MASSACHUSETTS – Whether caused by some infection or trauma or by electrocution, a tiny six-week-old kitten is missing nearly half his face and will soon be having reconstructive surgery at the MSPCA’s Angell Animal Medical Center before a new ho me can be found, the Jamaica Plain animal rescue explained.
The young kitten, who shelter staff-members have named “Nigel,” was found wandering beside a dumpster in Dorchester by a good Samaritan, who immediately rushed him to the MSPCA on July 7. At the time, the adoption center team thought Nigel might have been struggling with an upper respiratory infection.
“His nose and much of his face seemed discolored but that appeared to be a standard infection for which we started him on pain medicine and antibiotics,” stated adoption center manager Alyssa Krieger of the adorable ball of orange who now has his own Instagram page (@NoNoseNigel). “We were shocked to discover later just how seriously injured Nigel was.”
Missing Nearly Half His Face
After a week Nigel’s face, including the skin on and under his nose had all simply fallen off. Krieger and her staff can only speculate and guess as to why. “It’s possible that this was an advanced infection that did not respond to antibiotics and the skin simply peeled off—or it could have been caused by blunt force trauma or by electrocution.”
Nigel was completely emaciated and was neither neutered nor microchipped, making identification of an owner impossible.
“We just don’t know how he ended up where he did,” said Krieger, who suspects the young cat may have been abandoned.
Angell Animal Medical Center to His Rescue
Nigel is now facing an extensive reconstructive surgery which will be performed by the head of surgery at Angell, Dr. Mike Pavletic.
Dr. Pavletic, who is a known internationally for re-attaching the skin of a cat whose face was torn away by a fan belt, as well as successfully re-allocating muscle tissue in order to help a crippled dog walk again pain-free, will perform a facial reconstruction surgery in about a month when Nigel is strong enough to endure this particular procedure. Nigel will later be placed for adoption afterward.
The MSPCA will be announcing Nigel’s availability for adoption in the coming weeks.
