Let’s just state the obvious…we don’t get a lot of male volunteers at Bear Den Sanctuary.  But every now and then we do, and let me just tell you these guys are the cream of the crop.  I’d like to tell you about a volunteer named Luke.  Luke is a manly man.  He’s active military duty.  He loves cars and trucks and he doesn’t talk a lot.  And he loves cats.

Luke texted me about a cat who showed up on his porch clearly injured and limping.  He said he’s never seen this cat before; “I’d like to try and help him out.  Maybe he showed up for a reason It feels okay to me to try to get him fixed up.” Luke took it upon himself to drive the cat, whom he lovingly named Medina, to the emergency vet on a Sunday evening.

Medina was in bad shape.  X-rays revealed injuries necessitating amputation of both the left rear leg and his tail. The vet said lab work would be needed prior to surgery and post-surgical recovery would be challenging and require a significant amount of time.  So far, the estimated cost was coming in at $5,000.  Luke still wanted to help and do the right thing by Medina.  He called me asking for my opinion.

Luke believed Medina showed up on his doorstep seeking help. $5,000 is a lot of money but if he could save a life, the value was there for Luke.  I asked if he would allow me to call the vet to ask her some questions and Luke agreed.

The vet at the emergency clinic was very kind and knowledgeable.  She commended Luke for being such a good citizen and bringing in an injured stray cat for help…not many people do this, she said. The doctor explained that Medina is a poor candidate for surgery.  He is very underweight, has extensive open wounds and may very likely have additional underlying health issues that could complicate both the surgery and the healing process.  She said the cat is in obvious pain and she was not confident the cat would have a quality life post-surgery.  Her best recommendation was to release Medina for humane euthanasia. 

When I called Luke back with this information, he cried.  In a very short period of time, Luke had come to care for a little homeless cat who came to him for help.  Luke was willing to take whatever steps necessary to help Medina.  Yet it turned out that the kindest, most merciful gift Luke could give Medina was freedom from pain and suffering.  Luke was with Medina as he passed and his ashes will be brought to the Sanctuary.