Carina, a small domestic short-hair cat, is currently in recovery at Cats Protection Northern Ireland after having surgery following a severe condition caused by the sun.
Carina was found in the Newry area by an elderly lady who contacted the centre to say that Carina was seeking shelter in her back garden.
Carina the cat
Cat found sheltering in Newry garden has ears removed after severe sun damage
Carina was found in a very poor condition by the lady and her coat was extremely filthy and ragged-looking.
Centre Manager, Andrew Doherty, said when he first saw Carina, she was in a very poor condition.
He explained: “Her coat was filthy and she looked quite emaciated.
“We believe she had a litter of kittens, but there are no signs of this or where the kittens may be.”
Andrew continued: “It was clear straight away when Carina arrived that she was in urgent need of veterinary treatment.
“She was suffering from advanced solar dermatitis, which is a really painful skin condition that affects areas with sparse or pale fur, often caused by prolonged sun exposure. Her ears had developed severe redness, crusting and scabbing, and were at risk of cancer if untreated.
Carina the cat
“Poor Carina’s case was so severe that most of her ears needed to be removed. She is still recovering and despite her new earless look, she can hear perfectly well and is a much happier and healthier cat.”
Carina has spent just over a month at the centre and her treatment and post-operative care costs have already exceeded £500.
This is before factoring in the charity’s general expenses of caring for a cat which is, on average, nearly £1,000.
Andrew added: “We receive no government funding and rely completely on the generosity of kind-hearted members of the public.
“To help cover the costs of Carina’s care, we’ve launched a JustGiving appeal.
Carina the cat
“Carina is in the shelter now — she has just been seen by the vet and has had some wound care for her ear surgery.
“She has some ongoing otitis with her ears, but we are hopeful that she will be signed off ready to be adopted within the next week.
“If you’d like to support our fundraiser or learn more about Carina’s journey, we’d be incredibly grateful for any visits to the page. If you can’t donate, simply sharing the page and spreading the word would make a huge difference.”
You can support Cats Protection and Carina by donating or sharing her story. Visit their JustGiving page here.