Needs a Home

"I'll give you $100. Just take the cat to the Vet and have her euthanized."

This is what one woman recently said to her pet sitter. She was talking about her 13 year old cat, Chloe. Chloe, a beautiful Maine Coon mix with shocking green eyes and a plush coat, who had only known this woman's home her whole life, was now being treated like a worthless, meaningless, nothing.

Chloe's owner was tired of a very common behavior problem in cats-inappropriate urination. Not only had Chloe climbed under the sheets, then peed ON her owner, she defecated on the bed, too. We know it's been going on for years. Chloe pees on anything soft. Chloe lived with two other cats. Was she troubled by them? What about her health? Would her owner even get her to the Vet for a checkup? Certainly, NOT. That would require making an effort.

Fortunately for Chloe, her pet sitter was not about to do hew owner's bidding. Instead, he took Chloe home. Since he wasn't sure he could safely keep her in his home, he chose to place Chloe in a small storage space over his garage. It's dark with just one window and a single overhead lightbulb. It's cold and damp and a bit mildewy-a far cry from the comforts Chloe once knew, but she was safe and in loving hands. That's what really mattered most.

This big, pouffy baby just fits in her prized cat bed. With a new diet, she may slim down a bit and overall feel much better.

He got her a big dog crate and put her inside it with a litter pan. She used the pan properly, but when she was allowed out of the crate, she would pee on any bedding in the room-possibly because it smelled like other cats. Everything was removed, save for one new cat bed. I went to visit her to help set up a better space. We moved the litter pan out of the crate and into a corner. Sure enough she started to use the pan perfectly for a few days in a row.

She was seen by a Vet who said she might have some sediment in her urine that might cause her to feel uncomfortable. Chloe is quite overweight. Her diet needs to be addressed. I also thought she might be backed up with impacted feces. Many years on dry food...there is no telling what sort of shape this cat is really in. We put her on grain free food. She was slow to adapt to it, but this morning I found one (I call it Kitty Crack) that she liked. With a diet change may give her additional comfort and she's on antibiotics for awhile, too.

This morning she peed on a comforter. First I thought it was because it must have still smelled of other cats even though it was washed. I realized it might be WHERE it was placed (inside her crate). She may have thought "inside the crate means go to the bathroom"...so the comforter will be washed again, but this time placed OVER the crate to give her a place to snuggle at night. I brought her a new cat bed, too. Hopefully, she will use that for SLEEPING only.

Chloe looks stern, but it's just the tabby markings on her forehead that give her that expression. She's really a sweet cat.

The pet sitter feels a strong connection to this cat. It made me sad because she may need to be placed in an only cat home and not be able to stay with the pet sitter. At her age and with this behavioral issue, she may have a long road ahead of her in a cold room with little companionship. Is it enough for her, for now? She'll live to see old age, but at what cost? How many others, like Chloe are subjected to ostracization (or worse) by their families for doing the same thing?

Working with inappropriate urination problems is very tough. I've suffered with cats ruining my home for three years! I can really feel for anyone with this problem, but to kill the animal is not the answer. It will take work to get Chloe turned around and find the right home for her, but in the end it will always be worth it to me.

Will is going to be picked up in an hour by Dr. Anderson! The poor baby has had to wait this long to get any medical care. What a crime this is!!!

I'm VERY GRATEFUL to Jenna for getting the ball rolling and to Dr. Anderson and her staff for being willing to take on this homeless patient.

Later today I hope to get more information about Will's injuries and what sort of financing we will need to put together for him. Also, more than anything, Will is going to need a FOSTER HOME or RESCUE GROUP to step up to take him once he is stable. Again, when I have more information as to his condition, needs, prognosis I'll ask you guys to really PUSH the word out there so we can help this little fella out.

Thank you all, again for your care and concern for Will.

I just heard from Jenna in Greenville, SC. She's the one I took six kittens from last month. She has contacted Dr. Anderson, of the Cat Clinic of Greenville (who cared for the kittens before I got them) and she is willing to take WILL as soon as they can make the arrangements.

This is all hinging on hearing back from Andrea, who is the contact person regarding Will's care. Once she gives us the OK, Jenna will transport Will to Dr. Anderson. When I find out what Will is going to need for Vet care, I will be posting a request for donations to help him out.

More on how to help Will, once we hear from Andrea and get Will to see Dr. Anderson.

NEWSFLASH: Injured cat needs help ASAP. I don't have a way to raise funds since I'm not a non-profit, but I can either ask you to contact me and let me know if you can help out with a donation and we can put our efforts together. I know people in Greenville, who I have already contacted to see if they can get the cat to a Vet now and we can figure out how to get money to them tomorrow (Friday, Nov. 6).

NAME: Will 

ANIMAL ID: 9059850

BREED: dsh 

SEX: male 

APPROXIMATE AGE: 1yr 

APPROXIMATE WEIGHT: 7-8 lbs 

HEALTH: hit by car 

TEMPERAMENT: friendly 

RESCUE PULL FEE: $ 

ADDITIONAL INFO: this cat came in hit by car they believe he is very

 friendly despite his face being wounded 

UPDATE: needs to leave immediately

RE POSTED FROM EMAIL THAT JUST CAME IN:

Please someone help this kitty out - he was hit by a car and brought to the shelter. What a sweet cat and he needs medical attention badly. If you can help, your contact is Andrea at animalcareservices@greenvillecounty.org.

If you can't rescue yourself, please cross post widely and let's get this baby some help!

Tiny update: I just emailed Andrea to ask her to fill me in on what Will needs and if he can recover from his injuries. I'm also looking into having one of our rescue friends set up a ChipIn widget to collect funds. Stay tuned-more things will be made clear tomorrow and I will update you as soon as I know more. Until then-thank you for the ReTweets. Getting the word out is VITAL to help save this guy's life.

Our CiCH friend, Andrew, sent me an urgent message from a Siamese Rescue group regarding the dumping of a 23 year old Siamese cat. I'm forwarding their plea, along with the URL for the cat's Petfinder ad. If you live in the LA area and can help, please do so soon. This cat does not have much time left.

Max is a *23 year old* GORGEOUS *Chocolate point Siamese* dumped at SOUTH LA HIGH KILL SHELTER. We all know max is probably not going to live very much longer, *but I think as human humans being we should all band together to get him out of THAT TERRIFYING SHELTER and examined, and if he is just old, give a him a gentle place to lay and a lot of love until he passes naturally.* However, if he in fact is in immense pain or anything of the like ( im not sure of his condition) he AT LEAST deserves to NOT die
abandoned in a shelter like this, rotting.

THIS IS SICKENING. THIS IS SO BEYOND REPREHENSIBLE to dump your 23 year old cat, and a beauty at that!!! PLEASE HELP!!! Look at his big *BLUE eyes, so sad*~ wondering where his family is... don't let him die and be put in a
freezer at S. LA shelter. He deserves so much better. PLEASE...do it for
him, do it for any sliver of humanity that may remain in this sick world....

*South LA shelter: 213-485-0117 or -0119*

Adopt Max

UPDATE: Looks like Max was pulled by the Kris Kelly Foundation. Great job to everyone who did their part getting the word out about Max! I hope he'll find the rest of his days to be happy and peaceful.

Last night I met Jennifer so I could pick up Blueberry & Blackberry from her. Blue is due to be spayed in a few days and the Vet is closer to my house, so both kitties will be staying here for the next week or so. I had a nice week off of fostering, but I like things better when the foster room has guests. These two sure fit the bill.

They've both grown quite a bit, from the tiny babies we picked up from the P.E.T.S. transport two weeks ago. They're also much more socialized, though Blue needs more work. They eat like little piggies and are enjoying their new digs. This coming weekend, we're having an adoption event. It will be their first public showing and I hope it will get them in front of possible adopters.

Blue has the cutest little face! Blacberry is really really affectionate! It's just a delight to have them here, if you discount the fact that they poop about ten times more than any kittens I've ever come across! Oops. I mean, really. They're still tiny kittens. Where does all this stuff come from? They don't even eat dry food? Go figure.

Back to bed for me. I've been feeling like I'm getting stomach flu or something. Maybe too much running around and eating too much chocolate from the TON of leftover Halloween candy we have! What to DO with all of this candy? I really should get it OUT of here before I eat an entire bag of KitKats! (see, even my Halloween candy is cat-centric!) I think this is why people work in an office. They can bring the candy to work and look like heros while they're at it. Maybe I should stop working for myself and get a full-time job?

Oh my GOD! That proves it. I haven't had a full-time job since 1986. MUST be sick. Off to bed.

Next up...a NEW Low Cost Spay & Neuter Clinic just opened in Waterbury, CT! Will be posting info and photos soon!

Okay, friends, we deal with some pretty heavy stuff here on CiCH. As some of you know, I currently have three foster kittens that I'm trying to get adopted. My awesome, rocktastic vets and vet techs at Paris Hill Cat Hospital gave me the okay to put a poster about them up. So, on me lunch hour Monday, I whipped this up. Who could resist? Those faces! That marketing! (But I MAY be biased. Just a wee bit). Let's hope some great families agree with my assertions!
Have a good one, all.

A week ago I brought the four rescue kittens from SC to the Vet. A few had the sniffles and some eye discharge, so they were all put on Clavamox for the next 10 days. None of them were in bad shape, but I wanted to make sure they stayed that way.

For the next few days, the cats seemed basically all right. They played, ate well, sneezed. I did my best to keep my hands clean and began changing my clothes after I had any exposure to the kittens. I was very uncomfortable and uptight. I did not want my cats to get sick, too.

Then on Saturday, Monte started sneezing. Prior to that he'd been doing great, with no signs of trouble. On Sunday, his brother Dylan and sister, Delilah got adopted, but they had to stay behind because I can't let them go to their new home until everyone is feeling better.

Sunday night Monte really started to sound terrible. His sinuses were clogged, he blew a bubble out of his nose. He snorted like a stuffed up Daffy Duck. It was terrible. I know that URI's are viral, so only the secondary infections can be treated. Rest, fluids, running a humidifier, that's about it. I called the 24 hr ER Vet and asked if I should bring him in, but they told me if he was eating, had pink gums and didn't have a fever, he was OK to wait until morning. So, I tried to stick a thermometer up Monte's little butt hole. Yeah, that was fun. Temp was 100.5° F. Then I looked at his gums and they were pink and he did eat for me, he just sounded horrific.

Next morning, I went to check in on Monte and he sounded so bad that I just left the room, got the phone and called the Vet for an appointment. They were able to squeeze us in if I could get there before 10AM. It was just 8:30, but I was still bleary, having hardly slept and fighting off a cold or something myself for the past few days.

I got dressed quickly and Monte and I were on the road in a few minutes. We hit terrible rush hour (why do they call it RUSH? no one can go fast enough to RUSH!) traffic and it took about a million years to get to the Clinic, all while Monte was snorting and crying the entire trip. I was terrified he would crash on me on the way there.

George, the cute tech got Monte weighed and temped. He was at 101, which is still normal. The Vet did her exam and had George get an x-ray of Monte's lungs to rule out pneumonia!!! His lungs looked basically all right, but she felt he did have Bronchitis and a sore throat, not to mention an eye infection. She loaded me up with meds. Monte is on 6 different medications, to be given three times a day until they run out. I need to bring him back in a week for a re-check, if he doesn't get worse, first.

I asked about ways to reduce transmission to my cats and she told me this stuff is airborne, so basically I'm screwed. I'm taking my clothes off before I enter the foster room, then changing into clothes I have that are contaminated, that are in the room. When I leave, I just strip and run down the hall into the shower and put on fresh clothes. This is a huge pain in the ass. I hope it works. I have gone from being concerned to being outright terrified that my cats are going to get this stuff. Monte is so ill that if Bob catches what Monte has, it could kill Bob or Spencer (who has chronic breathing problems already).

Last year all my cats got sick. Each one had to be medicated daily for two weeks, twice a day. Bob and Spencer had to be locked in our bedroom with a humidifier and isolated. It was touch and go for a few days. I was horrified I'd lose them. Here I am once again, facing the same fear, about ten times more intensely.

I can't focus and am having a tough time doing anything. I just want to sit with Monte and hold him until he's all better. His siblings are all sick now, but none of them are in as bad shape-thank goodness. Trying to get them all healthy is a nightmare. I'm not sure if I'm giving them the URI by not sterilizing their eyedroppers each time. I'm definitely overwhelmed and angry at myself and wishing it was all done and over. I have to find a way to just ride this difficult time and do my best for the cats. I feel like I should know more and that I'm messing it up. Monte is 12 weeks old. I hope he's old enough to kick this. So far, I've never lost a kitten and I don't want to start now.

From Betsy at Henry Co., GA.

The kittens are adorable and perfect! Very curious fat little butterballs. 3 Torties and 2 black tabbies. (note by robin: Mom is also friendly)

I am not going to write some sappy story, here is the bottom line. The kittens that make it to weaning without getting sick might get a chance to go up for adoption in the kitten room and mom will be put down. The sad reality of what our community forces the shelter to deal with. Overpopulation plain and simple.

Every life in here deserves a chance. Every life is precious and a creation of something greater than us. Please exhaust all resources and see if you can come up with something for this family. I know Mommy wants to be loved, she is just needs to learn its safe to trust.

If you choose to send this post to out of state contacts please be prepared to use your local license to pull the family and help your out of state contact arrange transport.

**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~

Contact:

mystiblu@bellsouth.net

Henry County Animal Care and Control

527 Hampton Street

McDonough, Georgia 30253

(770) 288-PETS

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

The transport left, stuffed full of dogs and our two little kittens. The dilute kitty was also supposed to be on the transport, but was held back. The "rescue" group I complained about here in CT behaved completely unprofessionally and, seemingly irrationally.

I don't have both sides of this story, but from what I've heard from the person I deal with, her dealings with them are so nasty, I don't want to get involved. Apparently, the "rescue" group claims our Jenna contacted them too often-was "harrassing" them, which I find unbelievable. Perhaps they were contacted too often because they did NOT return emails or phone calls to confirm they WERE going to be taking the dilute off the transport and into foster care. They demanded to speak only to the OWNER of the transport company-so they were given the info. They did not want to get pick up info from Jenna. Fine, be flakey. They never called the transport company to confirm. They did nothing.

The only time they actually said anything was to bitch at Jenna on Friday, once she contacted them, again, to say the cat was NOT on the transport since she never heard from them. They let loose on her and said she was "unprofessional" and "didn't know anything" about running a rescue. Well, Jenna is responsible for saving hundreds of dogs lives. She has been great to work with and I've gotten six kittens from her. She knows what she's doing and bends over backwards to help. I think this is a simple case of the "pot calling the kettle black." I'm really irritated at these people for their nasty behavior. They played games about whether or not they would pay for the transport-about $75. Jenna ended up having to pay out of her own pocket, as I did for my guys transports. They did nothing but complain and demand and accuse. This is not my idea of a group I'd want to deal with.

As fate would have it, my last post about the dilute did not go unnoticed. A "re-tweet" of this article fell into the hands of someone who doesn't know me or my website. This person, a big time cat lover, who already has four cats, contacted me and asked where the dilute was. I said; "Greenville, SC." They said..."hey! We live in Greenville, SC, too!"

They really liked the dilute, but could they give her a home? Well, nothing is for certain just yet. The dilute is with a foster mom, an angry tom cat and a dog. She's hanging in there. I'm told she is super sweet! Will these wonderful folks adopt our baby? I dunno! It remains to be seen, though I can't help but wonder if this was all "meant to be?"