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Today is Day 30 for Pattycake (Moonpie has to wait two more days for his Day 30). She gets her last dose of itraconazole and tomorrow she and Moonpie get to visit Dr. Larry for a re-check of their ringworm-which should now be GONE GONE GONE!
These two cuties have NO applications in on them and have been living in my bathroom/laundry room for WAY TOO LONG! I just published a quick video of the kitties, thanks to nephew, Ryan. I hope it helps them find a forever home together! They are too bonded to separate now!
Enjoy!
For info on how to adopt these cuties, just visit KITTEN ASSOCIATES!
We didn't make it happen for these kittens. Now they are gone. Lost to us forever. They only knew life in a cage with newspaper for a bed. They never knew the comfort of a soft blanket or the loving gift of a forever home.
I couldn't act fast enough to help these kittens. They started to get sick so they were euthanized. HCC&C has no ability to deal with sick animals so they get put down.
It is my fault they died. I was dragging my feet, hoping a bigger rescue group could have taken them in because I am full up and have no funds. I can make every excuse I want to, but in the end, the kittens lost out. I can't tell you how bad I felt, because the call I originally planned to make was to tell the Kennel Master to pull the kittens and that I HAD worked out a way to rescue them!!! I was all ready to go. Everything was in place. I stupidly thought I had today to get it worked out and I was wrong.
It's one thing to take the wrong exit off the highway-usually no one dies is you mess up. I know it's not my responsibility to rescue every kitten from Henry who needs it, but it doesn't stop my from trying! In fact, a Mama and her two newborns were also put down. I could not help them, either.
I can't bear this. It is so heartbreaking. When I spoke to Robin, the Kennel Master, I could hear the pain in her voice. She had to make the choice to kill these creatures and I know she did not take that decision lightly. I wish I could help her so she never has to make this choice again. I offered to help the next litter she gets and I told her some good news about the cats I've already rescued from her-to soften the blow of the cruel part of her job. As much as it is easy to hate someone for doing this as a job-we have to remember she tries so very hard to save them, but like me, her hands are tied as to how much just one person can do.
The tears that fall down my cheek, as I write this, are dedicated to the four little kittens, above. They mattered to me, and to so many of you. Their life was not for nothing. Though they are gone, we memorialize them here and pay them our respects and send them our love. I hope they look down on me from the Rainbow Bridge and find a way to forgive me for messing it up for them. I am so very sorry.
Two crews today...in dire need of RAPID RESCUE. Come on folks...step up and help out! The litter of 4, below HAS financial support for their Vet care, included! I have the details so contact ME.
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FROM OUR FRIEND BETSY at HENRY COUNTY CARE & CONTROL:
These babies are not going up for adoption since two are just teeny tiny and not eating fully on their own yet. We are monitoring them closely and they are gaining weight but we are not comfortable sending them out the door with adopters.
The Calico girl and one of the tabbies are just tiny but eat well, we are offering soaked or canned food several times a day and dry is always available.
PLEASE CONTACT ME IF YOU CAN HELP!!!
They will be euthanized if the room fills and we cannot find Georgia Dept of Ag licensed rescue.
**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.
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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From Amy, a Rescuer in the Atlanta, GA area:
I stumbled upon this situation in Riverdale, while searching for a lost dog in a rougher area of town. A man that lives around the corner from a burnt out apartment building started feeding the first mama last summer. She had one baby before getting hit by a car last year and now that baby is grown up (the torti in the picture) and this is her second litter. She had one kitten earlier in the Summer but the man that has been feeding her found it in his yard with it’s head smashed in. He figures it was probably a neighborhood kid. The mama is very skittish (though she lets the man pet her when she is eating), but the babies can probably be nicely tamed if someone took the time with them. They can be snatched up and handled, though they do not like it.
The desperately poor man that has been feeding them is afraid his landlord will find out, and I am not sure if he will continue to feed them if I take them back -- and he was feeding them food that literally cost $1.00 for the whole bag! But that is the only option I have unless someone can help them.
I am getting them fixed tomorrow, if the kittens are big enough. Mama will definitely be fixed however. This sucks -- please help!
The cats are physically in Atlanta now. Amy, the good samaritan who stumbled upon the situation has them in traps in her garage. She's working on her husband to let her keep them in the garage for a few more weeks until they're big enough to be fixed, but this is not ideal. These kittens MUST BE SOCIALIZED SOON or their FATE IS DOOMED.
If you're with a rescue group and would like some FREE publicity, I will personally make certain your group gets big kudos for helping any or all of these kittens out! A good story will also help you with fundraising for these animals and these kittens have a great story. Now it's up to you to help make it a HAPPY ENDING FOR THEM-INSTEAD OF DEATH.
I would also be happy to help find some transportation of these kittens and the one mama to wherever they need to go. Sadly, adoptions are slow to come to me. I still have a full house or otherwise I would help the litter from Henry Co.
Please ReTweet, re-post on Facebook and tell all your friends about these cats THANK YOU! We can make a difference-TOGETHER!
Here at Covered in Cat Hair, we're not 100% about cats! We love all animals...okay, maybe porcupines, not so much.
Next weekend, I'll be joining my cat-sisters, Jennifer and her real life sister, Lauren (who for some reason for the past 3 years, I thought was named, LAURA?!) to the Farm Sancutary's 2010 Walk for Animals which is being held ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES! In fact, if you'd like to join us, or any group near your hometown, hit the link, above, and find a group to join in the fun.
Farm Sanctuary is a national, non-profit animal protection organization. Each year they rescue, rehabilitate and provide lifelong care for hundreds of animals rescued from factory farms, stockyards and slaughterhouses. In addition to operating the shelters, they work to gain legal protection for animals used in food production and to raise public awareness about factory farm cruelty and cruelty-free alternatives.
Here comes the fun part. I'm asking for SMALL donations to sponsor my athletic enterprise. Right now I have raised NO MONEY. I am completely embarrassed! If for no other reason than to help me save face, would you mind donating like...I dunno...$5 to my walk? If LOTS of you donate, then maybe it will add up and this will not be a WALK OF SHAME!
DONATE HERE if you want to help your poor, shammed cat-saving friend. If you don't donate, I will still like you, but I might eat a burger after the walk just to be spiteful.
P.S. and I'm talking a DOG with me on the walk! Super-Deb is gonna loan me her most precious pup, Jayne Dog! Between actually leaving my house, exercising and being around a dog...this could change my life, FOREVER!
Between rescuing cats and building a non-profit from the ground up, I also have time for rebuilding the engine of my 10 yr old car, knitting cottage cheese colored mittens for my kittens and cooking complicated cuisine featuring paprika for my man. I'm so completely fabulous that Sharon Castellanos of GrouchyPuppy.com has decided to interview me and share my fabulousness with the world.
You can read the interview in the “Cleo's Day” section of her web site HERE.
...or you can skip the whole thing since you already know how fabulous I am...and isn't that enough?
Note: if you're playing the drinking game where you take a shot of vodka for every time I wrote “fabulous” you should be pretty wasted by now! See? I am...fab...you know...
Last night Connie, Sam and I went to visit Princess Fifi. We knew her temperature had started to climb again and we were very worried about her. Her temp was at 104.7°F. The Vet decided to move her to IV antibiotics as they would help her feel better, faster, if she has some sort of bacterial issue. If it was a virus, there wasn't a whole lot we could do except give her supportive care and wait.
VCA Shoreline VREC is a big, fancy building. You can tell by walking in the door that it's going to cost big bucks to bring your animal inside. Before we even took a step, we saw a big pit bull standing in the center of a circle of bloody paw prints across the floor. The dog's left front paw was a bloody mess. The dog seemed to be relaxed and content, even though he was bleeding. He owner was stuck to a cellphone, talking about something. Of course I assumed the dog was used for fighting, but then stupidly realized why would they bring it to a Vet if it got hurt in a dog fight? Then the dog turned around. He had big, dangly balls. Connie and I both got pissed when we saw this. Why this dog is running around intact? We both wanted to yell at him, but realized we'd be outmatched if we spoke up.
We sidestepped the blood, told the receptionist who we were visiting, than sat down and waited. An exam room door was open and we saw a small, white bichon or poodle sitting on the exam table. Her right leg was bent oddly. Connie gasped and said; "oh no, neurological problem!" Then I started to worry they were going to put the dog down. We both agreed we hated sitting in this waiting room. I whispered under my breath; “close the door.” A Vet Tech walked over and shut the door. Neither of us wanted to see what was going to happen next.
After a few minutes, we were escorted through some doors, into the heart of the building. Princess was being held in isolation.
The room was small and filled with a huge bin of used sharps, a garbage can, a table with yellow dressing gowns all over it and a small bank of four steel cages. Three were empty. Each one had a card that read: CLEAN. The fourth, held our Princess Fifi.
When we approached the cage, Princess was sleeping. They set her up on a pretty pink bed. Her food was next to her. There were some signs that she ate a bit of it. We all called out to her, but she did not respond. My heart sank. We were told we could hold her, but just to be careful of the IV line into her front leg. Sam reached into the cage and gently took her out. She was limp.
As he began to pet her, she started to wake up. I looked at her face. It was a filthy mess. I grabbed a cotton pad from a dispenser on the table, wetted it and began to try to clean the gunk out of her eyes. At first, she didn't protest, but as she felt the cool water, she began to stir. There was a fan blowing on us and she began to shiver.
I kept trying to get her cleaned up, but the food and discharge was crusted on her pretty well. I was glad to see her react to us holding and cleaning her. I tried to mimic how her mother might have licked her face as I wiped at it with the pad.
A Vet came in to talk to us. She was about 15 years old. We asked her question after question. She was thinking Princess has a URi. That she is not at death's door, but she is not in great shape, either. That she would eat, but only if someone stayed with her while she ate. That her chest and heart sound fairly normal and her blood work was basically fine. She turned the fan off, realizing it was making Princess feel worse. Princess stopped shaking and just enjoying being held by Sam.
I asked if we could try to feed her, so the Vet got some fresh food and I offered it to her. She turned her head away, refusing my offer. I asked the Vet to warm it up, which she did. It didn't help. I rubbed a small bit on Princess's face. She licked at it, but still refused to eat. I put the food bowl down and focused on petting her. I didn't want to think that this might be the last time I see her alive. If she didn't eat...well...she was already too thin to begin with. I tried to be positive and not “go there.”
Connie and I continued to pet Princess and talk to her. She began to react a little bit more and more, then longer we were with her. I held her for a few minutes, but I was scared I'd hurt her. She was hot in my arms and her coat was not in the best shape. I wanted to just find a comfy chair and hold her for the rest of the night. None of us wanted to leave. We could see our being there was helping her feel better.
A Vet Tech came in to take Princess's temp. Sam helped hold her while Princess fussed. Her temp was down a tiny bit..down to 104.3°F. Her weight was up by 2 ounces in 4 days! We were all cautiously optimistic that maybe Princess would continue to improve.
Then, Connie took a turn holding Princess. By that time, we'd been with her for about 45 minutes. Princess perked up and gave us a “meh.” She began to fuss so I grabbed her food. Connie put her down and showed her the bowl and she started to eat! It always comforts me to see my cats eating, especially the foster kittens. It was even more meaningful to watch Princess lick carefully at her food. Connie put out her hand so Princess wouldn't fall out of the open cage. Every mouthful Princess took, would help her gain the strength she'd need to survive whatever was making her so sick. I wanted to cry. We all urged her to keep eating!
On the way to the hospital, we stopped at Walgreens to buy Princess a little toy. They had a lousy selection, but they did have these big, squeaky toys for dogs. One of them was appropriately pink and Sam and I both thought it might keep her company. She'd have to really squeeze the toy hard, to get it to squeak, so we thought she wouldn't easily be able to set it off. I also found these really cute pet beds. It looks like a grey cat, turned into a cat bed. Very soft and plush. Very cute. I promised myself that Princess would be sleeping in it when she comes back home to us and in the mean time the weird pink pig toy might be a stand in for a playmate.
Sam placed the pig next to Princess. She just stared at it. I thought that maybe she was frightened of it, but then she did the most wonderful thing. The pig has a black cable coming out of the top of it's head that's used to hang it on a display in the store. Princess reached out for the cable and started to PLAY!!!! She tapped at the cable and bit it, then wanted to eat more food. Wow! We were all bowled over when we saw her reach out that paw. It was such a significant sign that she's still fighting and she's still a kitten who wants to play! I wish I'd bought her a box full of toys!
Princess was clearly getting tired again, so we decided to leave. She snuggled down next to her toy pig. We each told Princess we loved her and that she should fight to get better and that we would see her soon-we promised.
We were all reluctant to leave. I made some jokes so we wouldn't start to cry. Just as I turned to leave, I noticed something in Princess's cage. Her blanket had her name on it! I had to ask myself, is this a sign she's in the right place? Was this destiny or just a coincidence? I can't help but wonder if all this was meant to be? But if so, what is next? What is to become of Princess? Will her temperature come down and STAY down? Will she begin to perk up, eat better and get back to the business of being a kitten again? I just don't know. I don't know if this WAS our last visit with Princess.
The night passed without any calls from the Vet. This morning Connie called me and said that Carole had called and found out Princess's temp was “down.” What that meant, I don't know. Was it down a few tenths? Was it down to normal? I have to wait until after 10am to call to get an update. I have a stomach ache. I want to know, but I don't want to know. This has been a rough road and Big O, Little Maria and Pauly have to be picked up in New Jersey today! I need to get ready, but not sure for what. I need to get those new foster cats, but I need to stay home. It will be sorted out. Thankfully, Sam and Connie are going to pitch in and help. I couldn't function without them, but really, I just want to go to sleep, wake up and have everyone be here, happy and healthy.
If you've gotten this far, there's one last thing. I'm going to post a fundraiser here, to help recover some of the money we've spent to get Princess the care she needs. Her Vet bill is over $1000.00 and it won't surprise me if it goes up from there. I've set up at ChipIn widget (above) that will go STRAIGHT to Animals in Distress. If you can help out with a few dollars-whatever you donate is tax deductible. We all know money is tight and I've had to ask more than a few times for help from everyone, so I understand if asking again, so soon, is a problem for many of you. No worries. We're going to try and those that can comfortably help us-even if it's $5, it does make a difference. If you can't donate, maybe you can forward this to your friends and they can't pitch in a dollar or two? Thank you all your prayers and support during this difficult time. It means a lot to all of us-espeically little Princess.
Princess wasn't feeling well yesterday morning. She didn't want to eat, she was shivering. I put her in the bathroom with a space heater blasting. Sam held her while I got some nutrical and some kayro syrup. Nothing worked. She wouldn't perk up.
I already had a Vet app't for 11am for Spencer, so I used that for Princess. She was getting limper and more lethargic by the minute. I started to get really scared. I called Connie and Jennifer, but none of us had many ideas other than to get her to the Vet.
Of course I got nailed with my you-know-what, so I was sick to my stomach, had bad cramps and was miserable and feeling overly emotional. Poor Princess. I kept thinking we were going to lose her before we got to the Vet. I felt so awful that Sam drove. It worked out better that way because I got to keep Princess warm. She just laid in my arms and didn't move. I pinched her ear. Nothing. I rubbed her paws. Nothing. I started to cry. I couldn't lose her!
Temp was 106.1°F. BG 144 (good). They put her on an IV. We went home and waited. What I didn't know was that her temp continued to go UP. It went just over 107°F and she was about to start having seizures, but she got the IV in time and she started to cool off before we lost her. I was in 1 hour of losing her. Thank GOODNESS I got her to the VET!.
Sam called at 2pm to check on her, because I had an adopter here...my very first one under the Kitten Associates banner! He actually is the brother of the potential adopter...long story for later...so he was checking out Honey B. since his sister lives in NYC. Sam got the news that Princess was perking up, while I wondered what the this guy was thinking about Honey B. I couldn't tell!
I had a family coming to meet Cinnamon in a few hours, so Connie came over (since she is with AID and they are paying for Princess FiFi's care) and Sam drove them over to Dr. Larry's to pick up Princess and transport her to the VCA Shoreline VREC. They're open 24/7, which is what we needed. Larry was about to close up shop for the weekend, so we had no choice. I felt better knowing Princess would have round-the-clock monitoring, although it's very expensive to keep her there and the discount to non-profits is a measly 10%.
The family came over and adopted Cinnamon! She's my very first adoption under my own rescue group. I wanted to celebrate, but after such an emotional day I was happy to sit down and do nothing for awhile. Meanwhile, Cinnie will continue to stay here until Oct. 4th, when her family will be back from their vacation and be ready to give her their undivided attention. Cinnie will be living with a married couple, their 13 yr old daughter, two 6-yr old cats and a 4 yr old chocolate lab (who is the "Omega" dog, as he gets beat up by the cats and doesn't care). I think Cinnie will be happy there, plus they live close by so maybe I'll be able to stop in a see her?
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Princess got through the night, but her temp kept creeping upwards, then back down. She only went as high as just over 104°F, but her appetite and personality also waned as she got hotter. I spoke with the Vet this morning and she wants to continue to provide supportive care to Princess throughout the afternoon, then re-evaluate the situation again. Since she is so tiny and fragile, of course I fear the worst. She could have ANYTHING, not just a simple URi. I need to know what she's got and if the other kittens are going to get sick, too. Although they did not share food, water or litter, they were in the same room. I am very worried. What is making little Princess so sick?
Our friend, Izzy, and her hubby, Mark have a weird way of celebrating their wedding Anniversary. They decided to drive to Georgia ALLLLLL the way from Pennsylvania, just to visit a friend. On the way back home, they are driving Little Maria, Pauly, Sammy (the Big Orange kitty who was dumped) and a few other kitties, north!
Yesterday, on a WHIM, they decided not to go to Georgia, but all the way to Disney! World for the day! “In for a dime...eh?”
That wasn't where the craziness ended. They're still up to some big surprises. I got a call from Izzy saying they had room in their car for the two chubby sisters and why don't they just pick them up and bring them to their home? They can't adopt them but certainly are willing to foster them until they can be adopted!
I've already said these two have the biggest hearts in the world, but even by their own high standards, they've gone above and beyond!
We are chubby love muffins! We're still looking for our forever home, but if you live in Pennsylvania or in a nearby state, we would LOVE to come live with you!
Who am I to say, no? So...Our Maria picked up the girls from East Lake Vet and took them to her home. In about an hour, Izzy and Mark will pick them up and begin their long drive back to PA! I've heard that Sammy and the girls HATE being in the car, so we're hoping they decide to settle down after a few hundred miles! If they only knew the many loving people who have been working hard to keep them safe and to give them a bright future, they'd just sing all the way back to PA, instead of cry.
Happy Anniversary, Izzy & Mark and THANK YOU for sticking your necks out for these two chubby babies.
Now let's find us a good family in PA or surrounding states and get them to their HOME! We know you're out there. Just contact me if you want to know more about the chubby sisters! info@coveredincathair.com
One of our dear readers, saw the plea-a-thon I started for CHEESE yesterday everywhere she looked. She took it as a sign that she needed to help out this kitty and his dear mama, Kathleen.
CHEESE will now be luxuriating at the home of an Associate Dean at the College of William & Mary!
WOOHOO AND THANK YOU for helping out a kitty (and nice Mama) in need! Way to go!
And now...back to our regularly scheduled programming...GO CHEESE!
Cheese is a stunning orange maine coon who weighs 18 POUNDS! He says it's because he is so fluffy, not because he is fat! Cheese is neutered and up to date on his shots. He's a loving boy, but his Mama, Kathleen is in a jam! She has about a week to find a TEMPORARY placement for her beloved boy!
We all do the best we can for our cats and Kathleen is no different. She's hit a very bad place in her life due to the terrible economy. Instead of just dumping her cat on a shelter, she's just asking for some time. She KNOWS she will get back on her feet and once she does, she will want Cheese to come back. Let's help our sister out. She's doing the right thing. She's raising her hand and saying she needs help. Let's help her and help Cheese!
If you live in the area of RICHMOND, VA OR if you live in the SURROUNDING AREA or NEARBY STATES, she will get Cheese to your door. She will also provide some money towards his care while he's in foster care. She LOVES her man very much and is only doing this until she can get back on her feet and bring Cheese back home. That's all she wants. She doesn't want to re-home her cat, she just needs a nice place for him to stay for awhile.
Kathleen is terrified that she will be forced to bring Cheese to a shelter if she can't find a foster home for him in a week!
If you have room in your home to share with this lovely kitty and help his mama, Kathleen out, please contact her directly: ilovethisland3@yahoo.com
Please help me spread the word about this cat in need. Thank you!
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