When Anka was hit by a car in Istanbul, Turkey, this lavish-looking green-eyed feline with a sweet and expressive face suffered a horrific life-changing spinal injury that would leave him in a paraplegic state.
Now after embarking on a 5,000 mile journey, he’s recuperating at the Tabby’s Place sanctuary in New Jersey while beginning a fresh journey towards a forever home.
After his hit-and-run accident, Anka was found by a couple of kind-hearted passersby who attempted to make arrangements for the cat to receive surgery in Istanbul. But it was quickly decided that he would be paralyzed for life.
Undeterred, Anka’s rescuers networked with friends in Manhattan, New York City and plotted a way to transport him overseas in a bid to visit a feline neurologist specialist. Anka packed, picked up his passport, and began his transatlantic journey — but upon arrival it was unfortunately confirmed that he would never be able to walk again.
At this point in Anka’s tale, he came on the radar of Tabby’s Place, a cat sanctuary in Ringoes, New Jersey that’s all about helping “cats rescued from hopeless situations.”
After touching down at Tabby’s Place, Anka proved himself to be a joyful cat with what Development Director Angela Hartley calls “an unsinkable sort of happiness.” She adds that Anka is all about seeking out cuddles, hunting down wet food, and stalking his feather toy.
Despite being paraplegic, Anka’s fathomed out a way to stay mobile by pulling himself along via his front legs. Talk about kitting him out with a custom-built mobility cart has begun, but, as Angela says, “We’ve found that paralyzed cats are often able to get around more nimbly and happily on their own.”
While a decision is made about Anka’s wheels, he’s gearing up for potential adoption applications. Although, as Angela warns, his paraplegic state means that he cannot go about his daily litter box duties on his own.
“His adopters would need to be willing to learn how to express his bladder and bowels, and to faithfully do so three times each day,” she says. “But most of the families who’ve adopted our paraplegic cats through the years have been regular folks who simply fell in love with these special animals and learned how to care for them.”
While Anka waits for his forever home, you can help out by sponsoring this transatlantic transplant’s recovery at Tabby’s Place.
