Forest Hills Rallies To Nurse 3-Lb 'Death Row' Cat Back To Health

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS -- When Christina Towne met Vega, the rescue cat weighed just three pounds and was hours away from being euthanized.

Now, the tiny white feline is being nursed back to health by the Forest Hills woman with help from a local shelter and an army of generous neighbors.

Vega was one of six malnourished kittens rescued from an abandoned building and brought to Animal Care Centers of NYC. She was the last one left and slated to be put down the next day when Towne spotted her Tuesday night on the ACC's list of animals at risk of being euthanized.

By Wednesday morning, Towne found herself at the ACC's central Manhattan location. She'd learned Vega was slated to be euthanized at noon and was desperate to save her.

"I just saw this cat and couldn't get her out of my head," Towne told Patch."I was hoping another rescue would claim her, but I kept checking the list and nobody took her."

Cats on the euthanasia list generally have health or behavioral problems that require they be taken in by a shelter, so Towne made a spur-of-the-moment decision to put Vega on hold for AlleyKattz. She didn't know whether the Forest Hills rescue could take in another cat, but she'd fostered for them before and it was her best bet at keeping Vega alive.

"It probably came together in a couple hours," she said. "I wasn't even thinking. I just knew we had to save her."

It was the beginning of what would become a community-wide effort to nurse Vega back to health. Towne has since been fostering the malnourished cat, and AlleyKattz agreed to help her come up with the vet expenses.

"Something in Christina really wanted to help her," Jana Rosenthal, a volunteer with AlleyKattz, told Patch. "She contacted me and said, 'I don't want to leave her there to die.'"

Rosenthal said Vega is sweet and friendly but "very malnourished." She launched a GoFundMe campaign for funds to help nurse the cat back to health on Thursday. It has since raised $345 - more than half their $600 goal.

That money will go toward Vega's upcoming veterinarian appointment, where she'll get blood work, an ultrasound and other tests done to rule out any possible illnesses behind her weight loss. At three pounds, the cat is dangerously below the weight range for a healthy feline, which Rosenthal said usually ranges from eight to 20 pounds.

"She's literally just skin and bones," Rosenthal said. "It's really sad. I look at this cat and my heart breaks."

When Towne looks at the cat, her heart swells.

She sees a sweet, upbeat animal who's surprisingly unfazed by her circumstances. Malnourished cats usually tend to be lethargic, but Towne has watched Vega cuddle, explore and play with other cats since taking her in. Even before that, she learned the cat was a volunteer favorite known for showing affection at the ACC shelter.

"She's absolutely lovely," Towne gushed. "The outlook that this cat has for her condition is incredible. I've never seen anything like it."

Neighbors have also started to take notice.

Since Towne took Vega in, a constant stream of visitors have been in and out of her house to meet the miracle cat, and she's been inundated with messages from people who want to help.

Towne said she's still contemplating whether or not to put Vega up for adoption after nursing her back to health. If she does, she's almost certain the cat will have no trouble finding a home.

"There's so many people cheering for her in Forest Hills," Towne said. "She's kind of become the neighborhood cat already."

Lead photo courtesy of GoFundMe