A concerned homeowner in Florida contacted Carmen Weinberg of Animal Friends Project about a sickly ginger kitten crying loudly outside her residence. The little feline appeared to be so covered in mange that his eyes were glued shut. Carmen hurried to the woman’s location and found the ginger kitten, who recognized that someone was nearby and began yelling even more loudly for assistance.
The kitten was hungry enough that although he was a stray, he did not hesitate to enter the carrier she placed down when she pushed a plate of food inside for him. He ate the food ravenously and Carmen had him in her care. She took the poor little crusty guy home to begin the arduous task of cleaning him up and helping him heal. The mange had encrusted his entire body and he could not open his eyes at all to see.
Through it all, the young ginger feline seemed to trust that the woman was helping him. Within the first week, Simba, as Carmen began calling the little cat, began a remarkable metamorphosis, as the crust seemed to melt away in large clumps. Soon he was able to open his eyes and gaze on his committed heroic foster mom for the first time. Over the initial hurdles, Carmen brought him into veterinary care for testing and vaccinations, once he was no longer medically compromised and his little body could tolerate them.
Simba continues to improve. He lost quite a bit of his hair, but his skin was mending. His appetite is good and he has recovered the strength that the parasites had sapped from him. The once sickly, mangy kitten has now blossomed into a gorgeous, full-grown cat with a beautiful face that is fully cleared. A happy, affectionate cat who is so grateful to his dedicated foster mom, handsome Simba is ready to move to the next phase of his life, where he can love on an adoptive family and never have to worry or cry again.
