Yanik – The severely burned cat who was rescued on a rainy day on January 29, 2015. Here is how his story unfolds.
A young couple found Yanik severely burned and holding on to his life by a miracle. They rushed him over to the Zabeel Veterinary Hospital as an emergency patient where the vets confirmed his 3rd to 4th-degree burns were potentially caused by hot oil. It is still unknown whether the burns were intentional or accidental, but what we do know is that Yanik is a strong fighter!
Yanik sustained terrible burns to over 40% of his body, leaving his muscles severely burned, his arm barely adhered to his body, skin melting off, and the cartilages of his ears completely burned as was the state of his whiskers and eyelashes. The vets at ZVH rushed to his rescue to ensure Yanik had the opportunity to experience another daylight and to have the chance to show the world what a loving cat he is.
From the moment Yanik entered ZVH emergency care, his wounds were dressed and treated daily. Most of the dead skin started to dry out within 2 weeks of the treatment. By the 3rd week the cartilages of his ears had fallen off and a large open wound on his back was exposed as scabs of his skin came off. Despite all this, Yanik stayed strong and patient and received the vets’ daily treatments with a calm demeanor.
After 4 weeks of daily checkups and wound dressings, Yanik’s eyelashes and whiskers grew back, and his wound became smaller over time as new skin and fur grew out. On his 5th week at ZVH, the vets performed a successful skin grafting surgery which closed the skin completely over the wound and corrected his contracted arm which helped him regain his normal movement.
As the days went by, Yanik’s condition improved significantly; his skin looked much better, he regained his appetite and started getting physically stronger and healthier. Within 60 days of utmost care and attention, he was discharged from the hospital and was ready to find his new home. On April 3rd, 2016 Yanik found his new home with Dr. Manal Al Mansoori who showed him unconditional love and support and Yanik got to have a happily ever after to his story.
Dr. Manal renamed him to ‘Yanni’ soon after adopting him. Moved by Yanni’s fate and story, Dr Manal was determined to extend a helping hand to stray animals to change their lives and end their suffering. She founded a charitable organization named after her rescued cat “Yanni Animal Welfare”. YAW is a volunteering group of different nationalities, colors, and religions with a common humanitarian bond that is ‘Animals love and respect towards their souls’ value’.
Yanni’s perseverance and strength will forever be a tale to be told about the two faces of humanity. One that stands for destruction and inhumane actions and another that sees peace and love as guidance to their existence. We choose to be the face that allows all creatures to share this planet with us and to give them a chance to live in peace and dignity despite all their flaws.
