This is Cupid, shortly after he arrived at the rescue. Cupid is burned in my memory, both for his happy ending, as well as the horrific way that we found him. As you can see in the picture above, he is scruffy, dirty, and bony (note his jutting hip). When we got the call from the shelter he was at, they told us he didn't seem to be eating. We had little room in the rescue, but in these cases where the rabbit needs vet care, we often will find the room and step in to see what we can do.
I drove to the shelter Valentine's day of last year, dreading it as I always do during shelter visits. I knew that I could only take the one bunny as we didn't have any other room. My heart ached for the others there and I braced myself even before walking in. All that I had been told, was there was one bunny not eating. I was not prepared for what I found.
When I walked in, I saw him immediately. I barely announced to the staff that I had arrived before running to the cage that Cupid was in and pulling it open. Even from across the room I could see how diminished and bony he was. When I picked him up, a feeling of horror coursed through me - it felt like I was lifting a furry sack filled with bones. In his cage, his food was untouched, and not a single poop. I nuzzled him, doing all I could not to burst into tears, wrapped him in some towels and put him in the carrier. In the car, I drove as quickly as I dared - fearing the entire time that he would have a heart attack before we could get him to the vet. I dropped him off with another volunteer (Fluffy's mom!) to finish the journey, and the look on her face when she saw him mirrored my own. He tugged her heartstrings, as he had mine, and she named him Cupid.
Cupid had been surrendered by his owner to the shelter. He was that way when they got him. He had been so neglected that he was starving and his owners didn't even notice or care. But he made it. He pulled through, weighing in at 2.2 lbs (less than half of an average holland lop). Miraculously, he had no internal damage to his organs. He made wonderful progress in his foster home, putting on weight and stealing everyone's heart. He was dirty, and missing a lot of fur, but he soon could clean himself without falling over, and his fur grew back. He was affectionate and trusting, showing little sign of the horrific past he had suffered. He was happily adopted and now lives with his loving, forever family.
To see some better pictures of Cupid, visit this link and scroll down about 1/3 of the way. You will find Cupid's story, and a before and after picture of him. His story is a close call, but a happy ending - one of the rabbits that make those of us who volunteer in animal rescue remember that it's worth it.
