Triton the cat was clipped by a car and lost a leg. Now he needs a new home

When it comes to cars and cats, some kitties see all of their nine lives flash before their eyes in a single instant. Others may lose only a few.

On a cold January night, 3-year-old Triton was clipped by a car and landed in limbo. If a caring human hadn’t found Triton unconscious on the side of the road, all his lives would have been lost.

That would have been a shame, because Triton is a people-pleasing kitty who longs for a person to give him some love.

Triton’s rescuer took him to an emergency veterinary office.

For a while, Triton’s medical prognosis was “fair to guarded,” as he was suffering from shock and a broken left femur.

Thankfully, donations to the San Luis Obispo County Animal Services’ Animals Requesting Friends (ARF) fund made it possible for Triton’s severely injured leg to be amputated, which was necessary to save his life.

Triton has adapted beautifully to being a tripod kitty and spends his time trying to catch some potential adopter’s eye, or at least a few minutes of affection from a passing stranger.

Triton knows firsthand that being an outdoor kitty is risky. Not that he has just three legs, that means the risks are even higher.

Thus his ideal home would be with someone who wants a loving indoor-only feline.

Triton may have lost a few of his nine lives, but with a loving owner, his best years are yet to come.

For more information about Triton (ID No. 258710), call the volunteer line at the San Luis Obispo County Animal Services shelter at 805-781-4400 or visit www.slocounty.ca.gov/aserv. The shelter is located at 885 Oklahoma Ave., off Highway 1, in San Luis Obispo.

The full-price adoption fee is $81 for cats and $115 for dogs, plus a $28 county license fee for dogs, if the adopters are San Luis Obispo County residents.

The adoption fee includes a new collar, a spay or neuter operation, basic vaccinations, a microchip and eligibility for a free veterinary check within San Luis Obispo County. Cats also are tested for feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus, and adopters receive a carrier.