Three-legged cat finds forever home
Jack and Lauren Makled sit with Sal in their home in Mount Pleasant on May 17.
After being forced to learn how to walk on three legs spending months in an animal shelter, Salladhor, a curious and affectionate black and white cat, found his forever home on May 4.
Salladhor, or Sal, as he is affectionally called, was brought to the Humane Animal Treatment Society, 1105 S. Isabella Road, on Jan. 24 by a woman who found him discarded on the side of the road in Mount Pleasant. Once the staff examined him, they discovered that under his matted fur were lengths of twine that someone had knotted around his body, cutting off circulation in some areas. Due to his injuries, the staff was forced to amputate his right rear leg and part of his tail.
Sal's recovery was difficult, but he soon learned how to walk on three legs. As he became more confident with three legs, Sal became one of the most active cats in the shelter. The staff paired Sal with two kittens, Oatmeal and Mila, to aid in his rehabilitation and to provide companionship. Playing with, and caring for, the kittens gave Sal a purpose, said community outreach coordinator Meghan McDermott.
Companionship is what brought Jack and Lauren Makled to HATS on May 4. The couple visited the shelter searching for a companion for their cat, Puddin'. Jack Makled said he and his wife are "suckers for a sob story." Puddin' also was abused. The female cat was abandoned at HATS, tossed out of a car window. She bears a scar on her face from the injury she received that day.
When the Makleds saw Sal and learned about his story, they knew he was the cat they wanted to adopt.
"It broke my heart the first time I saw him," Jack Makled said. "We just knew we had to take him home."
After they brought him home, The Makleds realized Sal was "mildly famous," referring to the recent article written about him in Central Michigan Life. The couple posted photos of him on the shelter's Facebook page for anyone who wanted to follow Sal's story.
"I'm really glad we were able to adopt him so he can be spoiled like he deserves to be," Lauren Makled said. "I think he needed us."
As Sal sat purring on her lap, Lauren Makled pet him and explained he likes to cuddle with her on the living room couch. Though he experienced abuse and cruelty, the affectionate feline jumps into the lap of anyone who sits down in the house. The animal who was left to die by the side of the road now spends each night curled up with the owners who decided to give a three-legged cat a second chance at a forever home.
