A few months ago, Sara Rivers, a 25-year-old counselor at the Animal Care & Control Team of Philadelphia (ACCT Philly), the largest animal shelter service organization in the Philadelphia region, was at work as usual
when her boss informed her of a 6-month-old cat undergoing surgery who required immediate promotion (i.e. calls for support from rescue organizations to take animals into their no-kill shelters).
She recalls her initial encounter with the cat who would ultimately earn the nickname Nubbies. “As soon as I saw him, I knew I wanted to become his foster parent,” Rivers told The Dodo.
Nubbies arrived at the shelter in poor condition. Even Rivers, who admits to seeing many creatures in poor conditions, was shocked by Nubbies’ condition. “On his two right legs, both claws were absent. It was unlike anything I had seen before.”
The shelter’s veterinary staff presumed that Nubbies had been injured and was having trouble recovering on his own, but it is unknown precisely what happened
