We don’t quite remember when she appeared near the building entrance. The earliest photo-evidences have date somewhere in the spring of 2015, so I believe she emerged in the fall of 2014 or so.
“Spinka” is a russian word which is diminutive from the word “back” because Spinka had (and still has) some kind of a large wound or a scorch on her back.
For some reason she hung around the front door of the building for a long time, so we thought that she had either been lost or had been abandoned because of her illness.
Time went by, Spinka began to live in our yard.
She wasn’t very tame or affectionate cat but she wasn’t a feral one either.
She liked people’s attention but was very afraid when someone tried to take her in hands or to confine her.
The scorch on her back and the half-cut ear leave much room for speculations about her previous life and her fears.
Local old woman Aunt Valya, which feeds cats here, tried to cure the scorch by some kind of salve, we used Stronghold but unsuccessfully.
All that time we were busy with other cats and kittens so we couldn’t pay close attention to her.
At last, somewhere in the fall of 2015 we decided to neuter Spinka and also to take a closer look on her health problems.
Spinka was neutered. We take tests for various parasites but they were all clear, so vet doctors proposed that her bald patch on the back is a scorch.
She also had some problems with gums, her mouth were too red and she apparently had some problems with eating.
We have made all prescribed injections of antibiotics but it didn’t help her neither with her back nor with mouth.
Making injections was a difficult task with Spinka because she was very afraid of pain, though she has never bitten us or made us scars with her claws. She just curled up in a small wad of fur and pushed herself in a corner.
She lived in our cage until the beginning of spring 2016. After that we couldn’t keep her in this prison any more.
We let her out, though we hesitated that this is a right decision, and I remember how joyful she was. She immediately began to run after a leafs, carried by a wind.
Spinka didn’t take offense for her incarceration. Actually we became good friends and she started to wait us on the porch to ask for some food.
She used to wait a moment when we carry out our trash to a dumpster, conducted us there and back, right to the door of our flat in order to attract our attention and get some food.
There were two cats in our yard that we considered as our friends and who recognized us – Spinka and Mus’ka.
We fed them, occasionally cured them from parasites but didn’t tried to find an adoption for them. We were too busy with kittens and other cats.
This had been lasting until the 1st May 2017, when Mus’ka has been violently and purposelessly killed by dogs right in front of our windows in broad daylight.
We experienced a huge shock and urged to find a salvation for our last friend – Spinka.
In our posts for her we used a good, plaintive text which had been written some time ago by one of the volunteers for Mus’ka.
This text helped to quickly find an adoption for Spinka tough she was an adult, sick cat.
Spinka has been taken by a good woman whose old sick cat passed away recently.
Spinka has got in the very good hands, she is surrounded by warmth and attention now.
Now she sleeps on a soft cushions, eats quality food and her new owner loves her very much and cares for her.
She has been taken to a vet clinic by the new owner where chronic calicivirus and a lot of parasites inside of intestine were revealed. Parasites have been deleted and steps is being taken to reduce symptoms of calicivirus.
UPDATE. Spring 2018.
New pictures of Spinka cat.
She is doing well though she had some health problems in autumn because she ate too much. Now she is on a diet and feel much better…
UPDATE. Autumn 2018.
UPDATE Spring 2019
Spinka is OK. Her new owner keeps us informed about all significant events in her life. Recently Spinka has undergone a little surgery concerning her teeth. Almost all teeth were removed under anesthesia because they were rotten so now she sometimes is jokingly called Toothless with diminutive – caressing accent.
The owner of Spinka is very happy with this cat and loves her much.
We are also very glad that Spinka was so lucky and found such a good owner. Only sometimes we have regrets that Mooska was not so lucky and that we can’t tell Aunt Valya about life of Spinka any more.
Here is her latest images:
