A cat who beat a rare skin condition now runs the animal clinic she lives in, supervising the staff from the heating pad and delivering a firm love tap to anyone slow with her dinner.
Columbia
Columbia, a six-year-old tabby, lives at the on-site clinic of Abandoned Pet Rescue, a no-kill shelter in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and by all accounts she runs the place. She has appointed herself supervisor of the entire staff, keeping a close eye on everyone to make sure they stay on task.
Her favorite post is the heating pad the clinic uses to warm fluids, and from there she oversees operations with the confidence of someone who signs the checks. She is sweet, but she is nobody's pushover. "She has a sassier side to her, but it definitely adds to her charm," Lun, a staff member, shared with LoveMeow.
Columbia also has standards, particularly at mealtime. "She has a refined palate and needs to make sure that her food is just to her liking," Lun said. If a meal runs late or if she wants a little extra attention, she lets a passing staffer know with a well-aimed tap of the paw.
When she is off the clock, she plays hard. Columbia loves a toy mouse with a long tail, grabbing it proudly and slinging it through the air, and she is just as happy tumbling around with the other cats.
She was not always this sure of herself, though. For all her swagger now, Columbia started as the shy one.
Columbia was the timid kitten of her litter, the one who hid under the cat bed while her siblings tumbled and played. Her nerves worked against her from the start, and she was anxious enough that she scratched at her own skin.
Her early months set the tone for a long medical road. One of the first hurdles was surgery to correct a pair of eyelids that had folded inward, a painful condition that turns a cat's own lashes against her eyes.
Then came the skin. For months, Columbia battled lesions that would not clear no matter what the team tried. A skin biopsy finally gave them an answer: a rare condition called Ehlers-Danlos syndrome that leaves her skin loose, stretchy, and fragile.
Even on the right treatment, she could not stop scratching and injuring herself. When nothing else worked, her veterinary team made the decision to remove her rear claws, which allowed her to heal.
The turnaround was dramatic. Since then, Columbia has had no skin lesions at all. She is off every medication, and she is, in the clinic's words, as happy as can be.
The stretchy skin that once caused her so much trouble now mostly gives her a permanently unimpressed, judgmental little face, which suits her personality perfectly.
These days she is a thriving cat who, as the rescue likes to put it, will taunt you to bring it on, with the snuggles, that is. Catnip and a few gentle pets get her purring loud and long.
Around the clinic, she is something of a celebrity. Columbia is the model for much of the rescue's clinic marketing, and she has been crowned Miss Feline, sash, tiara, and all. The title could not have gone to a more fitting resident. She wears it the way she wears everything else, as though the clinic, the crown, and the staff had all been hers to begin with.
Because of her condition, Columbia qualifies for Abandoned Pet Rescue's Medical Adoption Program, which means the rescue will cover all of her veterinary care for the rest of her life. The donor-funded program exists so that families can open their homes to special-needs pets without the cost, and so that cats like Columbia get a second look instead of being passed over.
Columbia is spayed, vaccinated, microchipped, and available for adoption. She does best with other calm cats, and her lifetime care is already accounted for.
Columbia started life as a sickly, skittish kitten hiding under a cat bed. Today she is the healthy, in-charge queen of an animal clinic, sash and crown already in place, and she is more than ready to run a household the same way.
Share this story with your friends. View more about Columbia and Abandoned Pet Rescue at abandonedpetrescue.org or on their Instagram @AbandonedPetRescue and Facebook pages.
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