MUSKEGON, Mich. — The staff at the Big Lake Humane Society got a surprise on Monday. It's a day when they're usually closed. But shelter manager Velvet Lyght was in the building checking up on the animals under her care. She heard the doorbell ring twice. By the time she could get to the door, there wasn't a person there. But there was an animal.
"She opened the door and little Betty came crawling right to her," said executive director Alexis Robertson.
Betty is a grey and white kitten with a pretty noticeable injury.
"Immediately, we noticed that her back end was seemingly paralyzed, and we were able to get her in for an x-ray that day. It does appear to be a recent injury. She still has the muscle mass in her legs," Robertson said.
The well-meaning person who dropped Betty off was caught on security camera. Robertson says she wishes that person would not have left Betty to fend for herself. She says even when the building is closed, the best thing to do is try to find a way to get into contact with someone at the shelter.
"Had we been able to even have a conversation, we would have been able to be farther along in this process of helping her. Having to play detective and spend that money to figure out what happened when someone could have just told us is definitely frustrating," she said.
"When you abandon them like that, instead of having that communication with the organization, it sets that animal so far back in the process of getting adopted, because we know nothing about them."
Betty will undergo CT scans so the shelter can figure out how badly her injuries are and what sort of life she could live.
"We have started cold laser therapy, and we have her on some antibiotics and some anti inflammatory and we're doing daily exercises with her right now. So I'm really hoping that we're going to be able to get that feeling back in her legs," Robertson said.
The shelter is hoping Betty's story reaches the manufacturer of specially-designed animal wheelchairs, so the shelter can improve Betty's mobility while they wait for her to potentially gain feeling and strength in her legs.
Robertson is fostering Betty right now. She doesn't know yet how long it will take for Betty to be well enough to be put up for adoption. But if anyone is interested in adopting Betty, Robertson is asking them to reach out to the shelter now so they can find a good fit for Betty's forever home.
"She has an incredible will to live. She's so spunky and so sweet, and you fall in love with her when you meet her," Robertson said.
"This kitten's resilience and just the heart of a lion, I mean, it purrs so loud it echoes through the neighborhood."
It is kitten season, which means a lot of kittens are being dropped off at shelters across West Michigan. The Big Lake Humane Society is in critical need of supplies to take care of those cats. If you'd like to help you can donate money through their website, or buy specific items on their Amazon Wishlist and Chewy Wishlist.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.