Severely Neglected Redondo Beach Cat Finds Love In Last Moments Of Life

REDONDO BEACH, CA – A swarm of flies surrounded the skittish cat, his collar cut so tight into his leg that a deep, maggot-infested wound left him feeble and in pain. Until, that is, a few Redondo Beach residents came to his rescue. After months of attempted cat captures from neighbors and a less-than-enthusiastic response from Animal Control, Pamela Wolfersberger came to the rescue.

When she arrived at the cat's location, she found him covered in feces and weighing only four pounds. A neighbor named Paul brought a wire cutter to free the cat, before they raced to the emergency vet.

"I will be haunted for a very long time after seeing the hellish situation he had endured for so long," Wolfersberger wrote on the GoFundMe page.

Paul volunteered to sign for the veterinarian to do whatever could be done to save the cat named Leslie (named before they found out 'she' was a 'he') and stayed on the phone into the early morning, offering to be accountable for every new procedure that could be tried to save the cat's life. Soon after, Paul was told that Leslie had crashed and was unable to be revived, the GoFundMe page read.

Wolfersberger refers to Paul as the "hero of the story," and the last tally for the veterinary care was over $3,700. Leslie had blood tests, ultra sounds, x-rays, systems tests, and a resuscitation order before his passing. His throat was swollen and his kidneys were damaged along with the massive wounds, dehydration, stomach issues, and emaciation he suffered from before his passing.

"I was dumfounded that this little guy nestled his head in the crook of my elbow, I hope [it was] because he knew he was finally protected," she said.

A GoFundMe has been set up to raise money to pay for the veterinary costs of the attempts to save the cat's life. Only $338 of the $3,500 goal has been donated thus far, so if you would like to contribute please visit the GoFundMe page.

Photo courtesy of the GoFundMe page.