A four-month-old kitten was traumatically injured — likely from being struck by a fast-moving car — before a good Samaritan rushed him to the MSPCA-Angell in Jamaica Plain on Tuesday, May 10, where veterinarians are hoping to piece him back together, the organization announced.
“Captain Crunch,” as the small white and black kitten has been named, was found huddled next to the Kentucky Fried Chicken on Beacon Street in Allston, so injured that he could not move. He wore no identification tags, nor was he microchipped, making it impossible to know if he was someone’s pet.
Both of Captain Crunch’ hind legs were broken, as were several of his teeth. According to the MSPCA’s veterinary staff, it is a minor miracle he survived at all.
“He was in severe pain when he first arrived and he could not walk or place any weight on his hind legs—and he was breathing heavily,” said Dr. Sarah Carter, who evaluated Captain Crunch upon arrival. The medical team nursed him through the night with heavy doses of pain medicine before further diagnostics could be carried out.
Whole body x-rays taken the next day revealed the leg fractures, which will require complex and expensive surgery to repair. Dr. Sue Casale, who specializes in orthopedic surgery at the MSPCA’s Angell Animal Medical Center, will perform the delicate operation next week, after which Captain Crunch will require several weeks of rest before he can be placed for adoption.
Donations Sought
The surgery costs upwards of $5,000 and will be paid for by Spike’s Fund, a fund that pays the medical care costs of homeless animals in the MSPCA’s Boston adoption center. Anyone who wishes to donate toward Captain Crunch’s care, and the care for animals like him, can click: www.mspca.org/helpcaptaincrunch
MSPCA adoption center manager Alyssa Krieger is eager to move forward with the care that will allow Captain Crunch to live a normal, pain-free life. “It’s awful to see any animal suffer injuries this severe but, as we do for thousands of others every year, we’ll do everything in our power to see him through this.”
After Captain Crunch’s fractures are repaired he will be fitted with a steal device known as an “external fixator,” which will be bolted around his legs to keep the bones aligned and to limit his movement while he heals.
“We expect he’ll require about six to eight weeks of cage rest but—owing to his young age and the fact that he’s very healthy otherwise, we expect a full and complete recovery,” said Krieger. “And we so look forward to the day we can place him into a deserving home.”
Readers interested in adopting Captain Crunch can contact the adoption center team at adoption@mspca.org for more information about the process.