Chester came to us a broken kitty. He had a fever, was dehydrated, had a large blister on his tongue and was having trouble eating and was fighting a serious infection. upon the first visit to our vet we were not sure if he'd continue on.  In fact, several vet visits and almost a half dozen blood tests revealed no prevailing medical issue that seemed to be preventing his weight gain and spotty fur. We could only assume at that point that he was just very, very old and likely not going to ever fully recover from the terrible life he had experienced previously. At his foster home he only sat around all day in front of a window, getting up only to use his litter box (which he used religiously), but never to walk or stretch. He refused to use his broken leg at all.  Now ...

Now, almost three months later, Chester remains a skinny, old and beat-up looking kitty. BUT he has slowly begun to heal his broken body and regain the spirit he likely once had. when he used to duck each time his foster mom went to pet him on the head, likely from being slapped or punched, he now greets her with a slight purr and loves to have his head and whole body rubbed. 

He meows loudly to have his wet food. He loves to be petted and just weeks ago he was allowed to venture out of his room to mingle with the other household kitties. He quickly made his way downstairs and into the dining room, seeming happy to be out and about. That quickly ended when the resident dogs came in from outside and one chased him under the Christmas tree. Chester does not enjoy dogs too much.

Chester is now sharing his room with Gracie, an 18 year-old kitty whose owner died. Gracie lived with 12 other cats and was barely touched by a human for the last 4 years. She is diabetic and requires daily shots. Chester welcomed Gracie into his small world without a look or hiss and even allowed her to take over his kitty bed, which is situated next to the vent...and thus, is always super cozy. He clearly loves the warmth. he spends most of his time looking out the windows on his perch, hopefully being grateful that he has a nice person to love him, a warm bed to sleep in and lots of good quality food.

Chester seems to be a very, very old kitty. He seems unable to gain any weight despite his voracious appetite. But he acts happy and content, loves his food, and now will be given more time to roam the house (but only at night when the resident dogs are shut in the bedroom and fast asleep).

We doubt that anyone will want to adopt Chester as he really just does not present well (in looks). His foster thinks he is quite handsome and is taking him to a cat vet next week for one more final check up to see if there is anything at all he might be missing in his diet and care. To date, this kitty seems to be doing as best as can be hoped for given his age and condition. His leg seems to not be ailing him as much, he eats a bit easier now that his tongue has healed up and we will now start figuring out if we can get some weight on the boy!