This is ANNE CATHAWAY.

We first met Anne in April when she was, like most of our cats, euth-listed at SEAACA. According to her shelter notes, Anne was extremely thin, weighing just 3.1 pounds despite being full-grown. In addition, she was anemic and had wounds on her legs that were not resolving. By SEAACA's standards, any one of these conditions would be enough to warrant death. Taken together, her fate was all but sealed.

Lucky for Anne, we have a soft spot for black cats so we beelined it to Downey to usher her to safety.

The next day, at a vet popular in the rescue community, Anne's leg wounds were treated and she was given a clean bill of health. But within a matter of hours, we knew something wasn't right. While a cat's respiratory rate is typically 15-30 breaths/minute, Anne's breathing was shallow and rapid at 60 bpm. So we rushed her to LAASER where an ultrasound determined that Anne had a diaphragmatic hernia, a hole in the muscle that separates the chest from the abdomen. What's worse, all of the organs that should have been in her abdominal cavity—minus her colon and her kidneys—were shoved up in her chest cavity, pressing on her lungs. According to the ER vet, Anne had two options: euthanasia or surgery. We weren't about to save her from euthanasia at SEAACA only to euthanize her at LAASER, so we opted for the latter.

All told, Anne's ordeal—which entailed an overnight stay at LAASER, a transfer by pet ambulance to ACCESS, and the surgical repair to her diaphragm—cost us $13,000, money we certainly didn't have in our budget and which we never expected to spend based on her shelter notes. That said, we think she was worth every penny.

Anne is vaccinated, microchipped, FIV/ FeLV negative, and spayed. She enjoys human affection, is OBSESSED with wand toys and laser pens, and far prefers the company of people and dogs to other cats. Playful, feisty, and healthy at 8 pounds, our vet estimates she is around a year now. She would make a most excellent companion for someone who wants a confident cat who is affectionate but independent, and can respect her personal boundaries.

Think this doe-eyed, slender, dark-haired beauty is the one for you? Fill out an application and come meet her!