Cat needs a special home

Just before Christmas, a cat was brought into the Goshen Humane Society Shelter. We were told he was a feral cat and found at a local landfill. He certainly looked the part. He was filthy, had half a tail, and had been bitten on the back, the biter taking a good bit of fur with him. He was a little agitated and covered with fleas. He was examined, fed, and evaluated, according to our routine. Well, in no time it was evident he was the sweetest of cats, longing for love and attention. He was starving and so grateful to be inside where it was warm and dry. He was anxious to make friends with all of the shelter volunteers. True to his name, he was white under all that grime. He is about six years old. But on Christmas morning, when volunteers arrived to do the usual chores at the shelter, Whitey was not himself. He did not greet us with his usual charm, and the litter in his litter box was floating, literally. His condition weighed heavily on us. We made a call to the Orange County Emergency Animal Hospital in Middletown, and they urged us to bring him in immediately. We made a beeline to Middletown. Good thing. It was discovered Whitey was severely diabetic and close to a coma and subsequent death. The veterinarian and staff took great care of him and managed to get him through the crisis. He is our own Christmas miracle! Whitey (now named Whitey Ford, a much more dignified name don't you think?), like human diabetic patients, will require monitoring and insulin daily. He desperately needs a home and people willing to meet his special needs and give him the love he so richly deserves. We are reaching out to the community in the hope someone will take on this wonderful, special cat. — By Sharon Barbera Goshen Humane Society