October 2007 - Volunteer Cindy Dever began a trap-neuter and return (TNR) project at a feral cat colony in Charlestown. The colony feeder gave Cindy a list of the known cats at the site which included a cat called "Neck". The feeder told Cindy that for two years, Neck would sneak in and get what food he could. She said he was pretty elusive and would be hard to trap.

On Cindy’s third round of trapping at the site, she successfully landed Neck. When Cindy took a look at Neck, she could not believe he had survived. He had a wound around his neck which was wide, oozing and open. He had quietly suffered with his injury for at least two years. In human terms, the injury is comparable to a third-degree burn that spans from chest to chin and encircles the entire neck area.

Given the extent of the wound and that he was a feral cat, it seemed the most humane thing to do was to euthanize him and end his suffering. He was delivered to the Vet, along with some other cats from the colony. When Cindy returned to the Vet’s office for pick-up, she was in for another surprise.

Neck had not been euthanized! The attending Vet found him to be quite friendly. Furthermore, the Vet thought that he could and deserved to be saved. She anesthetized him and carefully stitched up his neck. He initially required wet-to-dry wound dressings to kick-start the healing process.

So Neck, now known as Charles Townie, went to stay at Amy Caton’s home, where he received daily dressing changes. Since he required such extensive care, and since CRA has a dollar limit per cat, the decision was made to make a special appeal to our supporters for Charles Townie. Accordingly, an e-mail was sent to solicit special donations for Charles Townie’s long-term care.

Today, Charles Townie continues to heal. His wound still requires a variation of the daily dressing process that began back in October. In February 2008, he will have surgery to close what is left of his original wound. Once Charles Townie is completely healed, he will be looking for a home of his own where he can feel safe and be loved.