A three-legged cat found abandoned in the Bronx last fall has a new home thanks to a Queens animal care technician.
Shamrock, a tabby, was discovered limping on a roadway when a stranger picked her up and brought her to the ASPCA hospital in Manhattan, the Daily News reported.
The cat’s wound on her hind leg exposed muscle and bone, and an X-ray showed bones in Shamrock’s belly, which occurs when cats scavenge for food in the trash. Shamrock had surgery to remove the bones, but her leg had to be amputated, the report said.
Mercy Alvarado, a 23-year-old animal care technician from East Elmhurst, was in charge of icing Shamrock’s wound after surgery and she felt a connection with the cat.
“The first time I saw her was in the intensive care ward and she let me ice her without any problem,” Alvarado told the Daily News. “Her temperament was perfect. She was purring.”
Alvarado adopted the cat soon after her recovery. Shamrock, who was named by the staff at the ASPCA, now lives with Alvarado’s cats, Luna and Ginger, and dog Stella.
Though Shamrock has only three legs, she is just as agile as Alvarado’s other pets, she said. Alvarado encourages others to adopts animals who may lack limbs.
“They know how to get around and they will do exactly what they have always done,” Alvarado told the paper. “It’s amazing how well they adapt. People have to just give them a chance.”
