Hawaiian Humane Society
Newsletter People for animals. Animals for people.
March – May 2018
Surgery for Snow means he can land on four legs A young gray and white striped tabby named Snow was brought to the Hawaiian Humane Society by his owners who were leaving the island and unable to take him along. The Society’s veterinary staff noticed that the six-month-old kitten could not bear weight on his right hind leg. Lacking the proper equipment to capture an X-ray image, Hawaiian Humane reached out to Windward Community College veterinary technicians for help. The X-rays showed that Snow had a fracture on his rear thigh bone.
Because quality of life can decrease substantially for a cat that cannot use all four limbs, the Society decided to perform a procedure that would remove the fractured piece of Snow’s hip joint. This way, he could enjoy the best quality of life without pain from his broken hip and have the flexibility in his leg as if it had not been injured. Just two days after being X-rayed, Snow underwent a successful surgery at the Society’s veterinary clinic. Then, it was off to foster care and Snow, now physical therapy named Waffles, enjoys the easy for the young life with his new feline. After six family, the Sholars. weeks, Snow was back on his feet with just a mild limp. On January 3, Snow was ready for a new home. Within a few hours of being made available for adoption, he was welcomed into the Sholar family and renamed Waffles. “Waffles was curious and came
up to us when we visited him at the Hawaiian Humane Society. He seemed to generally like people – a definite plus,” said Cristin Sholar. “We were originally looking for an older cat, but his sweet disposition won us over.” The lucky cat with a new leg on life has fit right in with the Sholar family and especially loves his new human baby brother. “Waffles has been excellent. He’s surprisingly well-socialized for a young cat, even understanding verbal cues to back up or leave something alone,” said Sholar. “The first day or two he had a slight limp, but not since then. We have hardwood floors so his hind leg often slips out from under him when he’s cornering hard, but it doesn’t faze him. He’s a very confident cat.”