.facebook.com/catsofsanbernardino/posts/2490082907958516
“So we kind of just made her get used to it. And she slowly got less and less angry.”
But they decided they would let Bastet decide if she wanted to walk again or not.
So, they started doing stretching exercises with her and grabbing her by her hind paws and pushing them up toward her. And one day they saw her knee bend.
https://www.facebook.com/catsofsanbernardino/posts/2612699089030230
So they made a walking harness for the cat that Jaine held and Bastet would just be able to touch the ground with her feet.
Eventually, Bastet started standing on her own. Then walking. And now she can even jump. But that’s not the only thing that’s changed about Bastet.
“I think the emotional transformation has been even crazier than the physical one. Cause she was so angry and she’s so loving. She loves us so much and she loves contact. Just seeing that she’s recovered and she’s going to live a normal life is amazing,” Jaina said.
Watch Bastet’s transformation in the video below.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=512798070077521
