The story of a little kitten named ‘Battle Cat’ is a very special and hard-fought one. When Pamela Latham and her family found a beat-up and a severely injured cat roaming around in front of the house, they knew they needed to do something.
At first, Pamela didn’t even recognize it was a cat because of his injuries.
He was in such a bad shape and it can only make you wonder what actually happened to this poor kitten. With his paws bloodied and some harsh wounds on his face, this cat’s condition was anything but okay.
Immediately, the woman decided to take him in and treat him as best as she could. She disinfected his open wounds and made sure he could recover a bit with food, water and a warm place to stay.
Luckily, the feline wasn’t aggressive or hostile towards Pamela and her family at all. They decided it would be best to give the cat a few hours of rest, and they headed straight to the veterinarian the next day.
The vet’s diagnosis was heartbreaking.
It turns out that the four-footer had sustained a plethora of injuries and was in even worse shape than he looked. Pamela and the vet decided to call him ‘Battle Cat’ on the spot because he always kept on fighting for his life.
“He didn’t have a name so the vet called him “Battle Cat” & for now that’s just sorta stuck because obviously, he was in one heck of a battle,” Pamela’s daughter mentioned on their GoFundMe page.
The poor cat was absolutely covered in numerous and deep puncture wounds and infections. It was his face, in particular, that was in the worst shape. Aside from the infections, one of Battle Cat’s eardrums was completely ruptured and he could barely see because his eyes were swollen. The kitten also needed to be dewormed.
It also seemed like the four-footer had been staying on the streets for a while and has been through a lot. Half of his fur was missing, and the other half was filled with ticks and fleas.
Pamela and the vet came up with a recovery plan, and Battle Cat never stopped fighting.
With the most important first aid taken care of, this former stray cat wasn’t out of the woods just yet – but his future finally started to look a little bit brighter again.
Pamela’s daughter Mallory also created a GoFundMe page to fundraise money for Battle Cat’s medical expenses. They initially set a target of $500, but almost 100 different people raised $2,965 in just a couple of weeks.
Pamela decided to take him in, and she also renamed him ‘Lazarus’ since she didn’t really have time to come up with a proper name before, although he’s still often called by his nickname Battle Cat.
After a few days, Lazarus already looked unrecognizable.
“I had some doubts that he would make it, but I kept my fingers crossed and he pulled through with flying colors,” owner Pamela said to The Dodo. “He still has a lot of hair loss, which the vet said came from the extreme infection, but hopefully he will have a full coat again soon.”
It’s amazing how much of a difference some tender loving care can make. Lazarus’ condition started improving noticeably. He was able to refill his energy in a couple of days as he desperately needed to gain some weight. Recovery stories such as these aren’t uncommon, but a transformation this quick is certainly remarkable.
Lazarus didn’t only get a second chance at life, he also got his loving forever home in the process.
Lazarus is a part of the family now, and according to Pamela, he’s adorable both in looks and in personality. He definitely enjoys getting some attention from her and the rest of the house, and particularly enjoys going on car rides.
“He is such a sweetheart. I could not ask for a more humble, easygoing, laid-back cat,” Pamela concluded.
This ‘Battle Cat’ is living proof that there always something worth fighting for, even if the circumstances couldn’t be much worse.
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