We also unexpectedly lost a young kitty, Goblin, who probably ate something that he could not pass which formed an intestinal blockage. This seems to be a very dangerous theme recently. Roadrunner and Lolita, two kitties adopted from us in the past, had a similar situation. Sadly, Roadrunner didn't make it. She had ten inches of sewing thread wrapped deep around the base of her tongue where it could not be seen. And that was just the beginning! She had ingested so much of the thread that it was found throughout her intestines. We paid her medical bills and tried to ensure that she received the best medical care available, but 70% of her bowels were damaged beyond repair. She passed away soon after the surgery. Lolita participated a little too much in a birthday party and found the tinsel tabletop decoration. She also needed surgery to remove the tinsel from her intestines, but she is going to be okay. For everyone out there reading this, be paranoid! You hear it all of the time, but rubber bands, thread, ribbons, tinsel, etc…really can kill your pet!
We have had some great adoptions! Paddymack was adopted! He now lives with a beautiful four-year-old Bengal kitty named Naneko. His mom and dad, Amanda and Jeff, were the best adopters ever! They did their homework and were already informed and knowledgeable about cat introductions before they brought Paddymack home. They worked with scent, one of the most important factors in an introduction, and they were patient. They did it by the book and kept us informed. Yes, he’s still doing lots of fetching! We received so many great Flickr pages of Paddymack, that I am including just one of my favorites.
Jasmine, Croc, Blueberry, Patrón and Roz (This is so new I’m almost afraid to jinx us!) were all adopted too!
Other adoptions didn’t go quite as well, but no harm was done and we fixed it.
One adoption went so wrong, that it almost makes us want to just stop. Why put ourselves through it? Why put the cats through it? Why ever trust anyone again? We screen, check in by phone, and even visit if it might help, but sometimes, there is a disconnect there and our cats are literally put in danger. Instead of giving up, we enlisted the help of a friend, who enlisted the help of her friend. With cat people from all different walks of rescue working together, we got our cats back safely. Trappers definitely don’t get enough appreciation! I’m not talking about pest control trappers, but the dedicated trappers who do “Trap/Neuter/ Return.” We were in distress. We called for help as surely as if we had called 911. Donna was the trapper who received our call. With a picture of our kitty and all of the information we could possibly provide, she had her in a trap and back safely to us within 24 hours. Trapping is a skill. Donna, you are very skilled, and you are our hero! Thank you!
We also were able to help two kitties who never even stepped a paw into our shelter. One was an outdoor, neutered male kitty who was being fed by the cousin of one of our volunteers, Mary. This kitty had been attacked by another animal and had four puncture wounds in his left cheek. We provided him with the medical care needed to get back on his feet.
The second kitty we helped is Patches. We played a small part in a very heartwarming adoption. The main person responsible for Patches’ great fortune is Ira Fischer. He actually wrote an article about Patches’ rescue which will be coming out in the June issue of The Happy Harold. Please read Patches’ story.
