Phoenix’s frantic cries echoed past the locked bedroom door. When the attack ended, the brown tabby lay motionless. A neighbor who overheard the scuffle intervened and took the cat and the preteen son to safety.
Their first stop was the emergency animal clinic, where Phoenix clung to life by a fine strand. In addition to a critical head injury, he suffered severe eye trauma and burns around his ears.
The neighbor called no-kill animal shelters and rescue groups begging for someone to find a new home for the injured cat. They either didn’t return her call or told her there was no room. Finally, an Animal Allies of Texas (AAT) volunteer offered to foster him until he recovered and found his forever home.
When the volunteer picked up Phoenix from the veterinarian, his 11-year-old owner was on the clinic floor, holding the cat. The boy asked if his kitty would be OK. “I’ll take good care of him,” the foster mom answered him. “Are you sure you want me to find a new home for him? If I do, you’ll never see him again.”
The boy looked at her and said, “If you take him, he won’t be hurt again.”
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