Blunt force trauma.

The cat was struck by blunt force trauma to the arm, crushing it and forcing the cat to walk on his wrist.

"I found him on Hartley Road on July 4 and so I named him Independence," said Pam Robinson, owner of It's About the Animals, a no-kill animal shelter on Marion Road in Rochester.

Robinson, a Rochester resident whose husband is a fifth generation Rochester native, has been adding to the shelter over the past year. Currently, the shelter has three separate units, each climate-controlled and set up with a plethora of toys for the cats, all paid for by Robinson's husband's retirement money.

"At least he gets around okay," said Kathy Lambalot, of Acushnet, a potential cat adopter touring the shelter's three climate controlled units. "I had cats growing up, I had three of them. I want a couple of little kitties."

Robinson answers her questions on everything from food choices to scratching posts to her belief that declawing a cat is animal abuse. The unit smells of disinfectant and cat food, a warmer and less sterile-feeling version of the vet's office. Robinson dispenses animal advice while above her hangs a banner reading, "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated," a quote by Gandhi.

"Cats are more independent," said Lambalot, explaining why she's choosing cats over dogs.

Independent would be the perfect way to describe Independence.  Despite having three legs, he's able to move about without assistance, climb out the window and balance himself on a narrow window ledge.

"Dr. Suh at Marion Animal Hospital performed the surgery on Independence," said Robinson. "Marion Animal Hospital is great, I couldn't do it without them."

Independence wasn't the first cat Robinson had been called about during the dead of night.  She routinely leaves her house well past midnight to rescue abandoned or wounded animals.

"People usually call me, even in the dead of night," Robinson said. "We only take the abused and the abandoned."

Caring for cats in that shape, however, is no laughing matter.

"My bill last month was $2,105 for medical care alone," said Robinson. "We could really use some help."

Robinson, thus far, has spent over $30,000 of her own money on the shelter to construct units to house the animals and even more on food and medical care. the shelter accepts donations but gathering them has proven difficult lately.

For now, however, Lambalot is committing to adopt two cats, possibly three and Robinson wants to make the transition as smooth as possible.

"As long as I'm alive I'll there for you," Robinson tells Lambalot. "Every cat I adopt out keeps a piece of my heart."

Pam Robinson will be hosting a benefit for It's All About the Animals on September 30 at the Highlander in Acushnet from 7:30 p.m. to 12 a.m. Tickets are $20 per person. Call Pam at 508-763-2035 for more information.

Donations to It's All About the Animals may be sent to It's All About the Animals, c/o Pam Robinson, 103 Marion Road, Rochester MA 02770.