A Kitten Found Covered Head To Tail In Industrial Glue Just Made A Full Recovery And Has A New Home

When a good Samaritan in Fort Worth, Texas, discovered a small kitten stuck in a bucket of industrial-strength glue near an industrial area and rushed him to the Humane Society of North Texas, shelter staff were not sure the tiny animal would survive the night. The glue was covering every part of his body including his head, ears, mouth, and nose, and the adhesive had already hardened in places, restricting his ability to breathe, eat, and drink. The medical director later told CBC Radio that the kitten was shaking, barely responsive, and so close to death that he did not have the energy to meow, hiss, or struggle. What followed was around-the-clock care: staff first tried olive oil and dish soap, which failed, and eventually discovered that soaking the kitten in nearly two gallons of canola oil over many hours was the only way to release the glue, with one staff member taking him home overnight to continue the treatment.

After roughly 24 hours of constant attention, the gray and white fur underneath finally appeared, and the staff named him Elmer after the famous glue brand. Once Elmer understood that the people around him were helping rather than harming him, the shelter's medical director said he became completely relaxed, tolerant of every procedure, and then began actively seeking the gentle attention he had grown accustomed to during his treatment. A 72-year-old volunteer named Leah Owens, who read about Elmer in the newspaper, came forward to foster him while he recovered. Elmer is now thriving in a permanent home, and his story has been shared widely as a reminder that sometimes the right people show up for a small creature at exactly the right moment.

Source:https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/elmer-glue-kitten-9.7191582