Ballou's rescue began much like Rain-Beau's with a post in the Urgent and Rescue sections of Petfinder's message boards. Here was his post:
Tongueless Cat in Desperate Need of Surrogate Tongue
Unfortunately I'm not kidding. In 2001, Ballou's original owners brought him straight from the vet's office to our shelter. They said that he had jumped onto a chair with dry cleaning, slipped on the plastic, and had his tongue pierced with the metal hanger. He freaked out and by the time they were able to get to him, his tongue was so damaged that most of it had to be removed. Instead of then waiting on him hand and foot for the rest of his life to help make it up to him, they dropped him off at our shelter.We cared for him for eight months while we tried to find him a home. Finally a local newspaper did a story on him and he was adopted by a special ed teacher. It seemed like a match made in heaven. Then last week, after all of this time, she called us saying that she was moving and could she please come drop him back off? Oh yeah, and could we possibly take one of her other cats too? She was at the shelter all of 20 seconds dropping him off. No goodbyes, no tears....obviously no soul inside of her! The picture below of Ballou shows the state he was in when she dropped him off.
So the search is on again. Ballou's dream owner would be a groomer. That would be almost too good to be true. His second best situation would be someone with a very non-threatening, cat-friendly dog...one of those dogs that just licks incessantly who could help him do what he can't do for himself. Last but not least, and really just as good, would be someone who was around a lot who could wipe him down with a warm wash cloth every time he's done eating.
Ballou is a beautiful cat when he's clean, and you can tell that he desperately wants to be clean. After only being at the shelter for a week, he already runs to the front of his cage when we walk in the door and rubs his cheeks all over the bars trying to get our attention. He needs to eat mostly wet food that he bites into and kind of tosses back to swallow. He still has all of the natural urges to groom, so if that wet food isn't wiped off of him, he smears it all over himself as he mock "grooms". He can drink water from a very large bowl or from a fountain. Here are some ways you can reach us if you think you might be able to provide him with cleanliness and love not necessarilly in that order. Our shelter is in Deerfield Beach, FL, but I am a flight attendant and could help him get to just about anywhere if necessary.
Then, a very nice person I still don't know who goes by the screenname of bcoo on Petfinder, became the true catalyst for Ballou's rescue when she sent me the following:
I decided it was time to actually contact the person in charge of Golden Hearts Animal Sanctuary which I now know is Stacy.
My friend Paul was there to help us with the final leg of our journey. It was wonderful to see him and we got to do a lot of catching up as we sat in traffic on the long drive to Valley Center. I was really worried about Ballou at that point because he hadn't had any food since the night before. He wasn't even trying to talk. He was just silent. We followed the directions given to us by Stacy. The closer we got to the sanctuary, the more we had to pay attention. There were beautiful hills with mountains in the background and hidden drives. We were desperately trying to read the numbers on posts and mailboxes when I saw the most beautiful thing hanging from a gate.
Ballou was home. We were met by Stacy, her husband Steve, and one animal after another, each one sweeter than the last and each with an amazing story. We fed Ballou right away and then put him in the guest room I was going to be using that night. He of course retreated under the bed, but when I lay on the floor talking to him, he rolled around upside down like his normal flirty self and rubbed his cheeks on anything he could reach. I began to relax too. I took Paul out to dinner and made a new Olive Garden fan out of him. I knew they were good! I turned in early that night and for someone who's not usually a good sleeper, really slept. Until 2:00 in the morning! Ballou jumped up on the bed and was purring and purring. He head butted me, got a couple of hugs, and then jumped over to the window and talked. Then he came back with more purrs and head butts. Then he went back to the other window and talked some more. He was obviously having a good time, so I went back to sleep only to get up at 5:00 and start another long but much less stressful day of flying home. When I got home I went straight to my computer and read the following:
Ballou looks like pretty much any other handsome black cat you would meet, that is, until you watch him eat. Due to an accident earlier in his life, part of his tongue was amputated, leaving him unable to groom himself or eat mashed up canned food (he needs the can shape so he can grab it to eat it!) His forever home in Florida turned out not to be the case, and Feline Friends has been working hard to place him during the heat of kitten season. When asked if he could live here if they could get him here, I said "Why not?" (Maybe Phoenix would consider grooming him instead of herself!)
He's pretty shy, and I'm sure trying to figure out what the last 24 hours were all about, so here's a picture of him before he left Florida, contentedly "making biscuits" with his paws. I hope that with some time, he will learn there are many friends here who can help him stay clean!
I answered:
I guess this would be the epilogue section:
Hi! I just wanted to let you know that Mr. Ballou is doing great! He's worked in with the kitties that live in the house pretty well. I do think Phoenix has a serious crush on him. While you & I thought that feeding him in a carrier would work well for him, he had other ideas. Once he discovered the joys of being out in the enclosure, a carrier simply would not suffice for a meal. He would sit in the carrier and cry and cry (I tried waiting him out, but...) for up to 45 minutes at one meal. The solution became simple ~ he wants to eat outside too! So we close the kitty door, he eats outside, the others eat inside. He gets cleaned up, then I open the kitty door. He eats better this way, and doesn't even mind the dogs watching him. He also now spends the day sleeping on the bench or on the carriers outside too; he's quit hiding when he hears the goats holler or a car drives in. Pictures on the way hopefully this weekend if the power doesn't go out again! Take care, Stacy
And...as Stacy put it, that's how Ballou found his Forever Home.
So the search is on again. Ballou's dream owner would be a groomer. That would be almost too good to be true. His second best situation would be someone with a very non-threatening, cat-friendly dog...one of those dogs that just licks incessantly who could help him do what he can't do for himself. Last but not least, and really just as good, would be someone who was around a lot who could wipe him down with a warm wash cloth every time he's done eating.
Ballou is a beautiful cat when he's clean, and you can tell that he desperately wants to be clean. After only being at the shelter for a week, he already runs to the front of his cage when we walk in the door and rubs his cheeks all over the bars trying to get our attention. He needs to eat mostly wet food that he bites into and kind of tosses back to swallow. He still has all of the natural urges to groom, so if that wet food isn't wiped off of him, he smears it all over himself as he mock "grooms". He can drink water from a very large bowl or from a fountain. Here are some ways you can reach us if you think you might be able to provide him with cleanliness and love not necessarilly in that order. Our shelter is in Deerfield Beach, FL, but I am a flight attendant and could help him get to just about anywhere if necessary.
Then, a very nice person I still don't know who goes by the screenname of bcoo on Petfinder, became the true catalyst for Ballou's rescue when she sent me the following:
I sent your information to Golden Hearts Animal Sanctuary. The woman who runs it seems tireless in her care of special needs animals. I have taken three special needs cats there from our shelter and visited there myself. You can see their websitewww.goldenheartsas.org and visit their blog to get an idea of how complete the care is that each animal receives. Good luck. This kitty deserves better.
Thank you very much! I just looked over the website and, wow! What great stories the kitties have! They are very lucky! (I'm originally from California, too.) I'm still kind of hoping that someone will say, "My mom's a retired groomer, and she has a small dog that loves cats and would love to lick Ballou day and night!" I know I'm hoping for a lot, but we will keep all roads open. The more people that know he's out there, the better chance he has to hook up with his perfect home and family. Any and all help is appreciated. Thanks again! Beth
(Man! Was I being stubborn or what?!)
OK. I know one of the older goldens she has there does "take care" of some of the kitties and some of the kitties groom each other. Her screen name is goldenheart here on petfinder and you can read her posts. She has been a vet tech for umpteen years and works with a mobile vet service that does house calls. Her work days aren't as long as the regular vet tech since she works with a single vet that schedules things around raising her own kids. I think Scooter and some of her other charges wouldn't be alive if not for her care.
Well, I just read the blog. If he can't be someone's only kitty, this could be a really great place for him. We are very interested. I just posted his story this morning, so I don't know if anyone else will respond or not, but please let me know if after reading Ballou's story, your friend thinks that her sanctuary might be the place for him. Thanks again! Beth
Hi, The person that uses the screenname bcoo has been writing to me about you. She didn't tell me your name, (or hers), but she read a post I wrote about Ballou. He's a cat that's been in, then out, then back in our shelter. He has no tongue. I think she forwarded you his post. We adore him. The shelter I volunteer at has approximately 100 cats. We have a small store front. Most of our cats are out on the floor, but Ballou can't stay out with them, because leaving him out with food available is like leaving a toddler out with finger paints. He needs to have his fill, be wiped down, and then have a food free environment, (dry food is fine), till his next meal. That means he's pretty much in a cage with us with only some short supervised times out. If you're full, I completely understand. I know what kitten season is like and I can't even imagine compounding that with puppy or baby goat season. So, did she forward you his story? Is your sanctuary a possibility? Are you as inundated as we are with annoying people trying to give you their animals? I read through your whole website. Never read your bios or blog when you've been traveling for 3 days and are emotionally exhausted! It wasn't a pretty site. I'm surprised my keyboard isn't fried from salty tear damage! Anyway, let me know what you think. Thank you! Beth
Wow, I hope they were happy tears, I cry them often too! Bcoo did forward your post to me, and yes, he is welcome here! The only qualification I ask ~ does he get along with other cats? It sounded like he lived with others, but I couldn't tell for sure. There are not only other cats who would be more than happy to help him with his grooming issues, but there are 2 dogs who would see to it that his coat glistens. Have a great weekend, Stacy
Well, the first time we had Ballou when he was somewhere in the 1 yr old range, we had him out on the floor for almost 8 months. That means he was with all of the other cats we had in the back room...that would have been about 30 of them. He was slightly more happy filthy and out then clean and in a cage. I remember that sometimes it seemed like he did get picked on by certain cats almost as if they knew he was "different." But he was pretty good at just ignoring them and going about his business. With the special ed teacher, she definitely had at least 2 other cats, so that was normal for him for almost 4 years. Now that he's been back with us for a couple of weeks, he's already strutted straight out of his cage a couple of times while we were wiping him down and walked off, (in a room with at least 90 cats). The one time we found him a few minutes later sleeping in a cat tree. So he definitely doesn't stress about things. As for the dog thing. I honestly don't think he's ever seen a dog, but I just know in my heart of hearts that a dog could end up being his best buddy. There would of course have to be a very calm, perfect introduction. Ballou's first instinct when you try to clean him up is to back up, but once you begin petting him with a warm wet wash cloth, he begins to purr and relax. His mock grooming rituals are very detailed and meticulous with 0 results. So, I think that once a friendly dog got to work licking all of the yummy wet kitty food off of his body, he'd be in a state of bliss. Maybe I'm delusional! I got in from flying last night and I might have to be on call next week, but for July, I will be off Thursday through Sunday every week. So...a Friday or Saturday sometime next month would be good for travel days to get Ballou out there. He had his teeth cleaned this last week. He had to have 2 pulled, but the rest are now clean and good. He's eating as if nothing happened. I was really worried about him because he had to go under anesthesia twice in barely a week, first to be groomed and then for his teeth, but he came out of it just fine. So...help me pick out a day for his big move. Thanks! Beth
Wow, welcome back! I'm glad he did well through anesthesia, though I'm a vet tech & know better, I worry like crazy anytime someone needs it! I work Fridays till 2pm or so, I'm off on Saturdays; I work with a housecall veterinarian, so my Fridays are often flexible. I can accommodate whatever works best for your schedule. Please give Ballou my best, let me know what works for your schedule, and also let me know if you need vet ref's, adoption app, or other paperwork completed. Stacy
Hi Stacy, I just got in from three incredible days of flying with a kitten rescue in the mix. I lived in San Diego for 3 years a long time ago and my college boyfriend's father still lives there. We've kept in touch for 20 years! He's excited to help me in my Ballou adventure, so he'll pick us up at the airport and drive us to you. We're thinking about the second week of July on Friday or Saturday. I need to check the flights and then get back to you. Thank you for being so helpful!
That sounds wonderful! We can also pick you up if and help you get around if you need. You're also welcome to our guest room (complete with a cat) if you need a place to stay. We've been hitting the 100 degree temperature mark regularly, unfortunately - we'll look forward to meeting you guys if we haven't melted away! Take care, Stacy
Hey Stacy, That was exactly the e-mail I needed to receive! I didn't know how to not over tax my friend Paul who lives in Oceanside, which I now know is very far away from the airport. This is what I think we might do. He will still pick me and Ballou up and get us to you. Then I'm going to take him out to dinner. Then I would love to stay in your guest room. Only one cat!? I guess I'll make due. Then I found a shuttle company that I will have take me back to the airport very early the next day.
No need for that! We'll be more than happy to get you back to the airport. We're always up early ~ I won't take no for an answer! We can always arrange for many, many more cats!
Hey Paul and Stacy, I'm just touching base with you. I leave tomorrow for Milan and will be getting home late Wednesday night. Then on Thursday, when I'm brain dead and jet lagged, I'm going to try to call you both. I want to be sure I have your cell phone #'s in case Ballou and I start getting bumped off of flights or something. (Hmmm. Was I psychic?) While I'm away, he's going to get his travel health certificate, and Cindy's going to buy him a harness for his stressful walk in my arms through the metal detector. I'm totally dreading that! Hopefully, I'll talk to you both for a few minutes the day before THE day. Talk to you then! Beth
So on July 14th, Ballou and I were off. I went to the shelter very early. Boy is it a mess that time of day! I felt very little guilt stepping over the piles of hairballs and who knew what else without cleaning them up as I was on a mission. I approached him with the dreaded harness and put it on him before he knew what hit him. He was zipped up in his carrier and sitting beside me in my car in a matter of minutes. That wasn't so bad! We checked in at West Palm Beach International Airport with no problems at all. Then it was time to go through the metal detector. The security guy was super nice. I told him that I was going to cover Ballou's eyes, walk straight through and then put him directly back in the unzipped, waiting carrier. I also told him that my only concern was that Ballou's harness which had metal in it would set the detectors off. I opened the carrer to show him the harnass which was no longer a problem because it was doing nothing more than decorating the floor of the carrier. Ballou, A.K.A. Houdini, was probably out of that thing before I even got him out of the shelter. Anyway, the flight to Atlanta was great. Ballou cried a little during take off and then again during descent, but he was a great traveler.
In Atlanta, we went to our connecting gate for the next leg to San Diego and our luck started to run out. Ballou and I had to fly standby since I'm an airline employee. The flight had been wide open just the night before, but that was no longer the case. Besides being full, it was delayed because they were waiting for the pilots to arrive from another flight. I knew that there was one flight attendant jumpseat that was not taken, but it is not standard to fly on the jumpseat with a pet. Where would we put Ballou? In a closet? In an overhead bin? Hey, I would have considered any of those options, but it didn't seem professional to ask. So I waited until I was sure that we really weren't going to get on before I finally mustered the courage to ask one of the agents. He was very busy, and a bit stressed, but I started my question, "Excuse me. I know that there is still a jumpseat available, but I was not standing by for it because I have this cat. (The guy had that kind of glazed over look that says, "I'm busy"). I continued, "He has no tongue! He's going to a Sanctuary!" Now, I had a real human being looking back at me. He said, "I guess if the crew doesn't mind, it wouldn't be a problem." So I left everything and literally ran down the jetway to ask the crew. They too had that glazed over look that said they'd had a stressful boarding with the full flight and the delay. When I got to the part about, "And he has no tongue! He's going to a Sanctuary!" The said, "Well, go get him!" I did. He went under the last row of seats just a few feet away from me. We weren't even going to be that late...until we had to abort our landing. Yup. We were on our final approach, when we all of the sudden started to climb again very sharply. The flight attendant in the back who was working the flight was very glad to have company at that point. The captain came on a few minutes later saying that the flaps were sticking midway and wouldn't go into position. We ended up flying for another half hour or so and then landed with emergency vehicles lining the runway in case we needed them. It was all in all a spectacular entrance made by Ballou!
My friend Paul was there to help us with the final leg of our journey. It was wonderful to see him and we got to do a lot of catching up as we sat in traffic on the long drive to Valley Center. I was really worried about Ballou at that point because he hadn't had any food since the night before. He wasn't even trying to talk. He was just silent. We followed the directions given to us by Stacy. The closer we got to the sanctuary, the more we had to pay attention. There were beautiful hills with mountains in the background and hidden drives. We were desperately trying to read the numbers on posts and mailboxes when I saw the most beautiful thing hanging from a gate.
Friday, July 14, 2006
A Boy Named Ballou
This handsome boy, Ballou, arrived late this afternoon after a long journey with his rescuer Beth. Their adventure began very early this morning in Florida ~ yes, Ballou has now traveled coast-to-coast, making friends and racking up those "frequent flyer" miles! Thanks to Beth, the folks at Delta airlines, and Beth's friend Paul, Ballou's adventure to his forever home is now complete.
Ballou looks like pretty much any other handsome black cat you would meet, that is, until you watch him eat. Due to an accident earlier in his life, part of his tongue was amputated, leaving him unable to groom himself or eat mashed up canned food (he needs the can shape so he can grab it to eat it!) His forever home in Florida turned out not to be the case, and Feline Friends has been working hard to place him during the heat of kitten season. When asked if he could live here if they could get him here, I said "Why not?" (Maybe Phoenix would consider grooming him instead of herself!)
He's pretty shy, and I'm sure trying to figure out what the last 24 hours were all about, so here's a picture of him before he left Florida, contentedly "making biscuits" with his paws. I hope that with some time, he will learn there are many friends here who can help him stay clean!
I answered:
Hi Stacy and Steve, Well, I got home last night at about 8:30. I quickly found your blog entry about Ballou. That was almost as sweet as his "Welcome Home, Ballou" sign! I slept amazingly and am about to go into the shelter for the last day before I fly again. I will be printing out your update and sharing it with everyone. So far, every time Ballou has thought something bad was about to happen, it did. It might just take a while for him to realize that pattern has been broken. What he has going for him is that he is naturally gentle and flirty, so hopefully when bad things keep not happening, he'll follow his natural urges and open up all the way. Oh yeah, when his food starts to get mushed flat, it's not ruined. If he's still working on it, you can just pile it back up with a spoon. I feel like Heloise for Ballou. If I think of any other Ballouisms, I'll pass them on right away. ;-) Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I'll be in touch when I get back from flying. Beth
I just wanted to let you know that Ballou is doing pretty well. It was still cool outside when we got back from the airport this morning, so I went ahead and introduced him to Scooter's group. I think Phoenix (the white hairless girl) is in love!! She's always hanging out near wherever he is. Scooter's intimidated (another boy) and everyone else welcomed him with no problem.Ballou's a little nervous about it but getting better. I fed him tonight in a carrier which went well & I was able to clean him when he was done with no trouble. He was purring until he saw the other kitties watching! In spite of the warm weather, he spent quite a bit of time outside, under the bench, taking everything in. He doesn't seem too panicked about the dogs.Anyway, I just wanted you to know that he's getting along okay! It was great meeting you too! (pictures soon!) Take care, Stacy
Hi! I just wanted to let you know that Mr. Ballou is doing great! He's worked in with the kitties that live in the house pretty well. I do think Phoenix has a serious crush on him. While you & I thought that feeding him in a carrier would work well for him, he had other ideas. Once he discovered the joys of being out in the enclosure, a carrier simply would not suffice for a meal. He would sit in the carrier and cry and cry (I tried waiting him out, but...) for up to 45 minutes at one meal. The solution became simple ~ he wants to eat outside too! So we close the kitty door, he eats outside, the others eat inside. He gets cleaned up, then I open the kitty door. He eats better this way, and doesn't even mind the dogs watching him. He also now spends the day sleeping on the bench or on the carriers outside too; he's quit hiding when he hears the goats holler or a car drives in. Pictures on the way hopefully this weekend if the power doesn't go out again! Take care, Stacy
Stacy, You're the best! I was going to write to you today, but when I turned my computer on...there was your letter. Poor Ballou! He probably thought you had him in the carrier to ship him back to Florida! The solution he figured out for himself sounds much better! It is such a relief to know that he's relaxing and getting into a routine. I'm going to be writing all of this down soon and posting it up on our site sort of like I did for Rain-Beau. I will be vague about exactly which amazing sanctuary in the San Diego area took him in if you would like. I want to be sure that we are not the cause of you receiving hundreds of requests to take in more animals. You really do deserve a lot of credit though, so let me know if you'd like to remain unnamed or named.
Today temps hit 112 degrees, & we're all melting, except the office cats, who, Ballou included, are peacefully napping with the fan blowing on them. Ballou has opted for the fish tank bed, which I made by turning the stand around so the cats could crawl in it for privacy. Thank you for sharing Ballou's story. By all means, you can mention us by name. Have a super weekend! Stacy
