Joe of Royal Palm Beach, Florida spotted an unfamiliar sight when he stepped out on the front of his property one morning.
It was a poor stray cat in a horrid condition who was voraciously eating out of his own cat’s bowl.
“He said Cotton came out of nowhere and started eating from the bowl of food he had for his cat. He said Cotton seemed very hungry, like if he had not eaten in days,” Carmen Weinberg, founder of Animal Friends Project, told Love Meow.
The cat, who was eventually named Cotton, was suffering from a horrendous case of mange.
It was so bad that the cat’s eyes were crusted shut rendering him unable to see.
“He had been walking outdoors completely blind,” Weinberg told The Huffington Post.
Joe knew that the cat was in need of some serious medical care so ran inside to get a cat carrier. He placed some food inside to lure the cat in.
Poor Cotton was so hungry he jumped right in.
Joe put out a plea on Facebook asking for help. Eventually, Weinberg saw the post through a friend and decided to come to Cotton’s aid.
“Early the next morning, I drove to pick him up. I took him immediately to my vet, Justin Bartlett Animal Hospital, and they confirmed that he was suffering from mange, was very dehydrated and malnourished,” Weinberg said. “He purred the whole time they were examining him! He received antibiotics, a dose of Revolution and fluids and we went home. Fortunately, I had a spare bathroom where he could stay.”
Cotton was malnourished and skinny but didn’t affect Cotton’s sweet demeanor.
He somehow knew that Weinberg wanted to help him and he seemed thankful for it.
“My husband Don, son Carlos and daughter Elisa, are used to dealing with cats with many illnesses and we knew that if we took some precautions, that we could still touch and love Cotton to help him heal,” Weinberg explained.
It took a lot of TLC to get Cotton where he needed to be.
“We put Coconut oil to soothe his skin and gave him lots of water and canned food to keep him hydrated,” Weinberg said. “Cotton stayed hunched over for days and days and seemed very uncomfortable. It was hard seeing him in that condition, knowing only time would heal him.”
Within a few days, Cotton started to heal. The crust started to come off of his ears and eyes.
Once he was able to open his eyes, it revealed a dazzling sight.
“Little by little he started to gain weight. It was a nice surprise to see that he had one blue eye and one yellow eye. His hair started to grow again.”
Now Cotton is almost completely healed and is as handsome as can be.
And he absolutely craves attention.
“Cotton is very vocal and he would make noise to let us know that he wanted attention. He loves people and searches for attention. He wants to be where you are,” said Weinberg.
Weinberg initially thought that she would put Cotton up for adoption once he was all healed up, but she’s having second thoughts.
“He is very attached to me and follows me around all day. If I go to my bedroom and close the door, he cries and cries until I come back and he can see me. Same going to the bathroom,” Carmen said. “Not sure if I will be able to let him go. Some days I feel like I can do it and some I feel like he belongs here.”
Either way, we are happy to hear that Cotton will get his happy ending.
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