by: Paul Steeno
Posted: / Updated:
OSHKOSH, Wis. (WFRV) – Cats are resilient. Just ask anybody who has met a cat named Richie Cunningham. He was found with gunshot wounds in a rural area with his lower jaw almost completely blown off.
“They (the people who found him) could tell he was in distress there was blood around his jaw and his face,” said Jessica Miller, who is an administrative staff member with the Oshkosh Area Humane Society.
He underwent surgery at Blue Pearl Pet Hospital in Appleton. Richie had his surgery in early November, spent some time in a foster home to recover, and then came to the Oshkosh Area Humane Society.
“What the doctor did was remove extra bones that were in there, bone fragments diseased tissues and then they kind of shaved it and gave him what looks like a fake jaw,” explained Tawana Hanamann, Medical Coordinator at the Oshkosh Area Humane Society.
Nowadays, Richie is hanging out at the Oshkosh Area Humane Society waiting for a forever home. He is named after the character from Happy Days.
“All while he was enduring this he remained loveable and happy and exhibiting normal cat behaviors,” said Miller.
Hanamann does checkups on Richie and makes sure he is taking his medication. She says the surgery that Richie received wasn’t a life-saving procedure. Rather, its purpose was restorative to give him a way to eat and drink comfortably on his own like a normal cat.
“If anybody deserves to live out their days somewhere in happiness and contentment, it would be Richie Cunningham,” said Miller.
If you would like to adopt Richie you can visit the humane society during its regular hours or call the humane society and ask for their cat adoption staff.
The Oshkosh Area Humane Society is open from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. You can reach the humane society at 920-424-2128.
