Sooty had her surgery on Weds. She's doing pretty good. She had a bit of a rough day on Weds. in that her temperature kept spiking to 103-104, going down and then going up again. But it's down now. Stillhave her on soreness meds and antibiotics. She's resting in Dodger's Pen. Today we will move her to her Cat's Corner Room that she likes. Hoping this weekend she will be up and about more. She is still purring!
Tomorrow morning and early afternoon I won't be here. It's that time of year--my friend Chris and I will be going to the annual Cat Show in Perrysburg. I can't wait. And no, I won't be coming back with any cats---I've never done that! But I sure like to look at all the breeds and talk to the owners about them. And the vendors---oh, what fun! I'm sure there will be a toy that will intrigue me to buy it for the kitties! I'll be back early to mid afternoon as we have people coming to look at the cats.
We had BOX and ENVELOPES last night! I am grateful for you all.
Debbie/lostgirl--2 bags of RC baby cat dry, 1000 6 inch paper plates
Jim & Mary S from OH--kitty card, note with donation
Clark, Jessie & the family--Happy 3rd Birthday card for JJ, our Porchie & a $5 chicken $
Auntie Donna (Clark/Jessie's aunt)--Valentine card & 2 $5 chicken $
Insurance Agent Napoleon, OH--Chief tapes
Teresa H from IN--donation to FFRC
Charlotte L from WI--doggie card with donation to FFRC
Hannah S, our special friend who loves Trucker--a Valentine card for Trucker
Helen N from OH--donation to FFRC
Katie L from Canada--a new kitty very tall scratching Palm Tree!
Anonymous Friend--case of Sparkle towels for Tabitha
Shannon S from IL--donation for our spay/neuter program
Danae W from IL--donation for our spay/neuter program
Debra J/bearmn--donation to FFRC in memory of Adrian's mom
Wanda E, our portrait maker friend--donation to FFRC for one of her artworks
Good news in regards to Scooper. She is doing great! It's always so nice to hear back and to confirm that all is good with the adoptions.
I am amazed at how fast our surgery slots have filled up. For our 2/20 we are full--we've juggled numbers a bit and now have 8 spays and 16 neuters. For the 3/7 Transport Project, we have been allotted to have more boys--our numbers are now 21 spays and 17 neuters.
We now have our Voucher Program ready to go. If you live in this area and would be willing to transport your cat yourself to HumaneOhio, we will give you a voucher to help pay for this. An indoor cat (male or female) is $45. An outdoor cat (male or female) is $25. Our FFRC voucher is worth $20 off of these costs. You would have to call HumaneOhio to set up your apointment and then contact me here at FFRC (419-393-2400) to receive your voucher. You can't beat this---please...don't let your cat reproduce. There is simply not enough homes. We WANT to help you to get your cat spayed or neutered. Call us at FFRC.
Want to hear a story? I've been reading stories at BOX time if time permits. But, yesterday I was working in my computer and came across an old file that was from years ago when we did a fundraiser called Be an Earth Angel. I just so happened to read Dodger's story last night but this is a longer version of that, written by our friend Cantoncat.
"His story is all too familiar. He was, by all accounts, a very loved cat. But the owner that cared for him, that loved him passed away. The owners family packed up the house and locked up the doors. They put the cat out to fend for himself.
A neighbor saw him and
tried to catch him, but couldn’t. Then
he wasn’t seen for quite a while. Maybe
6 months passed and the neighbor heard some noises in the basement of the
abandoned house. Incredibly the cat was
still alive, barely alive and barely recognizable as a cat.
It was Oct. 11, 2010 and
Jacci wasn’t sure what she was dealing with.
At first, she wasn’t even sure this creature before her was alive. He was covered with thousands of maggots, his
fur was completely matted. First he was
given IV’s, next the shaving began to remove the fur and the maggots.
As she shaved away layer
and layer, Jacci paused, wondering if this was even right to continue. Would he just pass away anyway from the
damage the maggots had already done? Knowing
he had survived for months on his own, she decided he deserved a little time to
win this battle. They let him rest after
giving him pain medication, more IV’s and several more baths.
His teeth were all
rotted out, but that could wait. First
to get his body to not hurt.
The next day, more
baths, more shaving. He seemed to be a
little better. More IV’s. More pain meds.
The next day, his body
was now maggot free. His wounds were now
healing. He was starting to look like a
cat. A very old cat, a very sad cat, but
a cat. He was named Dodger. He had dodged death and now was on to next
stage, recovery.
The next day he took
some food on his own. He still needed to
be syringe fed, but he was actually hungry.
He actually had the strength to partially bathe himself. And he chirped at the volunteers. It was progress. Slow progress but considering how he looked
when he came in, it wasn’t a baby step, it was a giant leap for catkind.
Back then, there was no
Thumpers room. So he was placed in the
pen in the office so Jacci could keep a close eye on him. He mostly slept, but slowly got stronger.
After a while he would
come out very slowly of the pen, take a few laps back and forth and then return
to his pen. He seemed to be a little
cold and loved to sleep on the heat pads given to him. Pat knitted him a sweater which he seemed to
like very much.
One day he emerged from
the office, in his bright orange sweater.
He immediately captured the hearts of webcammers everywhere.
His age could never be
accurately determined. The vet declared
he “was older than dirt.” He was indeed
an old, old cat. He had his good days
and not so good days. About a month
after his rescue he had a major setback.
He may have suffered a minor stroke.
More meds, more fluids were given.
The next day he seemed to respond and seemed interested in things again.
More sweaters were
knitted and he happily let the vols put them on him. He would take his slow strolls out to the
main area. He was like a dignified
professor, walking with his Yale-like sweaters.
He would climb up on the purple flower and take a rest for a while.
By early December he was
out and walking around much more. He was
now sporting his Christmas sweater, bright red.
Whenever he would have a
difficult day, he was given medicine to help ease his pain. His fur was starting to grow back, but he
seemed to like the warmth of his sweaters so continued to wear them. He never fussed when they were put on, he
knew they made him feel better.
We even got to see him
play some nights. He was a cat, after
all. But at night when it was time for
bed, he would go back inside his pen.
It would have been
understandable if the decision was made when he came in to end his journey
right there. But his pain was able to be
eased and his will to live was strong.
The decision to give him a chance to live was made knowing he didn’t
have long to live, but why not let him live his remaining time on earth
surrounded by love and why not let him become a cat again.
He loved his treats and
loved his petting more. He loved to be
loved on by the volunteers who all spent countless hours with him, making sure
he knew the world that once abandoned him was not the world he was going to
remember lastly.
January, 1 2011 was a
New Year for all, including Dodger. This
was to be his last New Years, but it would be a year in which every day of his
life, he knew love and became a much beloved cat.
On February 14, 2011
Dodger made the journey to the Rainbow Bridge.
And while many, many tears were shed for him, it was hard not to smile
remembering the journey he took in his final months. He arrived in unspeakable condition, but was
surrounded by Earth Angels who were determined that he would know the power of
love.
The pen he found
recovery in, the pen he found peace in was renamed Dodger’s Pen. It is a pen filled with hope and is a
constant reminder that everyone deserves to be treated with respect and dignity
in their lives, but especially on their final journey here on earth."
Thank you Canton for Dodger's story. Hugs.
