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Not on My Watch: Buddy, the Definition of Devotion

When you open your heart, your home and your wallet to a friendly stray cat, you never know how it will go. Some times you get lucky. The cat doesn't need much, just their shots updated. A clean snap test. Deworming and maybe a flea treatment or two. But more often than not, the cats who've been subjected to neglect for all or most of their lives, have more complex issues to treat that require more of a financial investment and longer term care before they can be adopted out.

Last week, our friend Warren Royal, of Royal Bobbles, jumped at the chance to help a cat in need. You may have read about the rescue. If not, you can read the post HERE. Buddy was doing well, but Warren knew he had problem teeth. An older cat with FIV+ is going to have gum issues, which usually end up that some of the teeth need to be removed, as well. Warren stood by Buddy. Whatever he needed, Warren was determine to provide.

Prior to his dental, the Vet ran some blood work. This is common to do since it helps the Vet understand that there may be an underlying problem and that anesthesia could be too risky. She noted that Buddy's kidney function was going to make it difficult to do the dental, but that the teeth were so bad, they HAD to risk it. Needless to say, Warren had a very long, worry-filled day. Did he do the right thing? Would Buddy survive? Would he have been better off euthanizing this cat instead of putting him through all these procedures?

Buddy on the carpet copy.jpg
©2011 Warren Royal. Buddy before his procedure.

Warren wrote to me with an update:

“Buddy had a tough day today, but he's resting well now. It turns out that
the teeth were worse than expected. His left and right canines were badly
damaged. There were horrible infections in both, a mass in one, and she had
to remove both of them. There was another tooth on the top that was "iffy"
but she felt that it could be saved so she left it there. She had to remove
a bit of the bone on the canines. Buddy will probably be in a fair amount of
pain after this. He's under some strong sedation (like morphine) and we'll
give him more as needed every 10-12 hours or so.

The poor little thing only has one bottom tooth left in the front, he
apparently lost some others earlier in his life. But he's got his molars
and they look pretty good. And they cleaned the rest of his teeth well so
that will help him a lot. They also gave him a microchip so that when he's
ready for a new home he will be all set.

The whole endeavor was complicated by the kidney tests. There is some
elevation of some of his levels, so they gave him plenty of fluids and kept
his blood pressure up during the surgery. They also didn't put him in all
the way under, to keep him safe during the anesthesia. But they thought he
was comfortable. They will do another blood panel in a few weeks and that
will give us a better indication of the long-term prognosis of his kidneys.

They think he's a bit older than before, after looking at the teeth. She
thinks he may be as old as 10-12.

The kind folks at the veterinary office fell in love with him. They said
that despite all the poking and prodding, he remained so sweet throughout.
He just let them do what they had to do and dealt with it the best he could.

They found roundworms, in addition to the tapeworms that we discovered
yesterday. He's been treated for both. He's on antibiotics, and is going
to get a lot of rest over the next couple of days. We've delayed his intake
at the humane society adoption center for a few days to let him recover a
bit.

We've done everything possible for him at this point, all we can do is to
let him rest and hope that he recovers well and feels better soon. And then
we'll take it from there.”

-----------------------

Clearly, doing rescue is stressful. It's not a fun roller coaster to ride. Though difficult, Warren was undeterred. Sure, he had troublesome thoughts, but we all do. Anyone who deals with a sick cat, their own or a rescue, worries; “Am I doing the right thing?” Sadly, you never know until it's all said and done and by then you can't go back and do it over again.

I believe you have to do the best you can with the information you have. If you have good intentions and have a clear mind, you shouldn't have to look back with regret. Buddy's is a painful journey but not without joy. Buddy is very comfortable and is eating and purring, just as he did before. He's a tough cookie and so is Warren. There's something fated about this relationship. For Buddy, perhaps he needed a Guardian Angel to look out for him on his journey to finding a permanent home and for Warren, each day that passes, helps him realize that all the effort, the ups and downs, to save Buddy was worth it and then some.

P.S. Buddy IS available for ADOPTION! Please contact Warren Royal, wroyal@namefutures.com if you're interested to learn more about this sweet cat.

Comments

This sounds a lot like the situation my oldest girl just went through. She had resorptive lesions, stopped eating and also battles kidney disease. She, like Buddy, made it through just fine and is doing well with a lot fewer teeth.

Just an idea for his angel, Warren - when I had fosters I wanted to keep at home but get adopted out, the local humane society allowed me to take them for adoption events and high adoption days and then bring them home. That way I knew they were safe and cared for and would be going to good new families. Maybe that could work for Warren and Buddy.

Keeping you in my prayers that there are people who are willing to do whatever it takes to help a cat . . .

Just a quick note to say thank god for folks like Warren, reminding you that there are good, kind people in this world.

Robin, I think your stories are great, but can I please make one request/comment???? Thanks!

I wish you would work on your story titles...That's it. Your titles leave a lot to be desired and do not offer the browser any insight, or actually anything at all...

If you look at my website you will see on the right side I have placed a link to your stories, but compare your titles to other on my page and you will see—I hope—what I mean.

Thanks and I hope you are not angry...

EverydayCats.....

Seriously? You read this heartfelt, moving story about a life and death struggle with a cat who Robin and others are trying desperately to save, and your only comment is a complaint about the article title? Seriously?

And on top of that, your comment linked to your website, which is blatantly lifting Robin's content without her permission, in that complaint? Seriously?

A little further review shows that your site is really nothing more than a collection of other people's pilfered content. And it is clear that your comment was nothing more than a tactic to use this site as a part of your linkbuilding strategy, to improve the search engine ranking of your site. It's not enough to pilfer Robin's content, or to use it for your linkbuilding strategy- you've also got to complain about the way she writes her titles. I guess when your site displays her pilfered articles you want them to look nice.

Shame on you.

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