WHO IS SMURF
Smurf is a stray tomcat, rescued by a kind man who tries to look after a colony living near an abandoned house. Everything had seemed fine until the man noticed Smurf staying away and barely eating.
Since Smurf preferred to keep his distance, it was difficult to understand what was wrong. The house was padlocked and the man could only look inside through the broken windows. Sometimes Smurf would be there, sometimes not.
The man kept an eye on him, and after a while he noticed that Smurf was just lying there, limp, unable to move and crying. Worried, he decided to break in, approached the exhausted cat, and Smurf allowed himself to be picked up.
The man rushed Smurf to the local veterinary clinic where a thorough examination revealed three broken, infected, and decayed teeth — rotted right down to the bone. In the vet’s opinion, the unusual injuries were caused by a kick to the head. The infection had led to an abscess, wounds, and blood clots in Smurf’s mouth, making it nearly impossible for him to eat.
Smurf is a large tomcat, yet he currently weighs only 2.9 kg. According to the vets, he must have been starving for months — gradually losing weight and growing weaker, until he finally reached a point where he could no longer stand up.
THE DECLINE
After the removal of his teeth, Smurf showed a brief improvement. He ate and drank a little, but as the days passed, he failed to stabilize. He began refusing food and lay around listlessly — and that was when his rescuer reached out to us for help.
An examination and bloodwork in our clinic revealed severe dehydration and anemia, with a hematocrit of just 19% (normal values are 30–40%), as well as thrombocytopenia. Thrombocytopenia means a reduced number of platelets in the blood. Platelets are small blood cells that help with clotting — they stop bleeding when a wound occurs. When platelet levels are low, the blood clots more slowly, creating a serious risk of bleeding.
To save Smurf, an emergency blood transfusion was necessary — thrombocytopenia increases the risk of hemorrhage, and anemia means the blood has already been lost or destroyed. With a hematocrit of just 19%, Smurf’s organs were at risk of shutting down due to a lack of oxygen. Severe dehydration had also made his blood thicker and harder to circulate. Together, these complications made his condition critical and an urgent transfusion was the only chance.
BEHIND FROM THE START
Although we personally find every cat beautiful, Smurf doesn’t really stand out in any particular way. He isn’t a special breed, he hasn’t suffered in some terribly dramatic, shocking way; and he doesn’t need complex surgeries. To make matters worse, when nature worked on Smurf’s coat, it seems she chose the dullest colors she could find.
Our experience shows that animals like him often struggle to gather the sympathy and financial support they need. Still, we are determined to save Smurf — and we hope you’ll help us help him.
Please help us save Smurf
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Smurf will need a home. If the right adoptive family is found, transport to almost anywhere in the world can be arranged. Please share the story, comment, message us to adopt and follow updates on our Facebook page: Let’s Adopt! Global. Let’s Adopt! Global is an animal rescue charity based in MA, USA. All funds will go towards the animal’s care. Any remaining funds will go to support our other rescues and mission