Meet Nick: A Tiny Fighter with a Shattered Start

At just eight weeks old, Nick should be learning to pounce on blades of grass, nap in sunbeams, and playfully chase the flick of a tail. Instead, he arrived at Pleasant Pasture with a broken jaw, a painful eye infection, and a story we’ll never fully know—but we can imagine.

He was found alone on a farm just a few miles from the Sanctuary. No mother. No littermates. Just a fragile kitten with injuries consistent with being thrown from a moving vehicle. Whether by panic or cruelty, someone made a choice that changed Nick’s life forever.

At the Sanctuary, Nick has begun treatment for his infected eye and his fractured jaw. He’s on pain medication, soft food, and receiving loving care. He is quiet, but when gently held, he leans in with the kind of trust only animals seem to manage after heartbreak. His little body is fragile, but his spirit? Remarkable.

Sadly, Nick’s story is not rare. Every year in the U.S., it’s estimated that over 3.2 million cats enter shelters. Thousands more—especially rural barn cats and kittens—go uncounted, left to fend for themselves, injured, abandoned, or born into hopelessness.

An estimated 70 million cats roam streets, farms, and fields across the country. And only 1 in 10 kittens born outdoors survives past six months without human intervention.

Nick survived. And now, because of kind hands and open hearts, he will have a chance not just to live—but to heal, be loved, and one day, thrive.

We named him Nick after Saint Nicholas—a reminder that kindness can arrive even in the darkest moments. He’s safe now. He’s warm. And he has people who see him not as broken, but as becoming.

Thank you for being part of Nick’s story.

If you’d like to help with Nick’s ongoing care and recovery, we welcome your support. Every small gift brings him closer to the life he deserves.