The Power of Community: The Story of Timon the Cat & the Sausage Puppies
City Dogs and City Kitties Rescue (CDCK) is unique in part because we give a fighting chance to animals who would otherwise be euthanized due to health challenges. We know that with the right tender love and care, animals that were previously discarded or mistreated can go on to live the best lives possible and make their new families oh so happy.
​For Timon the cat and the Sausage Puppies litter, that couldn’t be more true. All of these animals faced severe medical challenges they wouldn’t have survived without the help of CDCK donors and volunteers.
Hakuna Matata: It Means No Worries for the Rest of Timon’s Days
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Timon and his Lion King siblings were found in the wild when they were so small that they couldn’t have survived on their own.
After making the trek to the DC area Timon’s siblings acted like normal little baby kittens, but Timon, the runt, was not as playful and couldn’t keep up. Sadly, it turned out that his behavior was due to a congenital defect that caused his rib cage to curl into his chest, not leaving enough space for his heart & lungs to grow. Unable to breathe properly, the only chance to give little Timon a good life was a major operation to address his condition (pectus excavatum).
Luckily, Timon couldn’t have ended up in better hands. His foster mom, Kathy, is a kitten expert who has fostered over 100 kittens and chose to volunteer for CDCK because we place an equal value on dogs and cats, even ones with medical needs that are more likely to be overlooked by others.
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So many of you gave generously, and Timon was able to receive life saving surgery. Expert medical care and lots of TLC allowed Timon to heal, play with his siblings, and head to happiness in his forever home.
The sad truth is Timon – and other kittens like him – would not have survived without people like you stepping in. But knowing that a cat like Timon can go from at-risk to nearly good-as-new in a loving forever home fuels CDCK’s work for the future.
The Cured Sausage Puppies
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In March, 2022, experienced foster Taaj and her sister brought home little puppies Kielbasa, a male, and Andouille, a female.
That first night, she noticed that they weren’t feeling 100%, which can happen in a new environment. In the middle of the night, Kielbasa was crying and pacing back and forth in his crate. Sadly, Taaj and her sister awoke to find Andouille, the female, had passed away. Kielbasa was trying to tell them something was wrong.
Taaj immediately contacted her volunteer foster assistant and took Kielbasa to the vet, who confirmed that he and likely his other two siblings, Chorizo and Salami, all had Parvo, an incredibly contagious and deadly virus that can infect puppies and dogs that aren’t fully vaccinated. Taaj and her sister ended up also taking in the other two puppies. With three darling – but very sick – puppies on their hands, they nursed them through their treatment. Thankfully, the CDCK community came together to raise the necessary funds to save the Sausage Puppies’ lives.
Even when they were sick it wasn’t hard to see how sweet, fun, and rambunctious these little puppies were and how much they deserved to be saved. Taaj and sister took shifts so the puppies could get around the clock care. They gave them IV drips and got them past Parvo and healthy enough to be adopted. Thanks to our generous donors and volunteers, Taaj and her sister had the critical resources they needed to nurse the Sausage Puppies to health.
Amazingly, Taaj didn’t grow up around dogs: she didn’t even like dogs until she was an adult, but she’s now fostered 16 dogs! Even still, up until bringing the Sausage puppies home, she hadn’t fostered puppies before. She originally didn’t think she could handle puppies – much less three sick ones. But as an experienced foster mom and a mainstay in the CDCK foster program, she did everything she could for these babies, knowing she had the full support of the CDCK community.
Where are they now?
Since getting adopted, Timon, Salami (now Loki), Kielbasa (now Trevor), and Chorizo (now Junior) are all living the good life.
Timon and his littermate, Pumba live together with their human dad and two human girls, who are so glad they found the little cuties! Despite Timon’s early health trouble, he’s now very sociable and outgoing and enjoys cuddling with his human dad and siblings, playing with Pumba, and entertaining their many house guests.
Loki is living large with his parents and two other doggie siblings in Virginia. His family fell in love with the Sausage Puppies’ pictures and brought him home right after he finished Parvo treatment. Now Loki and his dad are best buds. This lucky boy sleeps on the bed with his humans and if you smile at him closely, he’ll roll right onto his back and wait for you to rub his belly. He is a loving, energetic, and curious little guy who couldn’t have ended up in a better home, and wouldn’t have without the help of stalwart CDCK supporters like you.
Littermate Trevor also hit the jackpot. Like many people, the pandemic gave his parents the time to welcome another dog into their home. They weren’t initially thinking about the challenge of a puppy, but that all changed when they saw Trevor on CDCK’s website. Now Trevor loves his eight year old doggie sister and is beloved by his adopters, who especially enjoy seeing the world through his eyes!
Junior, FKA Chorizo, is so happy in his forever home, where he lives with his mom and big fur sister Fancy. He enjoys messing with his sister, daily walks to the neighborhood park, and destroying toys. Junior is also a pro at protecting the house from the mail carrier!
What Made this Possible
​Each person at every step of the process for Timon and the Sausage Puppies – volunteers, the medical team, donors, and fosters – played a huge role in getting them into loving forever homes.
​Opening your home to a foster dog or cat means opening your heart to the joy an animal brings to a caregiver. Volunteer fosters are one of the most important stops in an animal’s journey to get to a forever home. Fortunately, fostering an animal doesn’t usually mean dealing with serious medical problems.
It may seem scary to take on the responsibility of fostering or adopting a City Dog or City Kitty that’s had medical issues, you can know that the CDCK family has your back. Our team is filled with people who have been in those shoes before. They have advice on hand and will be able to provide you and your animals with what you need.
The rescue world brings us all together to help these animals and it’s amazing to see the lives they’re able to live with your help. If it’s one thing all CDCK fosters, adopters, volunteers, and supporters count on, it’s that there’s no love like the love of a rescue animal!
If you’re looking to help a City Dog or City Kitty, consider applying to foster or adopt, make a donation if you can, or like and share us on social media, or volunteer. Everything makes a difference in rescuing more vulnerable animals!