It was early December when he was brought to Foothills Humane Society as a stray.

He was large (17 pounds), a black and white tomcat, approximately 4 years of age. Cats have an ability to blend their coloring that results in the most odd and beautiful coat.

Though he was a simple longhaired black and white, his colors were strewn in such a way that the results were striking. Thus he was aptly named Corona.

It was obvious that at one time he’d been owned or taken care of because there isn’t any way he would have survived four years on his own in such good condition.

At first Corona hated his cage and what he deemed captivity and he let everyone know it. He began banging his head against the cage and he had to be sent to Landrum vet to check for injuries and be neutered. Corona soon realized the humans caring for him had his best welfare in their hearts.

The cat that was and the cat that is are two different creatures.

Corona has this sweet way of drawing you in for attention; I know because he has caught me on more than one occasion. Now if this were the end of the story I may not have chosen it for a Special Case.

The reason this beautiful boy hasn’t been adopted all this time is that he’s been in our new cat infirmary. Corona had a respiratory problem that weeks and weeks of every medication we had on hand simply could not clear up.

He was congested and full of mucus, which not only could be fatal in cats, it may be highly contagious. His wheezing and dripping nose just seemed to get worse no matter what was tried.

Through it all, Corona remained sweet and loving, soaking up human attention. You’d almost think he was remaining sickly so he’d get special attention.

Finally, Dr. Magsino at Cloverfield vet was called and she agreed to take on Corona’s case as her promised yearly free case.

God bless you, Maria, for being among my great lady vets – beware, hugs are coming.

When I learned the cause of Corona’s problem I swore under my breath with rage. Corona had a BB shot lodged in his lung creating all the fluids. I’ll never understand the mentality of someone shooting at helpless animals for sport.

The BB was successfully removed and Corona is recovering beautifully. I was told he came out of anesthesia purring and happy as a kitten.

Corona can breathe again and soon I’m certain he’ll make someone a wonderful addition to the family.

That’s if Cloverfield vet will ever give him up. They have nicknamed him the Big Kahuna and Maria and her staff are deeply and firmly in love.

You’ve been through a lot big fella, but you wound up in good and caring hands. Now go out there and wow the world as you’ve done to all those who’ve known you.

Thanks for listening.