One day, about 17 years ago, I heard a noise at out front door. There was a most beautiful orange color young cat. 3/4 of its tail was skinned off and the remaining was really discolored and showed signs of extreme danger. He was just calling for help by the way he acted.
Both my wife and I almost cried, and we picked him up and put him in a box. He had no collar, so we had no way to determine who owned him. Off to the Vet we went and after a HUGH sum, the vet removed the tail to a stub. The Vet released him in a few days and home he came with a tightly bandaged stub and a plastic collar to keep him for aggravating the area.
From that day to his estimated 15 years of age, he always curled up on my lap to sleep. He was free to go outdoors, via a cat door I put in the door, and never left the yard. He was such a joy and watching him run and play throughout the house with his little stub twitching in the breeze. In the morning he would jump up on the bed and curl up next to me and just purr. One of the most sad days of my life was when he passed away. I will always believe that kindness would be rewarded with love and loyalty.
I gotta say that the pet threads like these are some of the best threads I enjoy reading here. Thanks all for sharing your stories.