Another Happy Tail - Socks

Abandoned kittens are a sad part of life these days. Street life for these kittens is hard with no regular meals, illnesses, and early death. Every now and then one of these little guys will be rescued by a caring person and that’s what Socks’ story is about.

In 2008 Shavonna Rhoden rescued a tiny Maine Coon kitten in her neighborhood from a “rough start”, as Shavonna refers to Socks’ very early life. Perhaps, for both of them, that was what was supposed to happen. Life had been a challenge for Shavonna for a number of years but she was working hard to overcome what was behind her. When Socks came into her life she knew he would help her accomplish this. And when the struggle seemed to get too heavy Shavonna thought about Socks, “that someone needed to take care of Socks”.

Late in 2017, Socks began coughing and was taken to the vet. Various medications were tried but with little improvement. The veterinarian recommended having an x-ray taken of Socks’ chest. However, the cost was $150.00, which was more than Shavonna could afford after paying for the office call. But, as the months rolled by Socks started getting worse, with coughing attacks lasting 10-15 minutes. Shavonna even tried holding Socks and gently rubbing his chest, trying to help stop the coughing attack.

In May, Socks was again seen by the veterinarian, who suggested Shavonna contact RESCUED for financial assistance towards the cost of a chest x-ray. She did just that and Erin at RESCUED offered to cover the $150.00 for the x-ray. However, Shavonna was worried that the results would show a tumor or cancer.

But when the x-ray was read, it showed that Socks has asthma, which is a relatively easy condition to treat. Twice a day Socks receives 1/2 of a pill. He will need to stay on this medication for the rest of his days, but Shavonna doesn’t mind doing this for him. After all, as Shavonna said, “By saving Socks’ life he has saved mine so many times.”

P.S. Shavonna was so appreciative of the help she received from RESCUED that she brought a homemade strawberry cake to RESCUED!