Kind man takes in stray cat after seeing him outside for two years

This guy has a heart. His name is John McCallum Swain. He likes cats to. He tells his story in diary form on the Quora.com website. It’s quite a long journey with a lot of realism, tenderness, love and reward.

Abraham - cosy and warm without his teeth!
Abraham (Abe) – cosy and warm without most of his teeth! Photo John McCallum Swain.

The cat he rescued was and is quite old. John describes him as an “old boy”. He says that he was abandoned twice and when he saw him outside in the cold Californian rain he said that he looked like skin and bone and that most of his teeth were rotten. He found out much later that this old boy must have been in constant pain because of his bad teeth but he wouldn’t have known it because he endured that pain silently and with good grace such is the way with domestic cats.

John said that he had seen him outside for two years and that he was helping a neighbour feed him. His neighbour said that he had been abandoned twice and that he had spent the last cold, rainy winter huddled under plants and stairs.

One day he was driving past this elderly cat’s hangout when he saw him and knowing that it was going to be cold and rainy he decided there and then to bring him home – a big decision full of compassion. Thereafter began a long journey towards the cat’s rehabilitation. He named him Abraham (Abe).

Initially he fed Abe with pureed food because she was unable to chew. This loving male cat head-butted him and rested his head against John’s while scratching his back, chin and belly. The head-butt, John says, is a sign of affection and he is correct, of course.

John was telling his story in response to a question as to whether cat owners deceive themselves to a certain extent into believing that their cat actually feels true affection for them. In addition this questioner queried whether in deceiving themselves cat owners involuntarily altered their relationship with other people. John made it clear that cats do show genuine affection for their human companions.

Abe
Abe. Photo: John McCallum Swain.

To continue John’s story of rescue, he took Abraham to the vet where they pulled most of his teeth out because they were rotten. The vet said that he must’ve been in pain for ages. He was given pain medication and an Elizabethan collar which he wore for several weeks. He was miserable but still flopped next to John for a back scratch.

John discovered that Abe had been shot with a BB gun. The veterinarian removed a pallet from his left foreleg. Abe had endured the pain from that as well. That evening Abe fell asleep while John petted him. It had been a long day.

Abe healed quite nicely and he was learning to be a domestic cat as he had stop whining to get out of the house. He preferred at this time to stay in to enjoy the cozy beds, peace and quiet.

Several weeks later Abe had more teeth removed. He now has six teeth and is enjoying life. He likes to be brushed and he purrs delightedly. He kneads the air happily with his paws while being brushed. John gave him a winter bed with an emergency blanket foil under the padding which reflects Abraham’s body heat back into him for added warmth; a nice touch. This is the last update from John and it is dated 20 November 2018.

I loved a lot about this story. The rescue after two years seeing Abe outside in the cold during winter was a warm and realistic start. It was obviously a slow process for John and then his compassion took over and he simply had to take him in. I’m sure millions of people understand it. Although not many would respond to the feeling of compassion and take on the responsibility. The gentle care that gave Abraham to rehabilitate him to make his last years, or however long he has left, as happy as possible. There is something very rewarding about doing this for a stray, homeless cat. You do get it all back though, you certainly do.

5 thoughts on “Kind man takes in stray cat after seeing him outside for two years”

  1. The author of the best comment will receive an Amazon gift of their choice at Christmas! Please comment as they can add to the article and pass on your valuable experience.
  2. Oh wow,this reminds me so much of my own situation with my now departed ‘Mysterymine’ I wrote this the day after he passed away and the photo is him.

    My sweet beloved Mysterymine,

    Ye came into my life July 5th 2014 and I think ‘Angus’ sent ye to me from Heaven,when I saw ye on the back deck that morning ye back was to me and I quietly opened the door and bent down to look at ye and when ye looked at me I was blown away by ye skeletal form and ye left blind eye so I went back into the house and got a carrier and then I put ye inside it because I knew I could not leave ye outside,I sat ye in the carrier on the couch and got out the big dog kennel and set it up for ye and once I was done I put ye inside and ye made a nose dive for the water bowl,I just sat there and watched ye and then 1 by 1 ye soon to be siblings sniffed and checked ye out,none were aggressive towards ye at all,by the 3rd day I had ye I knew something wasnt right because ye drank so much water I was changing ye litter 3 times a day and decided to get ye seen by my vet and it was then I learned ye had diabetes which broke my heart but I pushed forward and once ye were on ye insulin ye stopped drinking so much water but boy ye loved ye wet food,soon after I bought ye a stroller and I even put ye favorite cat bed in the front passenger seat of the car and ye amazed me,ye would lay in ye bed and when I got ye stroller out of the car I would take ye into the store and even Walmart,I loved how ye drew people to ye and they would oooh and aaah at ye,I took ye for walks almost every day,then one night I saw ye bumping into the furniture and the walls and I knew something was wrong,then ye had a horrible seizure and ye cried out as the seizure took hold of ye and I got ye into the vet the next day asap and my fear ye were completely blind came true and I sobbed and held ye in my arms but the vet told me to bring ye home and refrain from giving ye any insulin so I did and by golly ye got ye sight back and no more seizures plus ye were in remission and ye did grand for almost 3 months but then ye had to start having ye insulin shots again which was okay then a family issue arose that took me to California for a few days and it was 3 day’s later after I got back I had to finally let ye go,ye had garnered luekemia in ye bone marrow,I was devastated and my heart was crushed,I had ye such a short time and even right now as I write this I am sobbing,I miss ye so badly my sweet old man.

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  3. This story brought me to tears, as so many stories of kindness do. It just hurts to see defenseless animals suffering. I wish more humans had compassion in their hearts for sentient beings. 💜💜💜☯️☮️🗝️

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  4. I’m so glad this sweet love was found and cared for by this caring human. Men like him are rare. Humans who abandon their furkids should die in a most painful and horrific way! I have no care or respect for those that abandon the kids. I truly hope this soul will live a long and happy life with his guardian. And I will say it is so important to get the kids teeth cleaned yearly. Infected teeth can and will harm the kidneys, liver, and heart.

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  5. Great story and so true about it being rewarding as the right things to do. I brush my cats teeth with a non alcohol mouthwash when I notice the stink and have three left to bring to the vet for real work. It’s a bit costly but necessary. Really shouldn’t put it off until they get old because anesthesia risk could be an issue. No matter the cost, you’ll always feel better for doing the right thing. We all know what toothaches feel like and their a very miserable and unhealthy way to live. Quora and dodo are great sites for cat stories too, in addition to PoC which is all cat all the time.

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