Lola Calabrese was walking near Lakeside Village on Sept. 18 when she noticed what appeared to be a cat playing on the side of the road. From afar, he looked to be lying on his side, frantically chasing his tail.
But when Calabrese noticed the blood staining the ground beneath the cat, she realized there was more to the scene. His tiny mouth was bleeding while blood slowly pooled around his right eye. By the time she walked closer, the cat was lying still while his stomach rose and fell in quick, shallow motions.
“I just felt super worried, and I knew we needed to take action immediately or he wouldn’t have much time left,” Calabrese said.
A woman who works with UM provided the student with UPurr’s contact information. UPurr is a UM student organization where cat lovers come together to make Miami a better place for cats, both on campus and throughout Miami-Dade.
Calabrese quickly decided to drive to the nearest animal hospital.
According to a post by UPurr, the cat, which the organization named “Kitty,” appeared to have been struck by a car.
UPurr steps up
Calabrese had already planned to cover the cost of his care herself. What she did not expect was for UPurr to step in almost immediately.
Less than an hour after receiving the organization’s contact information, Calabrese received a call saying UPurr would cover the cost of any surgery required.
“I felt so relieved knowing we would be able to get him taken care of and not leave him in the condition we found him in,” Calabrese said. “I felt so grateful to UPurr for being willing to cover the cost of Kitty’s injuries.”
Calabrese never expected the afternoon to end at an animal hospital, facing the possibility of surgery and an uncertain cost of care. In moments like these, UPurr eagerly steps in to take on the financial burden of helping a cat in need.
To donate to Kitty’s care, visit give.miami.edu and type “UPurr” into the donation designation, then finish completing the form.
On a makeshift cat bed, Calabrese held him in the passenger seat as the cat’s breathing grew more labored by the minute.
“I think I just remember looking back and making sure he was still breathing, praying he would make it till we got there,” Calabrese said.
At Coral Gables Animal Hospital, Kitty was immediately placed on oxygen after his oxygen saturation was measured at 80%. Dr. Christian Saldana’s assessment found that Kitty had suffered a fractured hard palate, significant trauma around his eyes and a suspected fracture of part of his jaw.
Later that day, Calabrese took him to Miami Veterinary Specialists, where he was monitored and received food through a syringe. He was later taken to Happy Pet Eyes, a veterinary ophthalmologist, for further evaluation of his eye injuries.
Kitty’s status
As of Monday afternoon, UPurr announced that the cat was left completely blind and it is uncertain if he will regain eyesight.
Kitty returned from the hospital yesterday and had begun eating on his own last Thursday.
Beyond emergency cases like Kitty’s, UPurr volunteers at shelters, raises awareness and fosters cats in an effort to address the conditions that leave Miami’s stray cats vulnerable. For Kitty, that work became a matter of survival.
When Calabrese asked what might have happened had he not received medical care, the answer was not necessarily that he would have bled out. His injuries posed another, less visible threat.
“Because the palate is broken, he wouldn’t have been able to eat and would’ve probably died of malnutrition,” Saldana said.