They read about him in the news and they knew they had to meet him. Dylan and Sophie had been thinking about getting a cat for weeks when they learned about the senior, brown tabby cat named Wilson who had been found sitting in the snow, nearly frozen, on a logging road in Cranbrook.
“As soon as I read the story, I immediately sent it to Dylan,” says Sophie, Wilson’s new mom.
Wilson had been saved by Good Samaritans who spotted something strange in the snow and went to investigate. “As they got closer, they realized it was a cat and immediately brought him to our animal centre,” says Tia Yakimovitch, animal care supervisor at the East Kootenay BC SPCA.
During intake, BC SPCA staff noticed a horrible smell and saw an open, circular wound on his chest. He was immediately transported to a local veterinarian where he was rushed into emergency surgery. While the veterinary team was performing the abdominal surgery they realized the wound was much more serious than they first thought. “The wound went into his abdomen and they had to remove a lot of dead and dying tissue,” says Yakimovitch.
Wilson spent the night under observation and was then sent to a BC SPCA foster to recover, but his health issues were only just beginning. “There were problems with his stomach incision and while they were examining him, the vet discovered a new leg lesion,” says Yakimovitch. Between appointments, an open wound appeared on Wilson’s tail. It is believed that Wilson was experiencing thermal injuries, most likely from being trapped somewhere in a recent cold snap. Unfortunately, his tail had to be amputated.
Wilson returned to the animal centre where his care continued with daily wound cleaning and visits to the veterinarian for bandage changes. “Despite all that he has been through, Wilson has the most positive attitude and the best personality,” says Yakimovitch. “He gets up to greet staff and volunteers at his kennel door every time they walk in the room and he loves head scritches and sitting on laps.
That beautiful personality made Sophie and Dylan fall in love with him as soon as they met him. “Wilson came in the room and immediately sat in Dylan’s lap,” says Sophie. “We couldn’t believe what a sweetheart he was considering everything he had been through. We knew we had to bring him home and make him part of our family.”
Wilson settled into his new home very quickly. “When he first came into the house, he was looking for a place to hide. We would find him under a chair or in the closet, but within two days he was laying on top of the furniture and at the end of that first week he stopped hiding.”
He has taken a particular interest in the windowsill. “He has claimed it,” says Sophie. “He wants to make sure he has a front row seat to everything going on in the neighbourhood. There are a couple of outdoor cats across the street that he likes to keep an eye on and ‘meow’ to and he can’t get enough of watching cars go by,” says Dylan.
This charming cat doesn’t hesitate to let his new pawrents know when and where he needs some affection. “It is one of the funniest things that Wilson does,” says Sophie. “If you pet him in the wrong spot he will move his head and your hand to the spot where he wants you to pet him.” He loves to put his paw on Dylan’s shoulder and give him a little kiss.
Dylan adds that he and Wilson have the same personality. “Gentle and slow, with these bursts of energy.” Wilson also loves gaming just like his dad. “He lays on the floor by my chair when I am playing and he will bat at my feet or nap. Sometimes he will lay in my lap, and bat at the images on the screen. He is just the perfect cat.”
Sounds like Wilson and his family are all winners.