Floyd recovering from an operation to amputate his badly broken leg.
Floyd recovering from an operation to amputate his badly broken leg.
Dictator Floyd, Taupō Pound's live-in manager and vermin exterminator, is clawing his way back to purrfect health after having one of his legs amputated.
Floyd, a cat who resides at the pound, was adopted by pound staff to not only provide companionship but also for the specific role of keepingrats and mice under control.
Besides being excellent at his job, Floyd also rules over the pound, with his human underlings at his beck and call. He normally spends his days as any good dictator would – overseeing the inhabitants, being hand-fed treats, sleeping on the printer and occasionally lashing out and attacking people for no reason.
"He pretty much rules the roost around here," senior compliance officer Cam says.
"He seems to run the place and what he wants, he gets."
Worryingly for pound staff, Floyd went missing in early April and had almost been given up for lost until he reappeared in the pound carpark thin, hungry and dishevelled after a one-month walkabout.
His back left leg appeared injured so he was taken to VetPlus Taupō where an x-ray revealed the leg was fractured in two places, which would require either amputation or euthanasia.
Happily for Floyd, the prognosis was that he would still enjoy a good quality of life with three legs, so his leg was amputated on May 2.
Cam put out a call to all council staff for donations to help with the cost of the operation. Generous co-workers and cat fans dipped into their wallets, and with support from VetPlus, Floyd was able to have his surgery.
Taupō Pound's live-in manager and vermin exterminator Floyd back on his feet.
Floyd has made a good recovery. He has returned to the pound to resume his position as dictator and appears to be feline good despite having only three legs.
"He seems to be getting around fine, he can get up on the table fairly easily, he can still jump and he's back to annoying everyone," Cam says. "He's a ray of sunshine really – he's fantastic to have around."
