Sophie was found hurt and huddled in a bathroom. After two surgeries and plenty of snuggles, she is healing well.
The Animal Rescue League (ARL) is always there for animals in need—every day, every hour—including at 2 a.m. on a Sunday when we were called to assist Des Moines Police. We arrived to find something truly horrifying: a cat huddled in the bathroom, bleeding from multiple stab wounds, soaking wet and terrified.
A woman was accused of repeatedly stabbing the cat, then trying to drown her when stabbing didn't work.
We rushed the injured cat, whose name was Sophie, to the ARL, where our on-call veterinarian was waiting, ready to provide emergency care. Sophie was suffering from five stab wounds, one of which had narrowly missed her spine.
We immediately started her on pain medications and antibiotics and gently cleaned her wounds to prepare her for what was next: The wounds on her back were so severe that they required a long line of staples to close. She would also need a separate surgery on her leg. Despite all she had been through, Sophie was an incredibly sweet cat and a model patient.
Thanks to our Miracle Medical Fund, victims like Sophie get the care they desperately need.
Victims like Sophie are the reason our emergency responders—and our Miracle Medical Fund—are so critical. Had it not been for our team's quick response and the emergency veterinary care we were able to provide in the middle of the night, Sophie may not have survived.
Your support makes these programs possible, and it's because of you that Sophie had a second chance.
We're happy to say that after two surgeries and many weeks in our care, Sophie is healing well. We have even more wonderful news: One of the police officers who saved Sophie from her attackers has fallen in love with her sweet personality and has decided to adopt her!
Thanks to you, Sophie is now happy, healing well and will soon be in a wonderful forever home. She will never have to experience the terror she went through again.
There are so many ways you can help pets in need in our community, like Sophie, with your future gift. To learn more, contact Lora Rogers at legacy@arl-iowa.org or (515) 473-9119.