For most people, Christmas Day is a time of joy and celebration, but that wasn’t the case for Jasper, a sweet 1-year-old cat that was rescued after enduring heart-wrenching cruelty.
This innocent cat was the victim of a suspected brutal attack and suffered from a severe gunshot wound.
Keep reading to follow Jasper’s heartwarming journey from a tragic start to a bright future, all thanks to the kind-hearted rescuers who showed him love, compassion, and paved the path for him to live happily ever after.
Rushing to The Rescue
Jasper was discovered when people leaving a Christmas service at a church in Sheridan, Arkansas witnessed him attempting to move across the church parking lot.
The people who found him contacted a Sheridan official who then called Sarah Richardson, rescue coordinator for Community Cats of Central Arkansas (CCCA), for help.
Fully aware of how urgent the situation was, Sarah wasted no time jumping into action.
She left her family on Christmas day to drive an hour all the way to Sheridan and back for sweet Jasper.
Immediate inspection revealed a gunshot wound on the back left side of his body.
There were no emergency vet clinics open on Christmas day, so the best she could do was clean his wounds and give him pain medication to alleviate his pain and suffering until she could take him to the ER the next morning.
Subsequent X-rays from the ER confirmed the disturbing truth: Jasper had not only suffered gunshot wounds, but he’d sustained identical fractures in both back legs, likely from a deliberate and violent strike.
The gunshot wounds were fresh, meaning Jasper had been attacked very shortly before his discovery.
“The vet felt like his leg injuries were a result of a baseball bat strike to his back end area,” said Sarah.
Solving The Crime
Sarah, grappling with the severity of the abuse, was absolutely mortified.
“This innocent soul endured unimaginable cruelty on a day meant for kindness and peace,” she shared with remorse.
Jasper could barely move, much less run for cover, meaning whoever committed this act of cruelty intended for Jasper to stay alive long enough to suffer a slow, painful death.
Despite how angry this made her, Sarah had to stay focussed on the goal: saving Jasper.
“Whoever did this is some low life, piece of crap person,” said Sarah. “There are many other things that I could say, but I won’t because I want to focus on saving this boy now.”
In the meantime, Sarah urges the Sheridan community to send leads on who committed the acts of violence against him.
Local law enforcement should take this criminal investigation very seriously as several studies show time and time again that people who harm animals are more likely to abuse women, children, and the elderly.
Hope At Last
Jasper’s X-Rays revealed how complicated it would be to treat his injuries, something most vets didn’t want to take on during the holidays.
“After going to the ER and contacting 3 other vets, we were lucky enough to find a vet who was willing to help and knew how to treat his injuries” said Sarah.
Since being rescued, Jasper has undergone emergency surgery twice, but his vet anticipates him needing 1 or 2 more follow-up surgeries to address the complexity of his injuries.
Jasper will need to stay at the animal hospital for a minimum of 12 weeks and receive physical therapy 3 times a day for 7 days a week.
His vet team is militant about his physical therapy and stretching regimen in hopes that it will help Jasper learn how to use his legs again.
The road to recovery will last several months, but his rescuers and vet team are optimistic about what the future holds.
Mending a Broken Heart
“He’s traumatized and scared, but he’s already starting to open his heart to us.” said Sarah.
After enduring unimaginable cruelty, Sarah and the vet team are determined to show Jasper the gentle, loving side of humans.
“We want him to know he’ll never have to worry about being hurt ever again,” said Sarah.
Jasper’s body will heal, but the journey to mend his broken heart has only begun.
Help Jasper Walk Again
“He deserves a second chance to be loved and spoiled, so we’re scraping together everything we have to help him,” said Sarah.
Between the surgeries he’s already had, the surgeries he’ll need in the near future, being boarded at the vet for 12 weeks, and the ER bill, Sarah and CCGA have an enormous financial dilemma on their hands.
“His first two surgeries were $2500 and his follow-up surgery might push that to $5,000,” said Sarah. “We’re trying our best to budget for that while also providing for our other critical-care cats.”
Jasper’s vet was kind enough to give Sarah time to collect medical funds and pay off the debt throughout his 12 week treatment plan.
“Please consider supporting this sweet boy’s medical treatment,” said Sarah. “He didn’t deserve the awful things that were done to him, and he will be grateful to have working legs again.”
If you’d like to help Jasper walk again, please consider making a donation through our Mail Mail program.
In exchange for your donation, you will be emailed an update on Jasper and how your donation has benefitted him.
“We prioritize helping shelter, sick and critical cats because they have no other options,” said Sarah. “Without us they won’t survive, so that is why we do what we do.”
Managing a small non-profit cat rescue in a rural area with high animal cruelty rates and limited resources isn’t easy on the hearts or pockets of these rescuers.
However, nothing can deter them from fighting towards their goal of creating a better future for these cats.
About Our Heroes
Community Cats of Central Arkansas (CCCA) is a small 501(c)3 non-profit rescue organization led by two women, Sarah Richardson and Stephanie Spence, who rescue and rehabilitate cats from rural towns with high animal cruelty rates.
They rely on donations from kind-hearted individuals to continue saving cats & kittens that have suffered from neglect, abuse, or abandonment.
In addition to their direct intake, they pull special needs cats, senior cats, and cats in critical condition from the top kill shelters in the state to prevent unnecessary euthanasia.
Despite being a small, volunteer-led non-profit, they rescued 1400 cats and kittens in 2023– these numbers rival those of much larger, better known rescues with significantly bigger budgets.
Unlike those rescues, members of CCCA don’t draw salaries from their donations or spend money on marketing.
Instead, they’ve invested in providing cat food and supplies to support the growing needs of their strong network of volunteer fosters.
Providing basic supplies for fosters to continue volunteering their time and homes has allowed CCCA to increase their intake for cats in need.
We encourage you to donate food and supplies from their Amazon wishlist to help CCCA reallocate those funds towards life-saving medical procedures.
CCCA’s integrity and commitment to animal welfare is the reason why National Kitty proudly supports and advocates for them by using our media presence to draw awareness to their rescue efforts.
Please follow Sarah Richardson on Instagram and Community Cats of Central Arkansas on Facebook to witness more of their heartwarming rescue missions.
