Studley is the one-eyed wonder cat.
Studley was a stray in my friend’s neighborhood. He was “servicing” the unspayed females, so he earned the nickname the “Stud cat” which eventually became “Studley”. My friend was patient, and gradually befriended Studley by feeding him. The only shelters in her area euthanized unadopted cats after a few days, so she knew a timid adult tomcat had little to no chance. She asked if I could get him into one of the “no-kill” shelters near me. I agreed.
She transported Studley to me in late August, 2002. At under 11 pounds, this large guy was thin and all muscle. The vet at the low-cost spay/neuter clinic I took him to expressed amazement at his muscular forearms and tight abs.
A shelter I adopted from in the past agreed to show Studley on their website, if I continued to foster him and I did. After several months of no inquiries, I grew increasingly attached to this gentle giant and I decided to adopt him myself. When you have three cats, what’s one more?
Studley’s gradually learned to trust me more and more. He’ll come up for pets now, and sleep with me at night. He enjoys cuddling, grooming, and wrestling with the other boy cats. He gained a lot of weight with free access to food. He lost two pounds when we eliminated dry food, but is still over weight and I have to watch his portions and that he doesn’t “help” the other cats with their leftovers.
Studley had to have one eye removed in March 2005, due to severely high eye pressure caused by glaucoma. They found cysts all along his optic nerve. His other eye showed signs of deterioration as well, but is currently stable. In February 2006, I noticed a small cyst or bump on Studley’s left cheek. The vet didn’t think it was anything to worry about – but in April it was still there and on April 14 I asked that they remove it. To my shock and dismay, the biopsy report came back that it was cancer and they had not gotten it all. We consulted with an oncologist, and she felt a second surgery was our best option. They made a second elliptical cut around the first one, and removed the slightly enlarged lymph node. Histograph results indicated they got it all.
Hopefully, Studley is finished demonstrating his amazing ability to grow unusual cells.
Life of the Lintee Bean 
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