The following story contains graphic details of this cat’s injuries.

“I honestly thought we might be euthanizing him on the table during that surgery due to the severity of his wounds,” admits Dr. Uri Donnett, Lead Shelter Veterinarian at Dane County Humane Society (DCHS).

It was a cold winter day when the small tuxedo cat was found alone in Mazomanie and brought to DCHS by an Animal Services Officer from Public Health Madison and Dane County (PHMDC). DCHS’s admitting staff quickly examined the new arrival and noted the cat was too quiet, cold to the touch, and severely dehydrated. Emaciated and covered in fleas, his coat was greasy and scabbed, and he had thick discharge coming from his nose and eyes. He was so congested that he could barely breathe.

Our admitting staff urgently paged for a veterinarian. Uri answered and took one look at the fragile cat.

“It was immediately apparent that he had trauma to his face and head,” explains Uri, who gently carried the cat back to DCHS’s Animal Medical Services (AMS) department.

AMS is our in-house veterinary clinic, and it plays a critical role in our ability to respond when animals arrive in urgent need. From routine spay/neuter surgeries to emergency care, dental work, and orthopedic procedures, our skilled AMS team provides high-quality, comprehensive medical care to the animals who come through our doors. Because DCHS has this level of care onsite, we can act quickly and thoughtfully in moments of crisis — just like this one.

A closer exam revealed the extent of the cat’s suffering: his jaw was broken, causing a visible shift in alignment, and the surrounding soft tissue had significant injuries. Most of his teeth were missing, and those that remained were badly infected and bone was exposed. His tongue was lacerated and barely attached; the tissue had already started to die. His right pupil was sluggish, his eyes sunken, and his body, so thin and weak, had lost much of its muscle mass.

He had been suffering for quite some time.

DCHS’s veterinary staff sedated the cat for a more extensive evaluation, during which they cleaned and flushed his oral wounds and provided pain relief medication, fluids, and antibiotics. X-rays of his chest showed clear lungs and a normal heart, so we knew there was hope.

The cat clearly needed urgent oral surgery, so Uri turned to one of our staff veterinarians who specializes in this area.

Normally, DCHS staff must wait to perform medical procedures until after a four-day stray hold, in accordance with our contractual agreement with PHMDC. But in emergencies, our veterinary team is authorized to treat urgent conditions and relieve an animal’s suffering, which can include humane euthanasia if our staff determine the animal has no chance of recovery or a good quality of life.

Uri knew that outcome might ultimately be the kindest option for this little cat, but he and his colleagues did what they could to see if they could help their patient recover.

“Fortunately, my colleague was able to secure his broken jaw, address some of his other issues, and then placed a feeding tube so we could make sure he got the nutrients he needed,” Uri says.

The cat, eventually named Jaws, had arrived at the end of December in 2023, right before a holiday weekend. Rather than require veterinary staff to come to the shelter multiple times a day to care for him and disrupt their holidays, Uri took the critical patient home so he could monitor him closely and administer his four daily tube feedings and subcutaneous fluids.

“Initially, we really didn’t see much of a personality from him since his face was painful and he was focused on breathing and recovering,” Uri explains. It was touch and go for a while, and Uri kept a watchful eye on Jaws to make sure he was comfortable enough while recuperating from his first procedure.

After the long weekend, Uri brought Jaws back to AMS for a recheck and to determine next steps with his colleagues. Jaws was stable and had even gained some weight thanks to frequent feedings and rehydration. Uri had seen him napping comfortably a few times, and there were even moments when Jaws was bright and alert.

The resilient kitty was determined to get better, and our veterinary staff were determined to help him.

Still, the challenges ahead of him were significant. After days of monitoring Jaws, it became apparent that the right side of his face was paralyzed, his right eye couldn’t blink, and the right side of his muzzle was deformed.

DCHS’s veterinarians determined Jaws would need a few more medical procedures.

Veterinary staff continued to monitor him and to provide frequent tube feedings, and Jaws steadily improved. We even saw him move around his kennel and groom himself.

They decided he was ready for his next procedure.

In the second week of January 2024, DCHS’s veterinarians removed the wire which had stabilized his jaw in those critical early days and carefully examined the site to make sure it was healing appropriately. While he was under sedation, DCHS’s dental expert additionally extracted his remaining damaged and infected teeth.

Just one day after the procedure, Jaws started trying to eat on his own, clearing his next major hurdle to recovery.

After DCHS’s veterinarians removed the feeding tube, Jaws had to re-learn how to eat. He rose to the challenge and was soon eating enough to sustain himself all on his own — even though he made a big mess every time!

About a month after arriving at DCHS, Jaws underwent his final procedure. When veterinarians removed the suture from his right eyelid, it had a thick yellow-green discharge. His eyelid didn’t move on its own; it didn’t blink or react to touch. His eye wasn’t functioning properly.

With no chance of improvement, the best option for Jaws’s comfort and health was to remove the right eye entirely. Just two days after his eye removal, Jaws was on the mend.

“As he continued to make improvements, his personality emerged,” says Uri. “He was very sweet.”

When staff and volunteers visited Jaws in his kennel, he loudly meowed a hello and hurried forward to greet them. He gleefully wolfed down his wet food and scattered his dry food across the floor, and he steadily gained weight.

His facial trauma continued to heal well, and he was clearly comfortable. Jaws was finally ready to find his new family.

We knew he would need a very special home, since he had partial face paralysis and would need extra help grooming. We had also witnessed firsthand just how messy an eater he could be. We thought it would take a while for his new family to find him, but Jaws didn’t need to wait long at all.

Jaimie and their partner, Jacob, came to DCHS to meet cats. As soon as they saw Jaws, they knew they wanted to meet the adorable tuxedo kitty. They were soon smitten.

“He’s just about the friendliest cat either of us have ever met,” says Jaimie. “Within seconds, he was stumbling his way around the room (getting used to one-eyed life), playing with us and begging for cuddles.”

However, Jaimie and Jacob weren’t quite ready to make the big decision to bring Jaws into their life.

“I think both of us wanted him before we left the shelter, but we didn’t want to be too rash,” Jaimie explains. “We wanted to be certain we could give him the extra care and attention he deserves.”

They went home, thought about it, and slept on it, but they knew Jaws belonged with them.

Now named Seymour, his new family couldn’t be more in love with him.

“As time passes, he’s only gotten more affectionate and vocal about it!” Jaimie shares. “He’s also permanently kitten-sized (the vet says he’s not going to get larger than about 7 pounds) which makes him extraordinarily cute.”

Despite his rough beginnings, Seymour is thriving in his new home. Sure, he still makes a big mess when he eats, but his family loves him all the more for it.

“He’s doing very well!” says Jaimie. “We were briefly concerned he’d have trouble eating, but it’s one of his favorite things to do. He surveils his food bowl from the edge of the couch every evening, and after devouring his dinner, he immediately tries to cuddle and headbutt everyone in the apartment. We end up scrambling to grab a towel to wipe down his stinky face with, and he sits there and purrs into it until he’s clean.

“He likes any toy that chirps or rattles,” Jaimie continues. “I think having a sound alongside the movement helps him locate them better. They’re by far his favorite toy. He runs around the apartment playing soccer with himself.”

After so much uncertainty and suffering in his early life, Seymour can now relax in comfort with his loving family.

“At night, he sleeps curled up in the crook of one of our arms,” Jaimie shares. “During the day, he sleeps on a stack of clean dish towels we have on the counter to wipe him down after dinner. It gives him a good view of the front door, so he can wake up when we get home from work.

“Sometimes, you can sneak up on him, though,” Jaimie continues. “He’ll wake up, blink slowly, then chirp once or twice and go in for a headbutt.”

Seymour continues to be the friendly and sweet cat he became after DCHS’s veterinary staff eased his suffering. He may be missing an eye and many teeth, but he is full of snuggles, purrs, and affection for everyone he meets.

“One thing he particularly likes to do is get on your lap, then use his front paws to climb up on your torso so he’s staring you in the face,” Jaimie says. “He waits until you hold onto his torso for support, then just jams his face into yours and purrs louder than any cat I’ve ever met.

“He does it with strangers he just met, too,” Jaimie adds.

“His facial paralysis impedes his purring just a little,” Jaimie continues, “so every once in a while, he’ll make a hiccup sound then swallow once or twice. It’s beyond adorable.”

Jacob adds, “I am very grateful that the humane society was able to give Seymour all of the necessary care he needed to survive and be here with us today. I can tell he is, too, because he’s the sweetest cat there ever was.”

From barely breathing to becoming the king of cuddles, Seymour’s story reminds us why we do this work: because every animal deserves a chance to heal, a safe place to land, and someone to headbutt after dinner.

Natasha Saidikowski is the Donor Engagement Coordinator