If cats have 9 lives, then I must have used up at least 7 of them by now. My name is Smokey, for my charcoal-black, Maine coon-like coat. Brush my fur, and you’ll see my silky undercoat of white. It’s one of the special things about me. But, my most incredible thing is the amazing recovery I made after being hit by a car.  This ordeal was a few years back, when I was 12 years old.  If you have a minute, let me tell you my story. 

It was the scariest time of my life.  I woke up on the side of a rotary, in extreme pain and unable to move my back legs.   Fortunately, someone in the neighborhood found me and called the local animal control officer, who contacted PAWS.

One of the PAWS volunteers came and immediately took me to the PAWS vet, VCA Wakefield Animal Hospital.  An x-ray revealed that I had fractured my pelvis in three places, and I also had two tail fractures.  I overheard the vet say that, with these damages, I might not be able to eliminate waste on my own, or even survive the surgery. 

Next thing I know, the PAWS volunteer whisked me off to Mass Veterinary Referral Hospital (MVRH) for more tests. 
Good thing I got some pain killers first! 

Lucky for me, the neurologist at MVRH found me to be neurologically sound.  However, the orthopedic surgeons said that surgery was too risky.  But, since they said I had a chance to recover with full use of my digestive system and my back legs, my PAWS angel decided to take me home to give me time to heal on my own. 

Fortunately, my foster mom did a lot more than feed me and give me time to heal. 
She made sure I got my trifecta of painkillers several times a day.
She bought me a Tem-purrrr-pedic pillow to lie on.
She adjusted a litter box to have a very low side so I could get in on my own (although, I must admit, I did need help getting out).
She slowly worked through the knots in my extremely matted fur coat.
She turned me from one side to the other, several times a day, in order to make sure to avoid pressure sore.
And so much more! 

Now, I cannot lie, the turning from one side to the other was excruciating, even with the meds.  But, I’m so thankful that my foster mom was dedicated to patiently nursing me back to health.  It took months, and more than a few of my 9 lives, but I recovered my mobility and could finally play with my toys and enjoy sitting in my foster mom's lap.  I was so thankful for my foster mom that I would follow her around the house meowing and meowing just to make sure she knows how much I appreciated her.  

 Would you believe that, throughout the entire, painful recovery, I managed to keep my sweet and gentle personality?   Good for me, since now, I’ve been adopted and have a wonderful family to cuddle with through my senior years.
But I’ll never forget the PAWS foster angel who made it all possible.

A note from Smokey/Mezcal’s forever family:  
Her endearing personality and playful spirit won us over and we just had to adopt her. 
Mezcal is as playful and as curious as ever despite turning 15 years old.
“She loves playing with her toys, sitting on our laps, exploring her cat house, and eating her treats!”