Community kitten suffered from traumatic leg injury

 An 8-month-old community kitten recently received a life-saving surgery at the Animal Rescue League of Boston (ARL) and while not ready for adoption quite yet, she is well on her way to finding the home and life she deserves.

Community cats comprise of friendly strays, feral cats, or owned cats that are allowed outdoors to roam.

Alice after surgery.

Community cat colonies usual form due to a conducive environment like an established food source or protective shelter.

The kitten, named Alice, was living among a colony of community cats in Fall River, and ARL’s Field Services Department was contacted after the kitten was seen with a significant limp.

Once on-scene, ARL trapped the kitten and transported her to ARL’s Dedham Animal Care and Adoption Center for an assessment.

Alice’s thorough veterinary exam revealed a previous traumatic injury to her rear leg, causing pain, swelling, and deformation of the limb and joint.

The severity of the injury was beyond repair, and ARL’s veterinary team determined that amputating the leg would give Alice the best chance at a normal, pain-free life.

After surgery, Alice was placed into foster care to fully heal, and will soon be made available for adoption.

With her injury, she likely would not have survived a life living outdoors, as her limited mobility made her more vulnerable to predators and other outside dangers.

Alice is one example of the thousands of community cats and kittens ARL helps annually.

ARL’s Community Cat Program assesses cat colonies throughout Massachusetts, formulating Trap-Neuter-Return plans which includes spay/neuter surgery, vaccinations, and whether each cat will be returned to the colony, or admitted to an ARL shelter to be put up for adoption if they are friendly.

 In 2024, ARL’s Community Cat Program helped nearly 1,200 community cats and kittens, with nearly 800 of these animals finding new homes.

How You Can Help 

Without proper care, community cats are at serious risk of illness and injury and ARL is the only large animal welfare organization in Massachusetts with a dedicated agent working with community cats and kittens.

ARL’s intake of these animals continues to increase every year, and the organization is currently offering a donation match to help ARL continue this important work.

From now through June 30, 2025, all community cat donations will me matched dollar-for-dollar to help twice the numbers of community cats in need!