WATCH ABOVE: Just 48 hours after surgery to remove his injured front leg, Henry the ‘Warrior Cat’ is in good spirits. Emily Mertz has the update.
EDMONTON — The kitten that captured hearts with his inspiring story of survival and quickly became the Edmonton Humane Society’s social media star has had his front leg amputated.
In an Instagram post, the EHS said Dr. Kooyman completed Henry’s surgery on June 30 and the medical team said it “went off without a hitch.”
Henry got some rest in the recovery unit before heading home for more rest and recuperation at his foster home.
“His surgery went well and he is happily resting at home,” another Instagram post reads.
“The next few days will be filled with love and snuggles.”
Henry came to the Humane Society as a tiny kitten left injured on the side of an Alberta highway. His back leg was in bad shape and his front leg was severely dislocated. Since then, his back leg healed nicely, but veterinarians determined his front leg would need to be amputated.
READ MORE: Henry the ‘warrior cat’ becomes social media darling
“Because he’s so young and the injury was so severe, he’s not going to regain any use in that leg,” explained Jocelyn Wady, a Humane Society spokesperson, on June 5.
The Humane Society has been sharing his story – and updates on his condition – on Facebook and Instagram, building quite a following for the spirited kitten. He’s even earned the nickname “warrior cat.”
In a post on Wedesday, the EHS said Henry was “pretty much back to normal only 24 hours after surgery” and shared a short video to prove it.
“He’s doing really well and he is just tearing around as he did before,” explained EHS spokesperson Jocelyn Wady on Thursday. “Now he doesn’t have a cast in his way so he’s a lot happier. He’s purring right now … He’s just as happy as ever.”
The post generated more than 510 likes and 73 comments.
Wady explained Henry’s speedy recovery isn’t rare.
“It is actually really common. We love to tell the story of a German Shepherd we had here: the German Shepherd was the same sort of situation – it had to get a leg amputated. He actually jumped off the surgery table and walked back to his kennel after the amputation.
“We do like to say… animals are born with an extra leg because they just adapt so well to three legs.”
Wady said there have been a lot of calls asking about Henry, offers to donate funds, and questions about adopting him.
“We have had so many inquiries about Henry. So many people want to adopt this little warrior kitten. So we say that we’re not making any plans for his adoption until he’s fully healed, but we do encourage everyone to come on down and check out all the other lovely animals we have available for adoption, especially right now, it’s kitten season.”
As of Thursday, the Humane Society had 362 cats in its care.
But all the interest, support and encouragement throughout their little warrior’s journey is very much appreciated.
“The response to Henry has been amazing,” said Wady. “We started a GoFundMe page and it’s since raised over $8,600. And that money all goes towards Henry’s care and any excess just goes directly into our Sick and Injured Animal Fund. Any major medical cases we have like Henry, that’s where those funds will go.
“We’re actually running really low on that fund right now and our shelter is quite full with major medical cases coming in. So Henry is like our super star right now because the funds that are coming in on Henry’s behalf are really helping all the animals in the shelter.”
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