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Choco News!

THIS JUST IN FROM MARIA. NEWS ABOUT HER CAT, CHOCO:

I have really good news! He had no signs of keytones when they checked him at 3:00. He was very happy to see me and was all over me. Potassium is back to normal and I brought him some food to eat. Boy o boy was he hungry. We only gave him a half a can to start and he was definitely wanting the whole can. I also brought his insulin and gave him a shot after he ate. He still needs to go to my regular vet in the morning but it looks like he will be coming home tomorrow!!!

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©2011 Maria S. Choco with food on his face! A good sign after what he went through yesterday.

Of course, this is SUPER AWESOME NEWS and it's SUPER AWESOME that MANY OF YOU JUMPED RIGHT IN TO HELP MARIA WITH HER SUPER-LOUSY VET BILL! We're still trying to raise another $700.00 or so, so if you can help out, we would VERY MUCH APPRECIATE IT!

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©2011 Maria S. Choco. Glad to see his MAMA!

It's tough to put into words just how much Maria does for at-risk cats. She is one of the best-she LOVES all cats and will do anything to help them. It's OUR TURN to help her!

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©2011 Maria S. The ever-too familiar steel cage, but at least this time we KNOW this kitty HAS a loving home. Hs'e not in a kill shelter, thanks to Maria!.

Here's the LINK to the donation info. Remember that the PayPal email address they use does NOT have an EXTRA SPACE IN IT. The email address has the extra space to prevent spammers, so DO READ THE DONATION INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE YOU TRY TO DONATE! THANK YOU ALL!!

URGENT: ONE OF OUR OWN NEEDS HELP ASAP!

Over the past year that I've been rescuing cats from Kill Shelters in Georgia, there have been a few people behind the scenes who make most of my rescues possible. One of my team members is Maria. If you read my blog, even just once in awhile, you know Maria's name.

Maria is my uber-foster Mom---the one I can load up with sick kittens, who never once complains about it, who frets over them and who takes days off work, to give them the best care possible. She will do just about anything and then some, to rescue a cat out of harm's way. Every week she volunteers to clean cages at the local Petsmart to help out another rescue group, even after a long day at work when doing so gets her home late at night.

She also let me know where to get Vet care done for less cost. She knows the value of a dollar, since she doesn't have many to her name. Like so many who do rescue, she cares not about herself, but her animals.

Maria even served our Country! Yep, she was in the Air Force! Maria is a tough cookie and works hard. Nothing seems to phase her, so when she called me today and was crying on the phone, I knew something terrible was going on.

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©2010 Maria S. Choco a few months ago, enjoying his new Catio.

Maria's cat, Choco, was diagnosed with Diabetes just last week. Jennifer, the Treasurer and a Board Members of Kitten Associates, contacted her friend, Venita at Diabetic Cats in Need. They were able to give Maria a lovely donation of tools she'd need to begin the daily blood glucose monitoring her cat would need. It really helped her alot, so way to go, Jennifer and Venita at DCIN!

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©2010 Maria S. Maria adopted Choco, partially because Black cats just don't get adopted in the South. What a loss it would have been if she hadn't rescued him!

Then, this morning, Choco was hunched over and wouldn't eat. Something was terribly wrong. Maria rushed him to her Vet where they diagnosed him as having Ketoacidosis. This is a life-threatening, potentially fatal situation and the Vet couldn't provide 24 hr care, so Maria had to rush him to Southern Cresent Animal Emergency Clinic.

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©2011 Maria S. Choco, today.

You know the kind of place I'm referring to..the type that really wants to care for the inside of your wallet, then they'll look at your pet. The problem, as I know all too well, Maria's wallet isn't very full. She's desperately trying to put together some money to cover Choco's care and I really want to help her make this happen.

The estimate is $1800.00-$2700.00!!!Choco may need to be hospitalized for a few days. Many years ago this happened to our own, Spencer, the mascot of Covered in Cat Hair and he almost died. I was very lucky I had help to get the Vet bill taken care of or I would have lost Spencer.

Maria was able to get Care Credit to cover some of the bill, but not all over it. We need to do a fundraiser for her for, at least another $1500.00. DCIN has begun fundraising for Choco's care.

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©2011 Maria S. Let's Help Choco!

You donation IS tax deductible. Maria is a wonderful person and we need to lend her a helping paw for all she does for cats in need.

Please visit THIS page on DCIN's web page to make a donation. Make sure you mark your donation "FOR CHOCO" so they know where to direct the funds.

If it's not a good time to make a donation, please share this post with your friends and family and help us get the word out on this lovely cat who needs our support.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Love to all, Robin

Stumbling Along a Confusing Path

Normally, writing is something I need and want to do. When I write, my body falls away and my thoughts come to life through my fingertips as I tap away at the keyboard. I always seem to have something I need to say and the words come tumbling out. Lately, I haven't felt that way about blogging and I think I know why.

I think I'm tired of writing about the difficulties in my life. I don't want to be a whiner but the truth about what's going on here, is that things suck. It's a rough road. There is little joy. There is a lot of worry and tension.

Everyone has their worries and tough times, too, so what should I write about? Then, I get stuck.

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©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. You know it's snowed too much when...

This winter has been the worst I can ever remember. Stats put us at over 70" of snow so far. Our typical SEASON of snow is about 50" and not all of it within a few week span. There is more snow due tomorrow and again, the possibility of another big storm later next week.

I've shoveled so much snow, so many times, beaten at the ice dams on the gutters and hung out of windows to break icicles that my arms were too sore to even type out a few words. The injury I had from the car accident in December reared its ugly head. Of course it would! I'm covered in black and blue marks and almost broke a few fingers from all of this. I'm stuffing prescription pain killers and muscle relaxants daily and the side effect of one of them is nightmares-so I'm having those, too.

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©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. ...you need heavy equipment to clear your driveway.

It's been a complete scramble, trying to find out how to keep the house from falling down and running out to re-stock up on supplies the second we have a long enough break in the weather to get out. I've only been able to drive my car once in the past few weeks. I'm stuck relying on Sam's 4wd car. There never seems to be time to tend to my dear blog.

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©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Mac and Bob.

Lastly, there is the sad fact that I can't help any cats for awhile. With the costs for Bob's care ($2000 last month, alone), I can't rescue any cats and pay for it out of pocket-as I so often have done. Now I have to wait until Kitten Associates starts doing fundraisers. I've been working on that web site and waiting for our non profit "green light" from the IRS-which is due ANY day now. I think we'll be starting to plan some fundraisers, but I'm also torn in other directions. I need paying work, I need to sell off some things and I need to get the foster cats that are here, well enough to be adopted out.

Mazie is clear to go, but the kittens are not. As far as Mac goes, he really should be adopted out, but he and Blitzen are buddies so it's a tough choice to make. Mac can also be very fresh with Bob, slapping in him the face and hissing at him every time dinner time comes around. I think as Mac ages, he will make more and more plays to be a more dominant cat. It's already causing problems here-Petunia screams at him from time to time and Nicky has pooped out of the litter pan, onto the floor. I feel stuck, though. I don't know why, but I can guess depression is the core issue for me. I function well enough, but go through periods where I just am a lump and don't get much done. I feel very guilty about it. Maybe some of you have those problems, too? I feel like I don't get enough done and I'm too scattered. I make lists or try to do small tasks, but then I end up losing most of the day to doing Vet runs or pre-storm shopping that MUST be done before the storm arrives-and that usually cuts my day down to the nub, too. I keep trying to find a block of time to just sit down and work, but it's always a rush. Even now I have to leave in an hour to get Bob up to NY for his chemo. I won't be home until 6:30pm. Another day shot.

I'm sorry to be such a whiner. I'm really tired of my life sucking. I have given up on things getting better. I'll still try to make them better, but in my heart it seems fruitless to bother.

24 Hours Later...

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©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Polly and Cara passed out on my chest.

How could it be in less than a day, things could completely fall apart? Whatever I was whining about seems trivial now. Last night I found something “wrong” with one MacGruber's toes. First, I thought it was clumping cat litter stuck between two toes, but I couldn't get it out and scratching at it made his toe bleed a bit. Knowing that could lead to an infection, I stopped messing with it and made an appointment for Mac to meet Dr. Larry. I was going there anyway, the second time this week, with Cara and Polly. Why? Polly has become very ill, suddenly and Chester is sick, too. Cara is vomiting up large puddles of mucus, but seems otherwise in good shape. I figured it would be another run-of-the-mill Vet visit, but I was wrong.

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©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. With all the rotten weather, there's still something beautiful that comes of it.

I'll fill you in on the details as best I can, but there is a chance the unthinkable has happened. The kittens may have a disease that cannot be cured. I don't want to say what it is. I'm not ready to face it. Tomorrow we will start getting test results back, but I won't really know much until next week. I promise I won't make you wait that long, but I need some time to sort this out on my own, do some reading, maybe do some praying, too. I realize that when you do animal rescue of any kind, there are those animals that come to your door and no matter how hard you try to help them, they can't be helped. It's out of your hands and all you can do is love them until their time comes and you have to find a way to be okay with that.

Right now I'm trying to find my way, but I admit to feeling quite lost.

Not on My Watch: It's a BIG Day for Mr. Big!

Looks like the word got out on Mr Big needing a home or rescue. I had some offers from as far away as England, to adopt this super cute rascal!

In the end, Big got picked up YESTERDAY (I just found out this morning), by a local rescue group called: Animal Savers. They're located in Atlanta and from the looks of their Petfinder page, they have a lot of cats to find homes for, but Roxy, a super nice lady at AS, made room for him with her rescue group. I am so thrilled!

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I spoke with a volunteer at AS and she said they need some help finding their cats a good home and I said I would be happy to help.

As a Thank You to this group for being so good to Big, let's choose a cat from their Petinder page and do a “Save-A-Cat Roulette” shout out to our friends. Helping get the word out on cats in need is what makes the difference. If you feel so inclined to donate a dollar or two to help them with their cats, they really could use the support.

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In Big's case, like so many others, it's a simple thing, like sending an email to a friend you know who's looking for a cat or putting something on your Facebook status about a cat in need that may reach just the right person, which, in turn, makes a “BIG” difference in that cat's life. Together we ARE saving lives!

Note: Big is NOT on AS's Petfinder page just yet, but he WILL be on there soon.

Not on My Watch: Furry Space Heater Available for Adoption (or Rescue)

There are few parts of this country that aren't being hit with cold temps and more snow than they've seen in years. I can't afford to have the heat up to a reasonable temperature and if you're stuck with high energy bills, as I am, what better solution than to adopt yourself a BIG, WARM, LOVEY-DOVEY kitty to keep away that winter chill.

Meet ID# 1/18-161. He doesn't have a name. I'm going to call him, Mr. Big. As always, I have NO IDEA WHY he was given up for adoption. He is enormous. Maybe his family liked petite cats or were just JERKS, I don't know. What I DO know is Betsy, our friend at Henry County Care & Control in McDonough, Georgia, asked if I would get the word out on one VERY SPECIAL CAT.

The most awesome thing about Mr. Big is that he's READY to be ADOPTED. Sure, we'd LOVE IT if a Rescue Group would step up and offer to take him, but what would be best, if some chilled-to-the-bone family would offer to give him a FOREVER HOME.

Mr. Big has been neutered and had his snap test so we know he doesn't have FIV+ or Feline Leukemia. He should be vetted prior to going to his forever home, as he would need a rabies vaccine and a distemper combo shot, as well as just an overall checkup. It's not expensive to have done and, as always, TRANSPORT CAN BE ARRANGED, so if you live out of state, don't let that stop you from adopting this cutie.

As of this moment,“Big” is not a risk of being euthanized, BUT...that status can CHANGE at ANY MOMENT. If he gets sick, they will put him down. If they suddenly get a wave of cats being surrendered, he will be put down to make room for them. It's wise to not drag your feet about rescuing or adopting this kitty.

THIS IS DIRECTLY FROM OUR CONTACT: BETSY at Henry County. Her contact info and the info of the shelter is below. This cat deserves a loving home!

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This fabulous big giant teddy bear was combo tested [negative] and neutered today at our county's Spay/Neuter clinic. NOW he is ready for rescue. Please save his life, he is awesome!

Be SURE to refer to THIS: ID# 1/18-161, when you call about this cat.

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©2011 Betsy Merchant. Who wouldn't want to adopt this big lug?

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©2011 Betsy Merchant. He just wants to be loved and for someone with big biceps to carry him around! Woof! He's a BIG BOY!

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**Please Note; When forwarding, crossposting, or re-posting I ask that you leave this message intact exactly as it was written by me. I do not give permission to post my message, part of my message, or my photographs on Craig's List. Thank you for your help and support, and for respecting my wishes.**

Betsy Merchant~

We are very rescue friendly and are more than happy to work with any rescue group as long as the group has a valid Georgia Department of Agriculture license! Any rescue group, whether in or out of state, that takes pets from Georgia shelters, is required, by Georgia law, to have a rescue license issued by the Georgia Department of Agriculture's Animal Protection Division. Having tax exempt status is not the same as a license. For more information on obtaining a license, please call (404) 656-4914.

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©2011 Betsy Merchant. What a sweetheart! Any cat that can tolerate being held like that and stays relaxed is a VERY special cat!

Contact:

mystiblu@bellsouth.net

Henry County Animal Care and Control

527 Hampton Street

McDonough, Georgia 30253

(770) 288-7401

http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/GA67.html

Our Hours:

Monday-Friday: 9 am-4:30 pm

Saturday: 9 am-1 pm

Sunday: Closed

County Observed Holidays: Closed

The shelter is located at 527 Hampton Street in McDonough. We are located south of Atlanta off I-75. Take exit 218 and head east on 20/81 toward McDonough. Our address is 527 Hwy 20/81 East.

For all other information regarding ordinances, county codes, and other functions of Henry County Animal Care and Control please visit www.hcacc.org

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Please cross post and share so this cat CAN find his forever home! We've done it before, let's do it again! Let's WIN one for a kitty-in-need before his time is up! THANK YOU!

Foster Cat Journal: Three Months and Counting

The day before Halloween 2010, we rescued Mazie and her babies, Polly, Cara and Chester. They were tiny and already incubating a URI the day they were picked up. Within a few days, all the kittens were sick.

If we hadn't rescued them when we did, they would have been put to sleep for getting sick. Shelter rules, as many of you know, do not allow for sick cats to be in the shelter. There's no quarantine. To prevent the spread of disease (but it doesn't), they kill the sick animals. It's heartbreaking that they have to do this.

For the first month, Polly and Cara were hit hardest. I don't know how our foster Mama kept her sanity. I wasn't sure Polly would survive she was so congested, her eyes were sealed shut. She and her siblings had to be syringe fed, too.

I didn't know if they'd ever be well enough to make it to Connecticut.

And here we are. The family has been with me for a month. I'm still doing, at least a weekly Vet run. These cats have been chronically ill, to the point of which I wonder if they will ever shed their illness.

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©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Mazie and Polly have a nappy on the electric blanket.

Through all of this, Mama Mazie has been almost completely unaffected. She's spayed, has her shots and is ready to be adopted. I've been moving at a snail's pace to make this happen-partly because I hate separating Mamas from their babies and partly because I thought her being there would comfort the kittens.

It's not really fair to her. She's put on a nice chunk and I do mean, chunk, of weight. She's bored. She isn't very invested in the kittens, but when I take them to the Vet she cries and cries. I know I need to find her a great home. The kittens are 15 weeks old now-ready to be on their own.

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©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Cara warms up on her sister, Polly.

With all that's been going on with my own cat, Bob, it's hard to focus on any one thing. A further complication is that about six weeks ago I was in a car accident with Sam. We were rear-ended by a moron, while we were stopped at a traffic light. Sam is okay, but I don't know what is going on with me. The Dr. said “sprained back and sprained neck.” That it would get better over time and to do some light exercises to stretch out the muscles.

My back is basically fine, but my neck is not. I've had a very bad headache every day since the accident. We just lost our health insurance right before the accident happened, so I've been trying to deal with the pain on my own. I haven't been able to think clearly, my head hurts so badly. I also thought I might have a sinus infection, so I waited until I couldn't take it any more and I dragged myself to my GP last week.

I'm on heavy duty pain killers and a muscle relaxant. My head is finally starting to feel better and I can focus on tasks, instead of sit here like a zombie. Once I'm off the meds, hopefully I won't get the headaches again. There is so much to be done. I need to get these kittens ready to be adopted, but if they won't get better, I'm in a holding pattern that could last another few months.

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©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Chester, lookin' fine!

As far as Chester is concerned, he's just about ready to go now. He weighs a whopping 4 lbs.,.1 oz.! One of his eyes is a bit runny and once in awhile I hear a sneeze, but that's about it. He was never seriously effected-not the way his sisters were.

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©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Back at Dr. Larry's office, Chester now bored with the wadded up napkin for a toy, waits for a chance to chase Polly around the exam room.

Then there's Polly. She's finally gaining weight and is at 3 lbs, 6 oz.-quite a bit smaller than Chester, but not too bad. She's still got a visible third eyelid, but it's not serious. She's still sneezing. Her left eye, the one we thought she would lose the vision in, still has some cloudiness to the pupil. She doesn't have any uclers, but we're not 100% sure she will have perfect vision in that eye. I may have to take her to an ophthalmologist if she doesn't improve in the next few weeks. What's nice to see about her is that she's growing. Her coat is like satin (yes, from the grain-free food). The pattern is more defined now. She has the same mackerel pattern on her back as her mother. She likes to snuggle, but she's still a bit too mouthy as I learned last night when she climbed on my chest, purring away, then turned and BIT my cheek, then ran off! Guess she's not feeling too badly.

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©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Still waiting to pounce.

The most fragile of the bunch, is Cara. She only weighs 2 lbs 8 oz. She is just TINY. She has tons of spunk, for such a small and sickly cat. She's been vomiting and/or retching every day. We're tying to figure out why-some of it has to do with the amount of mucus in her sinuses that drains down her throat, into her stomach, but we're not clear on if the underlying problem is that she has a stricture of her esophagus.

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©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. It's a bird! It's a plane! It's super-cat!

I'm going to water down her food, so it's easier to digest and so she gets some fluids back in her system. She's had 2 rounds of sub-q fluids at Dr. Larry's office to make sure she doesn't dehydrate. She always has this “owly” look about her green eyes. Her coat is crazy. She is BROWN, chocolate brown. I have never seen this color on a cat that wasn't a purebred Burmese. Her coat pattern is classic tabby, a bit fluffy, but her tail is almost black and skinny with short fur. She is truly a mixed bag.

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©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Givin' some sass to his sis.

Cara's always cold. I have a space heater running in her room 24/7. She still likes to sit on the top of it as it rotates back and forth. She prefers it to the electric blanket on the bed, but that's there for her, too. I've done everything I can think of to help them get better. The rest is up to them.

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©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Polly and Chester preparing for their next “Battle Royale.”

I'm not happy that I haven't been able to rescue any other cats. I have to slow down-partly due to Bob being sick, partly due to the kittens being sick and partly due to the fact that we need to get our basic operating expenses worked out for Kitten Associates. I can't foot the bill for it any longer. Until things get straightened out, I'm going to do my best to help get the word out on cats in need, but I won't be able to take any into my rescue for awhile. I really hate it. I have faith that we will sort this out and ramp up our rescue efforts as soon as we can (and as soon as we lock down some additional foster homes, too!).

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©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Meanwhile, Cara goes to sleep after making Dr. Larry clean up her vomit. Poor sweetie (Cara, not Dr. Larry!) (Okay, Dr. Larry, too!).

I also have to have faith that all of this will work out. Bob's on his path. We'll do what we can for him. The kittens will either get better and get into homes or stay here awhile longer. I never thought “Santa's Team” would leave (okay, technically, ONE of them, Blitzen stayed behind), but they did. I just need to focus-get some work done-get Kitten Associates ramped up and keep on savin' more kitties!

I Call That, Murder!

I'm so angry right now!

Jennifer wrote to me early today. She needed to find a foster home for a cat named, Martini, who was diabetic and whose family was going to put him down, instead of provide him with proper care.

Of course this cat, like so many others, was in a tough spot. Most shelters won't take diabetic cats and most people don't want to adopt them. The worst thing of all is that Martini was only SIX years old. I'm sure his diet was poor and was most likely the reason for him getting diabetes in the first place!

Jennifer spent all day trying to find out what happened to Martini and if they would let her take him and get him in to temporary foster care, while I would drum up someone to take him long term, until we could get him adopted. The folks at the DCIN were going to cover the costs for treatment. It was all good but I wanted to wait to ask for help until we knew the status of the cat.

Jennifer just wrote me again, with bad news. The family chose to euthanize Martini. They didn't even give him a chance. I do not call this “humanely euthanizing” a sick animal.

I call it MURDER.

And I have VERY STRONG WORDS for the VET who did the deed. He or she murdered Martini-he or she did it for a buck. That Vet could have tried to get help for the cat, too, but did nothing. Just put down a SIX YEAR OLD CAT who was NOT terminally ill! It's VERY likely that Martini could have gone into remission and not been diabetic with a simple diet change.

THIS NEVER HAD TO HAPPEN!

I know the name, address and phone number of the people that did this and I am more than tempted to SHARE that information with all of you. These people are vile, reprehensible, selfish monsters. They do NOT deserve to EVER have another cat. If I didn't know I'd get myself into a world of legal trouble, I'd tell all of you to call them and tell them what you think about what they did.

And this guy is a fire fighter. Aren't they supposed to SAVE lives?

Rest in Peace, dear Martini. I hope you have a noble re-birth and come back as a human so you can KICK THIS FAMILY IN THE ASS for what they did to you.

Not on My Watch: Save-A-Pet-Roulette!

We all get notices about cats and dogs needing rescue. Many of them are marked as “urgent.” It's great that we can get together and help spread the word, BUT there are millions of animals out there who need help, who go unnoticed. Many of them don't have a group of folks trying to help them get a forever home.

I came up with a fun way to help animals, it's totally free, just takes a minute of your time and could potentially help save more animals lives.

I call it:

Save-A-Pet-Roulette

Step One: Visit Petfinder

Step Two: “Search for a Pet.” Do you want to help a dog, cat, bunny, goat, what? Chose Animal Type, Breed, and a zip code. You can GUESS a zip code, or chose the zip code of your own home town. It's more effective if you choose a local zip or a zip in your state, since most of your friends will be able to share with their friends and be able to act on a local level! Hit the “GO” or “SEARCH” You don't have to fill in BOTH locations of Search for a Pet, just one is fine.

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Step Three: Review Search Results. Which animal would you like to save. Pick one!

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Step Four: Chose the Tweet and the Facebook icons to share with your friends!

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Make sure you ADD information on WHERE the cat is located when you send out your Tweet or Facebook share!

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That's all it takes! Doing this does not require you to adopt a cat or sponsor a cat or dog, etc, but it's a way of helping spread the wod about animals in need and it's fun to know that you may have helped get that animal adopted because one of your friends, or their friends, or beyond...has heard about that animal and it got a home.

Now go. Save a life!

Not on My Watch: Calling Portland, Oregon Readers!

Smudge and Spice are two lucky gals who live at the Overlook Veterinary Hospital in Portland, Oregon. They were part of a colony of ferals who were living near the hospital. Instead of being ignored, Dr. Scott trapped the cats, vetted them and found many of them good homes. The two that remain, Smudge and Spice are hoping to find a way out of their cages, too.

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©2011 Overlook Vet Hospital. Spice waits for a special person to adopt her.

Smudge and Spice don't hate people, but they aren't too sure about them, either. They might be a bit hissy, which isn't particularly heartwarming. What I can tell you from experience, is that one of the greatest feelings you'll ever have is to work with a semi-feral cat and gain it's love and trust. Once you do that, you have a devoted best buddy. It's a labor of love, but these kitties deserve that.

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©2011 Overlook Vet Hospital. Smudge waits for a special person to adopt her, too!

Smudge and Spice do NOT have to be adopted together, but they DO each need a quiet home with someone who knows how to work with cats who have a lot of 'tude. The kitties have been vetted and tested and are nice and healthy and ready to go.

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©2011 Overlook Vet Hospital. Spice doesn't hate people. She's just not so sure about them.

Maybe you're New Year's Resolution is to do something to help animals in need? Maybe you have room in your home and the know-how to help these girls finish their journey to being domesticated?

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©2011 Overlook Vet Hospital. Spice would love to get out of her cage and into a loving home.

If you'd like to know more about either or both cats, please contact Dr. Scot! You can reach her at the following address/phone number, below.

Overlook Vet. Hospital

2009 North Killingsworth

Portland, OR 97217

503.283.0753

Tell them Robin from Covered in Cat Hair sent you!

Bob's Battle with Lymphoma: When is a Tumor Not a Tumor?

Yesterday Sam and I took Bob up to Wappingers Falls to see Dr. I. Bob was due for his second round of Chemo. Before we could do that, we had to shovel a bit more of the bajillion inches of snow we got on Wednesday out of the way. I used to live in Minneapolis and I've seen a lot of snow, but this was crazy. We have snow piled up alongside the driveway that is as tall as Sam's subaru. I've never seen anything like it. It reminds me of the story my Mother told me about living in Oswego, NY. I was just a baby at the time and they were hit with over 100" of snow-lake effect snow-from Lake Erie.

She told me about people using their second floor window to get out of their home, about how they tied flags to the antenna on their car (remember those?) so they could see other cars on the road. My Mother recalled driving behind another car, it swerved on some ice, turned into one of the big snow drifts and disappeared into it!

It's not that bad here, but whew...we don't need much more snow to get to that point.

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©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. The view of our deck after the storm.

Sam drove, while I sat in the back seat next to Bob. I had his cat carrier door open so I could pet him. He was calm, ate a few chicken snacks, then rested his head on my hand. He was nice and warm. His fur is very soft. I could have sat like that for hours.

Once we arrived our mood soured. We both prepared for a battle-the battle to get the estimate DOWN so we could afford to pay the bill and get Bob the treatment without paying for extras that weren't absolutely necessary. The estimate came to $812.00! I questioned EVERY item on the estimate. They went back to talk to the Dr. They said the Dr. would talk to me about everything, so we waited, fuming...knowing that Bob is supposed to have 27 WEEKS of chemo and the costs? We didn't want to know.

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©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. At Dr.I's.

Dr. I came out and we went over everything. Bob's bisopsy report, the second opinion, came in. Bob has small T-cell lymphoma. Small is better than large, but T-cell is worse than B-cell-why, I'm still not clear on. We discussed treatment. It was very confusing. We can stay on the Elspar or shift to something else. There is a less expensive treatment, but it effects Bob's white blood cells. Since Bob may have ringworm and does have FIV, this is not the best course. If we stay on Elspar, I'm guessing the Bank will take our home sooner or later.

What we decided was to stay the course for 3 more weeks, then possibly go to the monthly chemo of different drugs. You can switch treatments around, but since we didn't have a track record of elspar working or not, it didn't make sense to just stop using it right off the bat-also because Bob will become immune to it's effects over a few weeks time, so better to use it now and see how we do.

There was also one other issue-the mass in Bob's chest. IS IT CANCER? Is it lymphoma? Not likely. Is it the cancer that was in his liver-metastasized? We needed to repeat radiographs to see if it had changed, reacted to the chemo. So we said yes to doing more radiographs.

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©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Bob, sitting on the top of my Mom's old recliner!

They sent us on our way while they worked on Bob. I worried about a repeat of last week. His lack of appetite, hiding, depression. So scary I thought we were going to lose him. He bounced back. They said he should not have that problem again and if so, we'd have to do MORE TESTS to find out WHY he was having a bad reaction.

Sam and I hung out at Panera where I got a smoothie for free. It seemed ironic that I'd just been told my car had to have the steering pump replaced: $814.00 and my cat's Vet bill was now up to $920.00 for the day...and here I get something for free. It wasn't much, but it was enough to keep me from going over the edge. This money drain is really getting scary.

We returned to pick up Bob. He looked fine. They didn't tell me anything, the Dr. was in a meeting. They final bill was up to $950.00 because they added some pills to Bob's protocol. Great. No problem. Wah.

We got Bob home. He ate well. His "ringworm" or whatever is on his head seems to be going away so quickly that I can't believe it IS ringworm!

Around 9pm the phone rang. It was Dr. I. He told me that the mass in Bob's chest had NOT reacted to the chemo. It was still there. Still the same size. My heart sank. So what did that mean?

IT MEANS THAT IT'S PROBABLY A LUMP OF FAT, NOT CANCER!! THAT'S WHAT IT MEANS!!!

We still need to keep an eye on it, but for now we're OK. No worries. We just keep on treating Bob and see how he does. That night Bob ate well and I went to bed thinking he'd be ok.

Around 1:30am I heard him cough and vomit. I ran downstairs, thinking I'd find a huge mess, but I only saw a small puddle. Bob seemed all right so I went back to bed after I cleaned up. This morning I went downstairs and couldn't find Bob. I got worried. Then, I saw him. He was sitting on top of the back of my Mother's old recliner! He hasn't sat there in well over a YEAR. He used to love to sit up there! He greeted me with a purr. His forehead looked better. I gave him a little chicken treat and he ate. Was this my cat?

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©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Bob's skin is definitely getting better.

A few minutes later, I found a LARGE pile of undigested cooked chicken vomit. I gave some chicken to Bob and some to the other cats the night before. I couldn't know if it was Bob's or not. I'd have to see how he does to make sure he's not having a bad reaction.

Then, MacGruber threw up...a small bit of chicken. Perhaps he was the culprit? I guess I'll never really know for sure. What I do know is that Bob seems to be doing very well. He continues to amaze me at every turn.

Way to go, Bob! Way to go!

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