Xena
Happy Tails: Xena the Warrior Cat
Xena wasn’t part of the plan that day—but she was exactly where she needed to be.
We were out in Clewiston for a spay day event, helping a colony of about 30 cats. While my primary focus is usually in Palm Beach County, I regularly make the trip to Clewiston to support my friends. The resources are scarce out there, and the animals face a lot of suffering without outside help.
That day, as we were trapping, a cat showed up with a huge wound on her neck. The caretaker told us, “That’s already healed—it used to be worse.” My stomach dropped. If this was better, I could only imagine what it looked like before. Cheyenne and I exchanged a look and quietly shifted our focus. We weren’t leaving without her.
Thankfully, we got her.
Up close, the wound was even worse than we expected. The next day, we brought her to a TNVR event hosted by Barky Pines and funded by the Bissell Foundation. Once Xena was under anesthesia, the team sent me photos: the wounds wrapped all the way around her neck.
There was no way we were putting her back outside like that.
I brought Xena home to recover, and scheduled follow-ups at PGA Animal Clinic with the amazing Dr. Adams and her team. I warned them—“Her caretaker says she’s the only one in the colony no one can touch. She hasn’t let me near her either, so please be careful.”
Well... joke was on me.
They sent me videos of her rolling over, making biscuits, purring like crazy, and doing elevator butt. Feral? Not even close. Xena had just been waiting for the right moment—and the right people—to show her sweet side.
What was supposed to be a simple recovery turned into something much more. This girl was not going back to her colony—she was going to find a home.
Week after week, Xena went in for her laser treatments. Her neck was healing beautifully, and she loved seeing her vet team just as much as they loved seeing her. She hadn’t even been officially listed for adoption yet when one of her nurses confessed: “I’ve fallen completely in love with her. I’d love to adopt her.”
My heart soared. Xena had found her person—without us even having to look.
From a wounded, frightened colony cat in Clewiston to a spoiled, beloved house cat—Xena’s journey is nothing short of amazing. And it was made possible by a village of compassionate people: those who donate, share, support, foster, rescue, and adopt.
This is why we do it.
