A fractured pelvis. A festering infected wound to her hindquarters. A painful severely injured tail. That’s the state that Belladonna was in when she came to us near Thanksgiving. Upon veterinary examination, euthanasia was recommended, as her pain level was high and her prognosis was poor. The thing was, Belladonna didn’t seem to know the terrible shape she was in. She was purring. She kneaded us with her little front paws and still moved around her cage as best she could. The injuries we knew she had didn’t line up with the little cat in front of us. We were told that ending her suffering was probably best, but she was telling us how much she wanted to live. We didn’t share the awful pictures of her wounds, but they were there. When she laid down, she somehow hid both her injuries and her pain. So we treated her awful infection and gave her pain medication she didn’t act like she needed. We cared for her every day and got more opinions from vets. She was improving. It wouldn’t be easy or inexpensive, but there were beginning to be some options for Belladonna. No one wants to decide which animals live and which ones don’t. We abide by a promise to not let an animal suffer when their quality of life is poor. Every time you put a lot of resources into one shelter pet, you wonder if you’re doing the right thing and if they will recover. We always want to get it right, but who decides what right is? Sometimes you have to make the calls, have the conversations, go with your gut and if you’re lucky, your heart will agree. Sometimes you just have to look in their eyes and they will tell you. We received a quote from a veterinary hospital for the two surgeries it’s been determined that Belladonna needs. It was $7,000 for a hip surgery and $5,600 for a tail amputation high enough to avoid nerve damage. We were lost and very sad. By this point, we already knew how special she was, but we also knew exactly what $12,600 could do. We began speaking with our medical connections and trying to find a way. If Belladonna could fight her situation with so much love, then so would we. We found a very trusted veterinarian who would perform both surgeries for us for $2,000. We couldn’t believe Belladonna’s good fortune but also we can. She’s got a bit of magic in her eyes. Belladonna with the sweet vet tech at Anamosa Veterinary Clinic We put a plea out on Facebook and raised $2,500 in the next week, so our Belladonna had the first of two surgeries in mid-February. She is now in a loving foster home and recovering nicely! We’re so grateful to our donors and the amazing Anamosa Veterinary Clinic for rallying around Belladonna. If you want to help with future care for Belladonna, we would be so happy. Our Venmo is @PAWS_and_More Online/PayPal is at pawsandmorewashington.org By mail or in person, our address is: PAWS & More 1004 1/2 W Madison St Washington, IA 52353 Thank you for reading Belladonna’s story. She has been through horrific times, but she has never given up and she’s never stopped being full of love, so we’ll do the same for her!

Join us for another night of fun and fundraising for the animals! The theme for this year’s gala is Denim & Diamonds 💎 You can expect a beautiful evening with a delicious meal, live auction, live music by Banjoy, and success stories that feature our favorite animals. Be casual or fancy, come as you’d like to be! Tickets are $75. Reserve yours today at https://givebutter.com/FjivuM

We're excited to team up with Pizza Hut in Washington for a great fundraiser for our furry friends. On Tuesday, November 5 Pizza Hut will donate 20% of their sales to us for all dine-in, carry-out, and delivery orders! We're grateful for their support and hope our community turns out to support our shelter on November 5.

Reserve your tickets now for PAWSgiving on November 9 at the Washington County Fairgrounds. We're excited to share our progress on the new building and really kick off the public phase of fundraising! You can reserve tickets here: www.tinyurl.com/PAWSgivingKickoff .

Cats and dogs in holiday finery will be ready to welcome you once again to our holiday party at PAWS! Our shelter will be decorated and we'll have refreshments for your enjoyment! Our animals will have their stockings hung, hoping to have them filled with toys and treats! Canned dog and cat food donations are gratefully accepted. You can see our current wish list here: https://tinyurl.com/PAWSAmazonList . We hope you join us for this festive event!

Starting on Tuesday, November 26 we'll once again be hosting our online holiday auction on Facebook. We'll have lots of fun items available to the highest bidder! From hotel stays to movie night baskets, and so many items in between, we hope that everyone will find items to enjoy. Keep an eye out on our facebook page to bid!