Special Needs Cats Archives - PENNY & THE KITS

Posted on August 15, 2020 by robynhoovenwilson

Winston aka Sir Snoot’s Rescue from ACCT Philly

Winston's Shelter Pic — This is one of the pics of Winston that caught my eye in my FB News Feed the day I rescued him.

“Bring Me to Life” – Evanescence

There a number of lyrics in this song that speak to my soul much like the way Winston’s eyes did when I saw his “timestamped” post in my Facebook News Feed…

“How can you see into my eyes like open doors?
Leading you down, into my core
Where I’ve become so numb, without a soul
My spirit’s sleeping somewhere cold
Until you find it there, and lead it, back, home…”

“…Without a thought, without a voice, without a soul
DON’T LET ME DIE HERE
There must be something more
Bring me to life.”

I’ve known this song for years. It’s on my Apple Playlist. But the first time I heard it after I rescued Winston, I broke down and bawled.

This explains his rescue perfectly.

Winston was on an “Extension”…

Of his timestamp. He was originally scheduled to be euthanized on August 14, 2019 but was granted a 24-hour extension. I guess intake was slow at ACCT Philly that day.

On August 15, 2019, I was lying down on the couch scrolling my Facebook News Feed on my phone because I was sick as a dog with a 102F fever and a cough that wouldn’t quit.

And then I saw this post..

🎉❤🐈 ADOPTED!!!! 8/15 🐈❤🎉So very happy to update all of you that most handsome sweet boy Winston was adopted by a…

Posted by Angela Seward on Wednesday, August 14, 2019

His face HAUNTED me. You can see the sheer TERROR and utter HEARTBREAK all over it. I already had five indoor cats at the time (who don’t all get along) as well as a feral colony of 8. My house is not big. I’m broke as a joke. Mom has limited mobility from her stroke and requires my help…and I’m trying to earn a living despite all of the distractions in my life.

These were the thoughts going through my mind after seeing this FB post.

I knew I couldn’t take him, so I shared Angela’s post in the hopes that someone would go get him before his timestamp was up in eight short hours.

Of course, I couldn’t get his face out of my mind. So I stalked any post I could find on Facebook about him to read the comments and see if anyone, anyone at all, had any interest in possibly saving him.

ZERO…

The number of people who expressed interest in saving him. By 2:30pm, I felt panic rising. He had less than six hours left. I couldn’t let him die. I couldn’t let this kitty, who had the same owner and home for 14 years and just spent 15 long and horrific days in a loud, overcrowded and underfunded shelter, die that evening. I contacted ACCT Philly Lifesaving. When I spoke to them, they confirmed that Winston had ZERO inquiries and still was not safe.

OFF TO NORTH PHILLY…

We went. I already told Mom about Winston and showed her his picture. She, too, was moved by the utter heartbreak on his face.

I remember telling Mom that I needed my head checked. I asked her to talk me out of it because she is much more detached and rational about animals than I am.

She didn’t argue with me.

We stopped off at Pet Smart to grab a few things to set him up in the main bathroom for overnight until I could figure out where we could make his safe room. Then we took the hour-long drive to North Philly from South Jersey.

I WAS NOT PREPARED…

For what I experienced when we got there. Neither was Mom.

This excerpt from a Facebook post I put out a week after Winston’s rescue sums it up perfectly…

“I knew ACCT Philly had its problems. I’m FB friends with one of their former volunteers turned whistleblowers who was terminated from ACCT for making noise about the horrendous conditions there.

But NOTHING could have prepared me for what I walked into that day.

When we walked in to the crowded lobby area, I naively believed people were waiting to vet their pets or were waiting to adopt a pet.

I guess I just told myself that so I could walk past them without facing the reality.

They were all surrendering their pets

I went back to the adoption area, where there was NOBODY waiting to adopt a pet.

There was a mom with two crying children and a dog. The dog was ACCT Philly Alumni. The kids were crying because they just had to return another dog they adopted because she didn’t get along with Dog #1.

When they approved my application and let me go back to meet Winston, we opened the door to the hallway that leads to both the dogs and cats…And the stench hit me like a WALL.

I have an iron stomach. But I almost threw up. It smelled strongly like a combo of raw sewage and mold. And it was hot.

The sound of barking dogs was DEAFENING.

We walked behind another closed door to a room that was not sound-proofed at all. Cats filled the rows of metal cages. Many were huddled and heartbroken. Many came to the front of their cages, hoping to get my attention.

I had to detach. For my own sake and for Winston’s sake, I had to detach. Much like many of the workers and volunteers have to do…Because if you don’t, your heart breaks.

I went into a less crowded room. This room was filled with timestamped kitties. And even though they had food and water and a small towel or newspaper, they had nowhere to hide to get away from the stress.

We approached Winston’s cage. He was sleeping. How he was sleeping with the deafening noise of dogs barking was beyond me. I got the feeling he wasn’t really sleeping. He was trying to hide as far back in his cage as he could because he didn’t want us to see him

The adoption worker opened the cage. I put my hand in there for him to sniff, even though his ears were flattened and his pupils were fully dilated. He sniffed. Wanted nothing to do with me.

This is why he was on the euthanasia list.

I didn’t care. I could not let this be his end. Dumped off after 14 years with the same family….

Two weeks of nothing but unbelievable noise, horrid stench like you cannot even imagine, and nothing to do but sit there and stare at more cages across the way.

It couldn’t end that way for him.

I gave him Temptations treats and he warmed up enough to let me scratch his chin.

I took him out of the cage to see if he was fixed, because they had conflicting information on that.

When I held him, he was trembling. Afraid of what was going to happen to him next.

When I finally got him out of the shelter and we put him in the back of the Jeep, you should have seen his reaction. I wish I had taken video.

He was sniffing fresh air for the first time in 15 days. He was looking around, scared but excited.

And you all saw how he fell asleep in his carrier during the long ride home.

Winston's freedom ride — Winston dosing off in rush hour traffic during his Freedom Ride from ACCT Philly to his Forever Home.

Why did it take me a week to share this?

Because I needed to be able to type this all out without crying…

…I cannot possibly cover all of my emotions the past week from this experience in one FB post.

But it changed me. I am traumatized, yet determined, all at the same time.

God and St Francis brought me there to be a voice. Not just for the pets in this shelter, but pets everywhere who are existing in their own Hell.”

WINSTON’S FREEDOM RIDE

Like I said in that Facebook post, I wish I took video of his first reaction when we put him in the back of the Jeep. He perked right up and started sniffing the air. For the first time in over two weeks, he wasn’t smelling animal excrement and mold but “kind of fresh” air (this WAS Philly, after all!) He looked scared, but excited, too. He knew he was saved.

We got stuck in rush hour coming out of Philly on the way home so it took us about an hour and a half to get home. At one point I looked at him while sitting at a red light in Mount Laurel, NJ, and he was relaxed and starting to doze off.

He knew he was SAFE.

I often wonder if he knew how close he was to dying that day. But, I believe he was already dead on the inside before we ended his nightmare.

THAT NIGHT HE SLEPT LIKE A BABY…

When we came home, I was trying to beat the sunset so I had to quickly get him set up in the bathroom for the night so I could go out and feed the Yard Cats. Winston needed time to decompress and a small, quiet space to do it in. After I set the carrier in the bathroom and opened the door, I left him high quality food, showed him his litter box and bed, and then let him be.

He didn’t leave the carrier that night besides to use his litter box and eat and drink. I didn’t hear a PEEP from the bathroom all night. I imagine that he slept more soundly than he had in two weeks.

SIR SNOOT!

The next day I set up Grandmommy Kitten’s room up for Winston to move in to. Winston is shy but not feral so I figured he would be okay with her.

This cat was moving from a steel cage to luxury accommodations, including a queen-size comfy bed, a large cat tree overlooking our backyard, a computer chair that the cats LOVE to use as a bed (hence why we have a computer chair in the corner of a bedroom with no desk!), and, of course, the best cat food available and FRESH, pH-balanced well water (no chlorine or chemicals in our water!).

I was SOOOOO excited to open the window a bit so Winston could experience the country. We live on the edge of the Wharton State Forest in South Jersey. The air doesn’t get any fresher. We have tons of wildlife, including deer (if you follow us on Facebook you will see our deer too!), TONS of birds and squirrels, wild turkeys, possums…you name it! We assume Winston lived in Philly somewhere since he was at their open-intake shelter and fresh country air just isn’t possible there.

Once I got him all set up, I brought him in, opened his carrier, and spent a few minutes with him to let him know he is SAFE and I’m his friend.

Getting to know Winston — Winston’s first day in his new home.

I brought Mom in to officially meet him. She was with me when we adopted him but she didn’t get a chance to even pet him and he didn’t get to check her out.

Before I brought her in, I took the time to carefully instruct her on how to be with him. He was very scared and quite shy. It was almost like dealing with one of my ferals when they first came around. Mom isn’t quite the Cat Whisperer that I am and I wanted his first impression of her to be a GOOD one since they were going to be “roomies”.

When she came in, he walked right past me like I was CHOPPED LIVER and went up to her to greet her like he had always known her. From that point on, he wanted nothing to do with me unless I have food.

Winston meets Grandmommy Kitten — The moment Sir SNOOT clearly chose Grandmommy Kitten over me!

I seriously was shocked and amused ALL at the same time.

I mean, how can he possibly resist ME? Doesn’t he know who I am? I tame feral cats left and right and this SNOOT rejected ME???!!!

Hence, the nickname “Sir Snoot” was born.

WHO RESCUED WHO?

The weekend before Sir Snoot came into our lives, my brother moved from South Jersey to Syracuse to go back to school, and one of my nephews (the one who spent the most time with us) moved in with his mother in Indiana.

Mom wasn’t taking these changes too well. My dad passed in 2014 and Mom hasn’t been the same since. She and my dad sacrificed an awful lot to help my brother raise his children and my nephews even lived here when they were younger.

Mom was depressed before they left and even more so after they both moved.

It don’t think it’s any coincidence that Snoot chose Mom. I even believe he was meant to end up here all along.

We have a theory (even though is paperwork and surrender form don’t say this) that his owner passed away and it was the family who dumped him at the shelter. We, as well as many of our followers on social media, believe that Grandmommy Kitten reminds him of his previous owner and that’s why he chose HER.

I think we needed Snoot as much as he needed us. Isn’t that always the way?

ONE YEAR AGO TODAY…

Snoot left his nightmare and beat his time stamp by 2 hours, 36 minutes and started a brand new life with us.

He has some health issues. He was seriously underweight when we adopted him at just 7lb8oz. He’s a LARGE cat and should be 13-14lbs. I haven’t weighed him recently but when he had his dental done this past February, he was 12lb4oz.

When he had his dental, he almost didn’t wake up from anesthesia. It took them three reversal drugs to wake him up that day. I didn’t know until I picked him up that he was that close to not coming out of his dental alive. Thank God he did, because I didn’t want a 12-hour fasting followed by him being in a cage in a scary place to be his “end”. He will not be having any more procedures that require anesthesia again unless it’s to save his life, because I know now that he will be very high risk.

He’s in early kidney disease, which I’m not surprised. I will not be able to treat it like I treated Penny’s with all of the meds and sub q fluids etc. Winston isn’t an easy cat to handle, medicate, stick needles in, etc and the treatments would stress him out to the point that it would become a quality of life issue. This will be hard for me because I can give fluids practically with both hands tied behind my back and blindfolded but I have to do what’s right for HIM, not for me, my ego, and my desire to make up to him what his previous owners did.

Winston is in constant discomfort from a botched declaw job courtesy of his previous life and the people who did this to him. His paperwork said he wasn’t declawed, but a few months after his rescue, I noticed I didn’t hear his claws scratching on the Turbo Scratcher pad that he loves to use. He doesn’t allow us to touch his front paws but I could tell by the nub of a bone sticking out of where his thumbnail is supposed to be that he was declawed and they’re trying to grow back. Now I know that’s why he’s somewhat standoffish at times and snaps or hisses at us. It breaks my heart watching him walk. I tell him all the time that I would have never, ever done this to him.

Winston's botched declaw — One of the many pictures we took of Winston’s barbaric declawing.

His digestive issues have also kept me on my toes. I suspect he has more than just your standard IBD, but since treatment for IBD and possible intestinal lymphoma are pretty much aimed at symptomatic care and since anesthesia is no longer an option for him, I just treat for the IBD and see what works best for him.

NEW BEGINNINGS – NEW LIFE

All in all, Sir Snoot has had one incredible year!

He experienced a kittenhood that I suspect he never had before.

He found his soulmate and slave in Grandmommy Kitten.

He made friends with Rascal and Mischy.

He’s spoiled rotten, pampered, very well fed, and LOVED.

He rules the roost here and spends his waking moments bossing us around.

Winston impatiently waiting for Grandmommy to give him treats — Winston waiting impatiently for Grandmommy Kitten “to do the right thing” aka give him treats as I’m sitting here typing this post.

I ALWAYS GET THE LAST WORD IN…

And I always will. I hope one day this finds its way to Winston’s previous owners or family…whoever decided to dump him off at Hell on Earth aka ACCT Philly.

This is the letter I wrote to them shortly after we brought Sir Snoot to HOME…

A Letter to My Senior Shelter Kitty’s Former Owner

Posted on September 29, 2019 by robynhoovenwilson

A Letter to My Senior Shelter Kitty’s Former Owner

Winston's Shelter Pic vs New Home Pic — I wanted to compare Winston’s shelter pic to what he looks like after a month in our care. See how the light went on behind Winston’s eyes?

INTRODUCTION

On August 15, 2019, this post came across my Facebook News Feed.

Winston's "Timestamped" Post — This was one of the pictures I saw on my FB News Feed about Winston

Although I was sick with a fever and a sinus infection..

Didn’t have the space or the money..

Already have issues with my indoor cats getting along as it is..

And I had the intention of rescuing Charlie before Winter..

Something about this 14-yr-old kitty who only ever knew one owner and was timestamped to die that evening just GRABBED by heart.

More on Winston’s Rescue to come. Here’s the Facebook post when I left the shelter with him.

On the One-Month Anniversary of his rescue from ACCT Philly, I finally composed myself enough to write a letter to his previous owners…what he knew as his “family”.

To Winston’s former owners:

Note that I didn’t say “former family”. Because family = unconditional love.

One month ago today, at 5:24pm, I took Winston out of that nightmare of an animal shelter where you left him…

Where he sat in a metal cage for 15 days and nights, listening to the never-ending, deafening sound of barking dogs, smelling stench that I cannot even describe.

Video of Winston in shelter posted by ACCT Philly Life Saving Team

I got him out of there 2 hours and 36 minutes before he was to be killed.

I want to judge you.

I want to run into you on the street and cold clock you.

But I can’t.

You said you were moving and “don’t have no space”.

I don’t know your circumstances.

All I know is that I saw a picture of your pet online. The look of fear, despair, and heartbreak on his face was so great, I couldn’t bear it.

I could read into his soul in those pictures.

And I could NOT allow that to be his “ending”.

So, even though I truly had no room nor the finances, I had to make it work.

I guess I saw something in your pet that you just couldn’t see.

And, apparently, so did my online friends. Because MANY of them chipped in to help me help your pet.

You reported him to be quiet, shy, and said he likes to hide a lot.

But that he was a “nice cat”.

You stated you didn’t have a vet and he never saw the vet.

You said that you got your pet from a friend. Does that friend know where your cat ended up after 14 years?

Like I said, I, too, had no room, because I already had a house full of forgotten former feral cats.

But something pulled me to him.

Did you know that your “quiet” cat is really quite talkative?

Did you know that since your cat has a nice little cubby in his cat tree that he really doesn’t “hide a lot”?

Winston doing Happy Stretch — Winston doing the Happy Stretch to greet me when I went into his room.

Did you know that your “shy” cat solicits our attention every chance he gets?

Did you know that your cat LOVES to play and already has two favorite toys that he places on his beloved tissue paper we set out for him?

Did you know that your cat, who never saw a vet, is rather healthy and active for a 14yr old cat now that he’s on the right diet?

Did you know he has a hip problem that makes his right leg bow inward when he walks?

Did you know his mouth is in a lot of pain?

And, be honest with me because I already know the answer…

Do you even CARE?

That’s okay.

Because he is OUR pet now.

I will get him fixed up.

Winston with his new vet, Dr Matt — Winston with is new friend, Dr Matt, during his first vet visit in I don’t know how many years.

He knows happiness and love.

Winston relaxing after I moved him into his new room! — Winston on Day 2 of his New Life relaxing in his new room!

He enjoys the fresh air of the South Jersey woods, watching the deer and wildlife in the backyard, and having the kittenhood I suspect he never had.

And if he doesn’t like living with our other cats, I will find him the perfect HOME.

No matter what, as God as my witness, Winston will never, ever set paw in a shelter again.

He will never be homeless and forgotten again.

I made him that promise when I got him out of that horrible place where you left him.

Winston relaxing in his carrier on his way home from the shelter — Winston’s Freedom Ride HOME!

And I promise you that, too.

Winston was rescued by someone who thought he was important enough to make it work.

Because he is.

I’d love to say that I hope karma doesn’t come back to you to bite you, but I’d be lying.

And I always tell it like it is.

Signed,

Winston’s FAMILY ❤️

Winston and his new Grandmommy — Day 2 of Winston’s New Life and he clearly chose his person – my mom!

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Posted on December 7, 2018December 10, 2018 by robynhoovenwilson

Farrah – The Senior Blind Miracle Stray Kitty That COULD

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I shared about Farrah so much on our Facebook page that I would have to link to about nine different posts in order to bring newcomers and those who missed some posts up to speed.

So, I decided to write an entire blog post about Farrah.

Her story is certainly WORTHY. As she is.

And if Farrah’s story doesn’t give you hope and make you cry, well, you must be made of stone!

A Little Backstory First…

I don’t often dream about my Rainbow Bridge kitties. However, Tabby Wonder Cat Wilson came to me in a dream one summer night. Here was part of my Facebook post after I rescued Farrah…

“…I haven’t mentioned yet that Farrah came to me in a dream about five days before I even knew she existed.

In the dream, my late Tabby, my little soul cat of 16 years, came back to me. And I was petting her. When I told my mom about the dream the next day, I described the cat as kind of a brindle pattern but light colored. It was a different cat, but it was Tabby.

Monday when I picked Farrah up from her finder and got a better look at her, I was shocked to realize SHE was the cat in my dream.

Tabby passed six years ago and Farrah is 12-15 years old per the vet, but I have no doubt my Tabby played a part in this girl’s rescue ❤️ “

Crazy, right?

How Did I Get Involved?

September 24, 2018. My house was torn up because of a complete HVAC replacement. The Innies (my indoor cats) were in lock down in ‘safe rooms’ while the work was being done.

I was already stressed out beyond belief with the noise, the cats, Mom… This was the beginning of a two-day job that I just wanted OVER.

While I was sitting outside, trying to decompress and trying not to hear Rascal tearing up the bedroom door, I saw a friend tagged me in a post about a ‘found’ stray cat.

“Oh, no, no, no. Not today. I’m not a rescue. I have no room to help a cat. I can’t worry about this today…” These were the thoughts going through my head.

Facebook Post, “This stray cat is in Franklinville. I believe the cat might be blind. Please share.”

And NOBODY could take her in off of the street.

NOBODY.

I couldn’t leave her out there. She was BLIND. How she managed to survive out there for God knows how long is beyond me! But I had ZERO room to take in a cat. Not with my indoor cats on lock down and the workers making enough noise to raise the dead.

But I had to do SOMETHING.

Later, after I picked Farrah up , I noticed that three other Facebook friends tagged me in different posts about the SAME cat.

Okayyyy, Saint Francis, I Got the Message

I got in touch with Joe, the guy who posted Farrah’s picture on Facebook. He told me she showed up at his sister’s house a couple of days prior. His sister fed her. Farrah was hanging out under a batting cage in his sister’s yard. Since she has dogs and he has a dog, nobody could bring her inside.

They believed she was TOTALLY blind.

His sister was going to take her to a shelter, but Joe was concerned that a shelter would euthanize her. He was hoping to find her owner or someone who could take her first.

I asked Joe if he called around to area rescues. He contacted several and not one rescue could help her. It was near the end of kitten season and rescues are bursting at the seams in September.

I was trying to think of how I could JUST get her inside to safety. My wheels were turning. With everything going on inside my house that week with the construction, I had nowhere to put her.

FINALLY, Someone Stepped Up

I called my friend Linda, the Director of Jersey State Animal Rescue. And she was FULL. Over capacity at that point. We were texting back and forth, talking about how nobody could at least get her in off the street for that night.

I read her next text, “Can he get her here?”

I said, “Linda, if you can take her, I will personally go get her myself if I have to!”

Since I had workers all around my house with my elderly mother and really didn’t want to leave for too long, I did manage to talk Joe into bringing Farrah to a nearby bank where I could pick her up.

Joe set about borrowing a cat carrier from his neighbors and went down to his sister’s house to get her.

I sat on eggshells, waiting for that text that he got her safe and sound. So many things could go wrong…

After what seemed like HOURS (it was 45 minutes), I got the life-changing text message that they were on their way to meet me.

Her Rescue

When I arrived at the bank parking lot to pick her up, Joe was talking to her and petting her while she was in the carrier.

As soon as I saw her, I knew there was something REALLY special about her. But I hadn’t made the connection that she was the cat in my dream yet.

She was an absolute DOLL. Beautiful. And as much as she wanted out of that carrier, she was just sucking up all of the affection she was getting from us.

I assured Joe that she was going to the best possible Rescue and I would keep him updated.

Once I got her home, I was able to get a better look at her.

I could NOT believe it.

Farrah waiting for the rescue to pick her up.

She Was the Cat in my Dream

I went to get Mom…

I was SHAKING because I couldn’t believe I dreamed about this cat five days before I even knew she existed.

My mind was racing. Was it Tabby come back to me? Where the Hell would I put her? I already have five indoor cats, two of whom don’t get along, and their mama, who I still have to integrate into my household.

All while this was going through my mind, I sat with her while she happily gobbled down Temptations treats and soaked up all the love.

I had no choice but to let her go to the rescue

I knew she would be in great hands there. This is the ONLY rescue that I would trust with my OWN cats. I adopted Penny and Weeny from Jersey State. I know firsthand how well she takes care of her cats…like they are her own. And her facility, even with all of the cats, is cleaner than my own home (and I’m a clean freak!)

Does She Even Have a Chance?

Once Linda arrived, she took her out of the carrier and we both got a better look at her. She was scary skinny and dirty. Her eyes were so swollen they were bulging out of her eye sockets. She couldn’t even close them. Her one eyeball was completely filled with blood.

Farrah when she first arrived at the rescue.

Linda stated she saw eyes that looked like this before. And it was cancer.

My heart BROKE. I really wanted this little star to have a chance.

We weren’t sure if there was ANY hope for her.

I had to take comfort in the fact that she would be SAFE, WARM and WELL-FED for that night, anyway. It’s STILL better than the alternative!

Hope…

Linda said she would take her to the vet that week. Honestly, at this point, we both thought she may not make it through. I posted on Facebook to drum up donations for her vetting since Linda was over capacity and I wanted to help this baby.

Later that evening, when I was in the shower, her name came to me.

Farrah.

Incredible beauty. Strength. A survivor. HOPE.

I texted Linda when I got out of the shower and asked if they could name her “Farrah”. She agreed that was the PERFECT name for this little warrior princess!

MORE Hope…

Linda texted me the next day. She saw what I saw in Farrah. She wanted to give her EVERY chance and committed to seeing if there was ANYTHING the vet could do for her.

Two Days after Rescue-Farrah closing her eyes for the first time.

Here was my Facebook post after her first vet visit..

“Yesterday, Farrah, our sweet little blind girl, closed her eyes for the first time since she was rescued on Monday 🙀

She wasn’t able to close her eyes before because of the swelling 💔…

…Every time I talk to Linda, the director of Jersey State Animal Rescue who so selflessly stepped up to take Farrah, I just get more good news.

Without getting too technical, here’s what I know so far.

❤️ she’s not microchipped
❤️ she’s FIV/FeLV negative
❤️ blood work is relatively normal. Which was a shocker with what she’s been through.

eyes

Vet does not think it’s glaucoma. She has a condition called Uveitis. Often in cats, Uveitis is secondary to another condition. However, vet hasn’t figured out the condition yet. And often, they never do pinpoint an exact cause. So they’re treating the symptoms for now and we wait and see if she responds.

The fact that she could close her eyes less than 24 hours after she started the antibiotic eyedrops, systemic antibiotics, and medication to relax the eyelids shows that she is responding to treatment quite nicely so far 👏👏👏

She has ulceration in both eyes so she will go back for that next week. Once that is cleared up, they will start steroid eye drops.

Her iris adhered to the eyeball and the fluid was not draining. That explains the swelling and the blood in her eyes. 😮

Farrah is blind and likely will remain blind.

She may need eye removal surgery in the future but only if she’s in pain. Linda does not believe she’s in pain.

She told me Farrah is very content and comfortable. And extremely sweet ❤️

I guess so…now that she doesn’t have to fend for herself on the streets, blind and maybe a little hard of hearing, anymore.

This girl is just AMAZING. She’s somebody really special and I’m so glad that Joe (her finder), Linda, and all of YOU see that too!

I’m amazed at this girl’s will to win. She reminds me of my Penny 💪💕

I want to THANK each and every one of you for the prayers, shares and the donations.

She has come so far on her own. She’s not alone anymore. She has a whole army of amazing people making it possible now.

I cannot put into words how grateful I am for all of your help with Farrah!”

there’s just something about her…

Shortly after that post, I went to visit Farrah.

I was IN LOVE. As thousands of my FB followers and Jersey State’s FB followers are!

When I first walked into their intake cage room, I didn’t even recognize Farrah.

Farrah when I visited her — My view of Farrah as soon as I walked into the intake room during my visit.

SHE WAS CLEAN!!

She cleaned up so well in just a couple of days and already looked so much better! Just a few days of good food, love, safety and a clean place to rest made all of the difference in the world!

She could not get enough love from me. She would have had me there for HOURS petting her if she had her choice! I’d like to think that I’m special, but, apparently, little miss Farrah is like this with everybody!!

And this girl is a PURRRRRR MACHINE!

If I had a room to put her in, I would have taken her home THAT DAY!

Lovin' on Farrah during my visit with her! — Lovin’ on Farrah during my visit with her!

A Setback…

After initially improving with treatment, Farrah’s eyes were swelling again after they started the steroid eye drops.

Since Farrah was already completely blind, the vet and Linda decided it would be best to remove her eyes if Farrah was to have any kind of quality of life. Farrah’s health was otherwise stable and she even gained 2lbs in the few weeks she was at the rescue! There was no good reason why they couldn’t do this surgery at this point.

She couldn’t continue to be poked and prodded and doused with eye drops just to have the painful pressure and swelling return.

Especially since her eyes were never going to regain sight anyway.

I agreed with their decision to remove her eyes. The goal with our pets should ALWAYS be quality of life!

Farrah Found a Home!!

Farrah and her new mama, Alison, the day they met and fell in love!

In the meantime, Linda told me a girl named Alison was coming to meet her that weekend.

My heart stopped. I figured now was the time to tell Linda…

I told her that if it didn’t work out with Alison, if Farrah couldn’t find a home once she was cleared for adoption, or if at any time the vets decided there was no hope for her, I would take her here on hospice care.

Farrah deserves to have a HOME before she dies.

She didn’t survive out there and go through all she had gone through for nil. She HAD to have a home again before she died. Even if only for a short while.

Linda replied, “You got it!”

However, Alison, like ALL of us, FELL IN LOVE WITH FARRAH. And the deal was sealed. Farrah will be going HOME with Alison once she’s cleared for adoption!!

it worked out the way it was supposed to…

Farrah’s new home will be much better for her than the P&K Estates. We have five very energetic, rowdy indoor cats. They still run around like kittens. The Innies have free reign of the basement. And although I cleaned the basement and it’s safe for cats, the twelve floating steps leading down to the basement may not be the safest for a blind senior cat who has Lightning Legs aka Patchy running past her at 100 MPH or Dennis the Menace aka Rascal jumping OVER her on his way down the steps…

Her new mama, Alison, has a partially blind special needs kitty already. So her house is SAFE for Farrah. And Alison probably knows better how to care for her than I would.

Alison cannot wait to bring her home. She’s already SO in love with Farrah!

I truly believe it was Meant to Be for Alison to adopt Farrah!

One Step Closer to Her New Home

The day of Farrah’s eye removal surgery, I was on EGGSHELLS.

I stalked my phone.

Stressed.

And I PRAYED.

It felt very much like the day Penny had her emergency dental while in a “crash” from her kidney disease.

There’s ALWAYS a risk with anesthesia. But for senior cats, even more so.

When Linda texted me at about 2pm that afternoon, I cried with relief!

“Out of surgery. Waking up. On my way to pick ‘queen’ up.”

Farrah was one step closer to going to her new HOME.

she had trouble adjusting

I didn’t share this on Facebook, but initially I was concerned about Farrah’s recovery. Linda told me that she had some trouble adjusting to not having two heavy, swollen, ginormous eyeballs weighing her head down anymore. I imagine it all felt very different to her.

It’s amazing how we adapt to discomfort and pain.

Linda had to assist feed her the first two days after surgery.

Just as I was really starting to worry, Linda texted me and told me that she just ate two entire bowls of food by herself!

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I then figured maybe Farrah was having trouble clearing the anesthesia because of her age. Which happens.

Then I remembered how LOOPY Penny used to get while taking buprenex, which is a pain medication. I mentioned that to Linda and she agreed maybe that’s why Farrah was acting a little strange….because she was hopped up on dope, basically. Once they adjust to the medication, they start acting more like their normal selves.

She’s improving every day and definitely back to her sweet and loving self!

Almost There…

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Linda texted me over the weekend that they removed Farrah’s stitches and she likely would be going home this week.

She looks so much more comfortable now.

I’m writing this before Adoption Day because I want it ready to post on Facebook with her adoption. Then I can edit with her “HAPPILY EVER AFTER”.

I asked both Linda and Alison (Farrah’s new mama) if I could join them on Adoption Day so I could kiss Farrah “goodbye” and take lots of pics.

I’m so excited for her, but I’m going to cry like a baby. It’s bittersweet because she was almost ours.

But, like I said earlier, her new home is where she belongs. God and St Francis just used us as the pathway to get her there.

Adoption Day is HERE!!

I will fill in this part when Farrah’s adoption is complete and she’s en route to her new home with her new mama.

Inspired…

Farrah touched our souls deeply. So deeply that I cannot accurately put it into words. Anybody who met Farrah or has been part of this journey the past three months understands what I mean.

Farrah and her story are INSPIRING. FULL OF HOPE. And, most importantly, full of LOVE.

Saying that she’s “special” is an extreme understatement.

I’m a writer and I can’t find the words to describe what it is about her.

More than the fact that she survived out there for we don’t even know how long without all of her defenses.

And despite whatever she endured out there, she still has the ability to love and trust so completely. It blows my mind!

There’s a quiet strength and serenity about her.

Linda said when she picked her up from my house, “Man, I wish I knew her story.” So do I.

Farrah during our visit. I stopped petting her to take a pic and she still had her butt in the air waiting for more free pets!

Farrah’s Lessons…

If you’ve been following our stories, you know I believe we learn lessons from these precious babies that enter our lives. Here are a few of Farrah’s lessons:

Survival. Cats are survivors as are all of God’s creatures. Their ability to adapt to change and survive against all odds simply amazes me. Much like the Human Spirit.
Never Give Up. I’ll repeat what I’ve heard a million times in 12-step recovery. “Don’t give up before the miracle happens!” It’s a good thing Farrah didn’t!
Don’t Let the World Break You. I imagine somebody let Farrah down in her little life. She doesn’t move around much so I don’t believe she traveled a great distance before arriving at Joe’s sister’s. They really tried to find her owner. Either someone left Farrah behind or they dumped her. Sad, but true. But that didn’t stop Farrah from being open to loving and trusting other humans. We can ALL learn a lesson from her on that one!

Stay Tuned…

Farrah has thousands of fans from all over the world on social media!

Since I became Facebook friends with Farrah’s new mama, I will be following her progress and her life, every step of the way! And I’ll be sure to post updates on our Facebook, so if you haven’t followed us yet, do it now!!

Her rescue and healing would not have been possible without all of YOU. This was TRULY a group effort.

It warms my heart to know that we have a TRIBE of like-minded, amazing people who are so willing to offer support, prayers, and donations to save a special girl like Farrah. We hear of SO much “bad” in the world, but I always said that for every person doing bad things, there are a hundred doing good things.

And for Farrah, the “little bit” that every person offered was the difference between life and death.

Please don’t ever discount the part YOU played in her rescue!!

affiliate disclaimer:

**This post may contain affiliate links, which means we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products that we use and wholeheartedly believe in!**

All treatments, foods and supplements mentioned in this blog are based on my own research, experience and done with my vet’s knowledge and consent. Consult with your vet as necessary.

Posted on November 12, 2018November 12, 2018 by robynhoovenwilson

Cats are Life’s Teachers – Lessons I Learned from Penny

We are coming up on one year since Penny crossed the Bridge. Has it really been a whole year? It feels like yesterday, yet it feels like a lifetime ago.

I’ve been “meaning to” write this post for a long time. Since before Penny passed. I felt now was the best time to finally get this out to the world.

Who Was the Mommy Kitten?

We once used an animal communicator to help us figure out what to do with Mischief’s behavioral issues (more on that in another post). There was a little time left after we covered everything I wanted to cover, so I asked the communicator to check in on Penny to see how she was feeling with her kidney disease. I wanted to make sure everything we were doing was helping her.
I was still on the fence about this whole animal communicator thing. And either this lady was REALLY in tune with cat breeds and behavior, or she really could communicate with them.

What she said at the end of our talk blew my mind.

“Penny feels that you are her pet and she is your master.”

Yeah, no shit?

She described Penny as strong (physically and mentally), extremely intelligent, patient, and very charismatic.

That she was. All of the above.

The animal communicator even told me that Penny felt she was VERY patient with The Kits since I rescued them and she wanted to make sure I acknowledged that!

In Tune with Penny

I often describe Penny not just as my “soul cat”, but my “soul mate” in general.

We finished each other’s sentences (if she could speak “human”) from the get-go. I understood her and she clearly understood me.

When she was still at Petsmart with the rescue and I brought the folks up to meet her and Weeny, I knew before I left that we understood each other. She used the communal litter box the volunteers set up in the cat room while they cleaned their cages. It was a hooded litter box and one of the male cats was on top of the box bullying her while she was trying to poop.

When she jumped out, she had blood and diarrhea all over her bum. I told the volunteer and helped her clean Penny up.

Before I left, Penny looked up at me. I read her eyes. “I blew it, didn’t I?”

And I told her, “No, Penny, not at all! You’re still coming home with me on Adoption Night! We will get you all fixed up!”

I knew it was stress related. She didn’t want to be there. She just arrived at Petsmart for her “big chance” a couple of weeks before I met her. Linda, the director, told me that Penny strongly protested being there every chance she got!

That day, I KNEW she was something really special.

Penny the day after we adopted her - May, 2012 — Penny the day after we adopted her – May, 2012. Her eyes look sad in her early pictures. We often felt she was bonded with another cat at the rescue and was missing her friend.

Her first night home, she came out into the kitchen to talk to us. My dad looked in her eyes and said, “There’s SOMEBODY in there.”

Boy, was he was right.

I think our bond had something to do with the fact that Penny and I are both Leos. My birthday is August 7th and Penny’s was August 8th.

lesson #1 – nothing is impossible

Penny taught me, my family, her vets and the world this lesson over and over and over again.

Many of you know Penny was a diabetic cat. She was in remission, meaning she was diet controlled, when she passed away. But the road to get her there was long and difficult.

After she lost her first remission, she spent ten LONG months in insulin resistance and I couldn’t even get her “regulated”, much less back into remission.

I posted this post on Facebook just about three years ago when Penny and I were having a “pajama party”. Basically, that means that I got up in the middle of the night to test her blood glucose since her numbers were suddenly running lower than usual. What I didn’t know then was that Penny was starting to head back into remission at full speed.

At this point, she was on a high dose of Levemir because of the insulin resistance. When a diabetic cat’s numbers go into the “danger zone”, you have to feed high carb wet food, re-test in 15 minutes, and keep repeating until their numbers are in the “safe zone” and steadily rising.

We had PLENTY of these parties at 2am!! I was convinced Penny was doing it on purpose so she could enjoy her beloved Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers food, which was the high-carb wet food I used to get her blood glucose to rise.

As you can see, when my friend asked me if there was a chance at a second remission, the tone of my reply was HIGHLY doubtful. That’s because I was always told by seasoned lay people that once we lost that first remission, a second one was unlikely.

But they didn’t know my Penny.

And, apparently, neither did I!

She broke ALL of the rules. Even when she made them herself!

lesson #2 – WHEN it’s important enough, we find a way

“I CANNOT pill a cat to save my life!”

“I can’t torture my cat by poking her ears for blood multiple times per day!”

“If my cat gets kidney disease, I’ll just humanely euthanize so they don’t suffer.”

I have said ALL OF THE ABOVE before meeting Penny.

When she was diagnosed with Feline Diabetes, I was saying AND thinking that we could NEVER do all of this. The insulin injections, changing her diet, home testing…

I couldn’t even brush this cat without her biting me!

The morning after she was diagnosed and already having been unsuccessful with giving her the first insulin injection the night before, I woke up feeling hopeless. Physically sick with heartbreak, I just wanted the nightmare to end.

I really thought I was going to have to euthanize her.

i just had to figure out a way!

Then I looked into her big, green, trusting eyes.

She waited so long for this forever home with her “very own” humans.

She was only 5 years old.

When my back was to the wall, and it was either treat her diabetes or put her to sleep, I realized that it literally was DO or DIE.

So I DID.

When Penny was diagnosed with feline chronic kidney disease, I had yet another wave of self-doubt.

“I can stick a cat with needles like a pin cushion but I still can’t pill them!”

“Penny will NEVER sit through daily sub q fluids!”

Yeah?

Watch me!

She was only 7 when the vet diagnosed her with end-stage CKD and she almost died. I had to TRY. I had to give her a chance at a quality life and give us a chance at more time together.

It’s funny how what we THINK we will do changes when we are actually IN that situation, isn’t it?

Penny taught me that there is ALWAYS a solution, ALWAYS a way around what seems impossible…WHEN IT’S IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO YOU.

lesson #3 – take nothing for granted

I didn’t have enough time with both Penny AND Weeny. Weeny was only with us for 3 1/2 years when she succumbed to mast cell cancer, and Penny was only with us for 5 1/2 years.

I really thought I would grow old with Penny and Weeny!

Yet, it’s funny…I remember looking at Weeny one night, shortly before she was diagnosed with cancer, and could not picture her as a senior cat. It’s like I KNEW…

Weeny the Wacko being Weeny - 2013 — Weeny the Wacko being Weeny – 2013

slow down…

We get so busy sometimes that we forget to stop and enjoy those little moments that make Life so great. ESPECIALLY with our pets!

Not the big moments… The LITTLE moments. Those little day to day things that help us get through even the toughest times.

Like Weeny running through the house like a little maniac, squeaking at the top of her lungs, while playing.

Like Penny and her never-ending tail wag. Her tail wagged every waking hour. And didn’t stop until she was in a DEEP sleep.

Mom bringing miller moths inside for Weeny so she could hunt. And when the miller got away, Mom and me climbing all over the furniture to bring it back down into the “little hunter’s” reach.

While testing my dying father’s blood glucose, Penny came running into the bedroom and onto the bed, trampling my poor father, because she heard the meter “beep”. She associated eating raw chicken with that “beep” because that’s how I trained her to test HER blood glucose! We ALL laughed so hard. We NEEDED that laughter! It’s one of my favorite Penny Memories!

Penny, Dad and Mom in 2013 — Penny sucking up Grandpoppy Kitten’s attention while mooching turkey off of her Grandmommy Kitten – 2013

Tabby sitting half in and half out of the house to enjoy the warmth outside while still enjoying the central air conditioning inside.

Tabby sitting outside - 2011 — You thought I was kidding? Tabby enjoying the heat and AC at the same time on the back step – 2011

These little moments make rough days bearable.

Which is why I share them each day on social media.

lesson #4 – live in the moment

This is quite possibly the most life-changing and important lesson I’ve learned IN MY LIFE.

This is one I’ve always struggled to put into practice.

how humans live

In 12-Step recovery, we learn “One Day at a Time” or “ODAT”.

And I suffer from the disease of “projection”.

Projecting the outcome of a situation before it even happens. And, of course, it’s NEVER a happy outcome! Example: The phone rings and before even looking at the caller ID, I think it’s a bill collector or work calling me in.

My mom is very guilty of this one, which is where I probably got it from. EVERY SINGLE YEAR, in August, she starts talking about how Winter is here and the days are getting shorter. Yet, sunset in NJ in August is STILL close to 8pm and it’s usually 90+ degrees when Mom starts her “Winter Talk”!

Dreading Monday when I wake up on Sunday morning.

A LOT of us do this!!

how cats live

Cats don’t don’t live in the past or future like we do! They only know the moment! Penny didn’t anticipate her death, even though it was imminent for almost two years!

The Yard Cats don’t care if the forecast is calling for rain the next seven days. They are just enjoying the nice sunny and warm weather they are experiencing RIGHT NOW.

Trouble, Oreo and Rascal — (Outside) L-R: Trouble and Oreo
(Inside) Rascal. Trouble and Oreo enjoying a rare warm Winter day in 2018, just a few weeks before Oreo crossed The Bridge.

There’s one thing to plan for the future. Of course we should! It’s necessary for a successful and happy life!

But so is LIVING IN THE MOMENT.

Since Penny came into my life, I make a conscious effort to stay in the moment more often!!

lesson #5 – the strong don’t give up – ever!

Penny is one of THE strongest souls that ever came in to my life. No understatement!

As many times as Penny’s health knocked her down…with the diabetes, spinal arthritis, dental problems, digestive issues and then kidney disease, she ALWAYS got back up swinging.

As if to say, “Is that all you got?”

She was a force to be reckoned with in every way. Ask any of the vets and vet techs that ever worked with her. Ask Linda, the director of Jersey State Animal Rescue, the rescue I adopted her from!

In her final weeks, when she really started to decline, she didn’t give up. Whenever she felt well enough, she tried to eat, tried to participate with the family, and even hunted.

Penny taught The Kits to hunt black crickets by the basement door where they got in. She taught them to catch their prey and bring it upstairs. (Penny would bring them up, howling with the live bug in her mouth, with its little legs dangling out of her mouth!) One night, about a week before she passed, Mischief caught one and proudly brought it up to the kitchen.

Penny was really sick at this point. But once she heard Mischief bring the cricket upstairs, she came out from her hiding spot and snatched the cricket right out from under Mischief’s nose and ate it alive.

The night before she passed, she hunted a flying bug in the kitchen. She was so sick and at that point, she wasn’t eating anymore. But she STILL had the desire and ability to do what cats are born to do, which is to HUNT.

she just didn’t give up!

In her final moments, in so much pain and so sick, she still managed to jump up on the windowsill to watch the squirrels outside.

She watched those squirrels during her last conscious moments.

To the very end, Penny NEVER gave up.

When Life gets gnarly, as it often does, I will remember that.

It will give me the strength to KEEP pushing forward, even when I want to give up!

A Lifetime

I only touched on a few of the MAJOR lessons. I could, and really should, write a book on this topic. At some point, I’m sure, I WILL.

“People are put into our life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.”

So are our pets. And most of the time, it’s only a “season”.

But the “reason” is evident.

And the lessons are a “lifetime”!

Penny sitting in the window bird watching in 2013

**This post contains affiliate links, which means we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products that we use and wholeheartedly believe in!**

All treatments, foods and supplements mentioned in this blog are based on my own research, experience and done with my vet’s knowledge and consent. Consult with your vet as necessary.

Posted on July 27, 2018July 27, 2018 by robynhoovenwilson

Meet Weeny the Wacko – Nee Irene

Her Beginning

“On the day I was born
The nurses all gathered round
And they gazed in wide wonder
At the joy that had found.

The head nurse spoke up
And said leave this one alone
She could tell right away
That I was BAD TO THE BONE” – George Thorogood & The Delaware Destroyers

She Couldn’t Find Her Forever Home

I first saw Weeny at my local Pet Smart when I was there buying food for Tabby.

Every week, I would visit the adoptable cats when I went cat food shopping. And week after week, Weeny was passed over even though the other cats were being adopted and new cats were coming in. I felt so bad for her. But at Tabby’s age and the fact that Tabby was an “only cat” for the past five years, I didn’t know how she would react if I brought a kitten home.

One week, shortly before Tabby crossed The Bridge, I asked a volunteer what will happen if Weeny doesn’t find a home. Will she be put to sleep? That’s when I learned that Jersey State Animal Rescue, a no-kill rescue, houses their adoptable cats there. I felt SO much better because, at that point, Weeny was up there for MONTHS and couldn’t find her forever home. The volunteer I spoke with said that she was shy and, therefore, had problems connecting with potential adopters.

When Tabby crossed The Bridge in April, 2012, I was devastated. I never took a pet loss SO hard. Tabby and I moved back to my folks’ house four years prior and after Tabby passed, it didn’t feel like “home”. I realized that Tabby made this place “home” for me.

It occurred to me that there was this cat who desperately needed a home and we had an “opening”, so why not give her a chance? I knew she could never replace Tabby and I wasn’t looking to. I just wanted to help this beautiful baby who deserved a good home.

Meeting Weeny for the First Time

That next weekend, I went to Pet Smart to “meet” her. She was a little shy, but very sweet. I was already “sold” before I even officially met her!

There was another cat there who was SO beautiful and was trying to get my attention SO badly that I studiously avoided eye contact with her because I didn’t know how the folks would react to having TWO cats in the house!

The next day I brought them to meet Weeny. My dad became VERY attached to Tabby and was just as heartbroken as I was when she passed, so I really wanted him to be okay with adopting Weeny, even though she was going to be my cat.

Weeny in Dad's Cooler — As SOON as Dad put his cooler on the table…

That day a volunteer was there cleaning out the cages and all of the cats were in the cat room playing. We watched Weeny play for a few minutes. She was a TOTAL PUNK with the other cats. She would ambush, then hiss and hide! That’s when I saw her little personality sparkling through! She LIVED to play.

And, boy, was she BAD!!

She won my heart!

I tried to hold Weeny and get her to bond with my parents, but she wasn’t very interested in us. That’s probably why she kept getting passed over. She was more interested in playing than she was in us. But I didn’t care. She was already coming home if my application was approved.

In the meantime, Penny attached herself to me and practically BEGGED me to get her out of there. By the end of that visit, I put in applications to adopt BOTH of them!

I Met Weeny’s Angel…

On May 2, 2012, we went to Pet Smart to bring Penny and Weeny HOME!

I was lucky enough that night to meet Weeny’s rescuer. She was a tiny girl, a vet, and had balls of steel. She used to go around Camden, NJ, the most dangerous city in the US at that time, and demand that gang members and drug dealers hand over their pit bulls that were being used in dog fighting rings. This lady was crazy and she was fearless…and absolutely wonderful!

She often tried to help this Hispanic gentleman who kept hoarding cats. Every time the authorities were called, she would broker a deal with them to let her take the cats to rescue so they wouldn’t be sent to a shelter. She rescued Weeny from this house on one of her trips. That’s how Jersey State got involved. They were often the recipients of these cats. This particular rescue took MANY a Camden cat off the streets over the years because they know just how awful conditions are for them in that city.

Weeny was just about a month old when she was rescued. They named her after Hurricane Irene since she they rescued her around the time that Irene hit New Jersey in August, 2011.

How appropriate.

Weeny TOTALLY lived up to her name!

Weeny napping in her favorite place, Grandmommy’s desk chair

Coming HOME

On the ride home, Penny was serenading us the WHOLE WAY, while poor Weeny sat in the back of her carrier, scared and shaking. She had NO IDEA her life was about to change for the better!

We had a plan to put them in an isolation room together since they already knew each other from the rescue. However, Weeny was so shaken and SCARED TO DEATH she kept hissing at Penny every time Penny went anywhere near her. Since Penny was so relaxed about the entire ordeal (she knew she was home already and was excited to explore), I decided to let Penny out so that Weeny could just calm down and decompress.

“Institutionalized”

Red, talking about Brooks in Shawshank Redemption…

“These walls are kind of funny. First you hate ’em, then you get used to ’em. Enough time passes, gets so you depend on them. That’s institutionalized.”

My dad and I quickly figured out Weeny was suffering from this phenomenon. She lived at Pet Smart for eight of her nine months. She didn’t know any other way to live.

By the next morning she came out of hiding and was eating. She was very afraid of my dad when we would go into her room to visit and let her get to know us. That’s when I figured out she was still semi-feral. She was my first experience with a feral or semi-feral cat. She wasn’t mean….just extremely afraid of people and fearful of change or new conditions.

I had Mom and Dad sit on the floor with her so they would seem less intimidating and I had them feed her treats so she could associate positive things with them. We all played with her and that was the absolute BEST way to bond with her.

It took her WEEKS to come out of her safe room “for good”. The first time I opened the door to let her start exploring, I chose a night that my parents were out since the house was quiet. Weeny started by sniffing near the door, then running back in and hiding. Then she took a step out into the hallway, got scared and ran back in. A few more steps, then back into her safe room. And so on and so forth.

Eventually she got comfortable in the rest of the house, but it definitely took some time and patience!

She Finally Found Her Way!

Like I said…she LIVED to play! So we had every toy imaginable in her room. Linda, the rescue’s director, told us her favorite toy was the Turbo Scratcher, so we made sure we got one for each of the girls. I never really got the whole point of a Turbo Scratcher until I saw Weeny in action with it! She played with it for HOURS and HOURS. She ate her treats on it and slept on it. That thing was her bestest friend!

Weeny sleeping on her Turbo Scratcher — Weeny napping on her beloved Turbo Scratcher on Cat Beach-2013

We brought Penny in for many visits to allow them to get to know each other. Penny was only up at Pet Smart for a couple of weeks before I adopted her, so I suspect that they really didn’t know each other all that well and were not friends at Pet Smart. For a while there, I was afraid they wouldn’t get along. After having Taz and Tabby, who were as bonded as two cats could possibly be, I was a little worried that these two would never bond the way Taz and Tabby did. But, in time, they forged their own little friendship.

Penny Became Her “Mentor”

Weeny learned EVERYTHING about being a house cat from Penny. The first time Weeny saw the cat water fountain, it scared her. She had NO idea what it was or what to do with it. One day, she watched Penny drink from the water stream. I could almost see her taking out a notepad and pen and scribbling notes down…”and then you stick your head near the water, then you stick your tongue out, and then you lap the water…” After Penny was done, she went over the fountain to try it herself and proceeded to spill water all over her bib.

She didn’t like that.

She shook her head “no” and ran off! To this very day, I hold that memory near and dear to my heart and WISH I took video!

Weeny drinking from water fountain — Weeny drinking from the fountain-2012

Weeny the Comedian

When my dad was dying from cancer in 2014, Weeny provided very much-needed comic relief for all of us. My dad had bilateral cataracts and couldn’t see very well near the end. But he could HEAR. And Weeny had a habit of running through the house at random times for random reasons, or for NO reason, all the while squeaking and making this trilly chirpy noise. When she ran, it sounded like someone was doing demo work in the house! Dad would hear her and just laugh.

It takes a very special cat to make a dying man smile!

My mom doesn’t understand cats very well. She bonds with dogs much more easily. Yet Weeny, who had trouble bonding with people, and Mom, who had trouble bonding with cats, became really close. Mom spent hours playing with Weeny on her favorite computer chair with a feather or tossing a plastic milk carton ring for Weeny to chase. She even set up cat videos for Weeny to watch on the computer!

Weeny watching cat TV — You thought I was kidding? Grandmommy setting up Cat TV for Weeny – 2013

Weeny also loved to chase bugs. Mom spent many summer nights catching miller moths in a plastic cup to bring in for Weeny’s amusement. Sounds sick and morbid, I know. But what Weeny wanted, she got, especially from Mom! Dad always warned us that Saint Bugnacious was watching and would make Mom repent when the time comes…

On the rare occasions that Weeny wasn’t playing, she spent her time sunbathing on Cat Beach by our glass slider door in the kitchen, where we had direct sunlight for nine months out of the year. She liked to take shady breaks behind my dad’s NJ State Police jacket that he always had hanging on one of the kitchen chairs. After he passed, we had to leave it up on that chair for her. I buried Weeny with that jacket. It’s what Dad would have wanted, I’m sure.

Weeny with her favorite jacket — Weeny and her beloved NJSP jacket. On Cat Beach, of course!

Weeny actually turned out to be a pretty affectionate cat when she was in the mood for love. She absolutely LOVED belly rubs! She had the softest fur of any pet I ever touched. Her fur kind of felt like velvet.

It Wasn’t “Just” a Lump

In May of 2015, I noticed a lump on her side. Around the same time I noticed her ten hours of play each day was slowing down a bit. At first I chalked it up to her hitting maturity. Weeny was coming up on 4 years old, after all!

She also started vomiting every so often, which was not like her AT ALL. Weeny was always very healthy and she was still so young. We took her to the vet and he diagnosed the lump as a sebaceous cyst. He drained it and gave her an antibiotic.

By mid-July, she was itchy all of the time and was vomiting more frequently. We took her back to the vet. This time a more experienced vet looked at her. She still didn’t think it was anything major, but just as she was finishing up her exam, she felt it.

A swollen lymph node under her forearm.

My heart DROPPED.

I knew.

She pulled some tissue from the lymph node and the skin lump to biopsy.

The results came back as an aggressive, malignant mast cell cancer. Typically, cutaneous (skin) mast cell tumors in cats are “in situ”, meaning they don’t spread. There are more rare forms, like this one, that spread to the lymph nodes and spleen. This cancer is usually more common in dogs than in cats.

Quality of Life v. Quantity

Most veterinary cancer treatment is not curative. The majority of the time the goal is to extend their life a bit. Treatment of aggressive mast cell cancer has a 50/50 shot at working to extend life for maybe a few months. If it was in the spleen, removing her spleen would have bought Weeny maybe a year, at most.

I know Weeny. Going to the vet scared her so much she shook uncontrollably. Her favorite activities in life revolved around playing and running. To take that away from her by making her undergo surgery and chemo, just to possibly extend her life for a year, would have been for ME, not for her.

I firmly believe with our pets that the goal should ALWAYS be quality of life over quantity. So I opted for palliative care until I couldn’t keep her comfortable anymore.

For the most part, we did a good job of that. I kept her vomiting in check as well as her itchiness. She possibly ate more while she was sick than when she was well because the medication she was on for the itching also works as a mild appetite stimulant in some cats.

As her illness progressed, she wasn’t really herself anymore. She would still play and chase bugs sometimes, but not near as much as she used to. She didn’t feel well despite our best efforts to keep her life as “normal” as possible. Her lymph node tumor turned into a big gaping, oozing wound that I did my best to keep clean. At this point, she was also on pain medication and antibiotics for the tumor.

Playing with her plastic ring on Grandmommy’s desk chair – 2013

Weeny Told Me She was “Ready”

The day before she died, she gave me “the look” just after I medicated her. Her eyes said it all.

People say your cat will TELL you when they had enough. Tabby did, albeit subtly. When I looked into Weeny’s eyes that day, she told me LOUD AND CLEAR…”I just can’t do this anymore.” She just wanted freedom from her pain.

It was Saturday evening and my only choice was to take her to the emergency vet. I couldn’t do that to Weeny. Not while she was still stable. I promised her right then that we would call her vet first thing on Monday so they could come out and free her from her pain. Since the going to the vet terrified her, I wanted them to come here instead.

The next day, she seemed a little better. She ate very well and even played a little. She ate her 4pm meal with no problems…clean plate and everything.

Just about an hour later, she was sitting on her favorite afghan by the picture window when she actively starting dying. She started projectile vomiting and pooped while she tried to jump off the couch. She was scared and you could see it.

Then the seizures started.

It was a Sunday evening. Our only options were an emergency vet a half hour away or Lap of Love out of Philadelphia.

I Had to Honor Her Wishes

She was going to die that night. I saw my dad during the active dying process and I know what it looks like. I called Lap of Love to see how quickly they could come out instead of allowing her to suffer all night.

Penny kept trying to approach her to check on her and comfort her, but it was just freaking Weeny out. I had Mom take Penny down to the basement to occupy her.

Lap of Love called back within a half hour and the on-call vet was on his way out to assist her in crossing The Bridge.

While he was en route, Weeny’s seizures finally slowed down and she settled in the kitchen on Cat Beach. She was still terrified and struggling to breathe. I wanted so badly to put her on my lap, but Weeny was NEVER a lap cat. She was a “next to you” cat. I had to honor what I knew she wanted by just sitting next to her and talking softly to her.

She took her last breath on Cat Beach with me by her side just about five minutes before the vet arrived.

I Meant “FOREVER”

Weeny was a cat who deserved to live life on her terms.

And she deserved to die on her terms.

I won’t lie…it was heartbreaking to watch her in those last hours of her life. However, I did not want to terrorize her by rushing her off in a carrier to go to the emergency vet in her last moments.

For a shy cat who waited SO long for her forever home after being in the public eye at Pet Smart for nine months, to this very day, almost three years later, I’m still glad she got to cross the Bridge in her very favorite spot in the whole world with her very favorite person by her side.

On Cat Beach. AT HOME.

I promised her a forever home when I adopted her. And I never broke that promise.

NICKNAMES: Weener, Weeny-Schnitz, WeenerSchnitzel, Booger, Boogie Board, Der Veener Schnitzel, Wacko, Squeaky McGee, Bad Bad Weeny Brown

SONGS:

“Rock You Like a Hurricane” – The Scorpions

“Bad to the Bone” – George Thorogood & The Delaware Destroyers

“Bad, Bad LeRoy Brown” – Jim Croce

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We only recommend products that we use and wholeheartedly believe in! Your support is crucial to us as it helps us to continue to advocate for special needs and community cats!**

Posted on June 16, 2018June 16, 2018 by robynhoovenwilson

Meet Blacky – The Nosiest Neighbor EVER!

Blacky being a spoiled brat — This picture describes Blacky to a TEE!!

Like He Owned the Place

Blacky first came into my life on August 17, 2015. I thought he was another feral cat or maybe a stray since he literally moved right on to our property as if he owned it!

He was already ear tipped. I LOVE when cats come to me already ear-tipped!! Ear tipping is a universal sign that a feral cat was trapped, neutered, vaccinated for rabies and then released/returned.

Since he was so friendly and looked well-kept, I posted his picture on Facebook to see if he was someone’s missing cat. My friend Ken, who works across the street from my house at his folks’ business, commented that it was his sister’s cat.

She recently moved back home with her husband and children.

He Needed a Home

A few days later, she came over and asked me to help her figure out what to do with him. She recently got a dog and Blacky and this dog didn’t get along. Plus, her folks had two cats upstairs that Blacky scrapped with. Unfortunately, in August it’s really difficult to find rescue around here because it’s the height of “kitten season”. The Kits were still outside at the time and I couldn’t even find a rescue to take four adorable 3-month old kittens let alone an adult cat with an ear tip!

She worked something out for him that he could stay on their screened-in porch and he could live outside. Plus, he had a home in my yard if he wanted it. He was originally a feral cat so this is the life he was used to.

A True Survivor

Rose told me that she met Blacky in Wildwood, NJ, when she lived there. An older neighbor was feeding him but really couldn’t afford to feed him anymore. It’s a mystery who neutered him. After Superstorm Sandy battered the NJ Shore in 2012, Rose rescued Blacky, (who was living outside as a feral cat at the time) packed up her family, and moved inland to a town neighboring ours.

Sandy was a horrendous storm that destroyed parts of the Jersey Shore. Blacky lived about 75 miles South of the worst damage, but Wildwood, NJ also was gravely affected by the storm surge, wind, and beach erosion. If you haven’t heard of Sandy, watch this video that shows some of the storm and damage.

Blacky is TRULY a survivor.

Blacky's First Visit — Blacky, the first day he “adopted” us as his second feeders, er, I mean, family!

Growing Pains

Blacky adopted us as his second family very quickly. Like, as soon as I fed him the first time, he decided this was his home, as well.

As if he always lived here and paid the taxes!

Blacky terrorized every other cat here. Fluffy and The Kits were still outside, Oreo was on patrol here many times per day, Chatty (now Cosmo…read about his rescue) showed up a couple of days later and was extremely frightened and sick. At the time, Oreo was living next door to the house where Blacky was staying and Blacky ran Oreo, the head honcho..the Lion King, out of there more times than I can count.

Blacky’s TOUGH. I guess with his life he HAD to be!

He also terrorized Big Orange when Orange moved here in 2016. That entire Spring and Summer I would have to hold the outdoor hose in my hand and warn Blacky that I was “cocked and loaded” if he chased Orange ONE more time!

He eventually settled down and co-exists peacefully with the Yard Cats as well as his doggie brother, but it took a good two years to get him to that point!

So Blacky was living here almost full time and slept here in a shelter I provided for him. He bounced back and forth between our house and the neighbor’s house with some stops off at their next door neighbor’s when it tickles his fancy.

Then He Became Very Sick

Blacky, sick, just before his mama came over and brought him home. — Blacky on January 18, 2016, just before his mama came over to take him inside.

In January, 2016, he was in his heated shelter out back. We get direct sunlight there in the Winter and that area gets nice and toasty. I went out to feed the cats and Blacky would NOT eat and wouldn’t come out all day. I called Rose and told her something was wrong. She came over to see him and he finally came out of his shelter for her, so she snatched him up and put him in a carrier to take him inside. We took him to the vet the next morning. He was burning up with a 105 degree fever and was diagnosed with eosinophilic granuloma complex. The vet gave him a Convenia injection and I had him give Blacky a Cerenia injection for nausea and an appetite stimulant. The vet directed Rose to keep him inside for as long as he would tolerate.

And thank God she did. Just a couple of days later, we got socked with the Blizzard of 2016. It would have been very tough for him to endure the 2′ of snow and high winds we had with that storm, especially if he was sick.

A New Arrangement

Blacky, being Blacky, could only be held inside for so long before he started to scheme his escape. Blacky does things HIS way and ONLY his way. He returned 8 days later. Since Rose figured out a way to keep him separated from the upstairs cats and he was getting along better with Buster, his doggie brother, Blacky became an indoor/outdoor cat. Rose now brings him in overnight and he stays in when the weather is bad.

Everything happens for a reason.

Blacky Keeps Us on Our Toes!

Recently, Rose came over here and told me, “Blacky’s gone!” He didn’t come home the night before and the last time anybody saw him was the previous afternoon when he came over to hit me up for food.

This was VERY unlike Blacky.

He has a schedule. He normally goes in when she calls him in at night, comes here at 7am to eat with my Yard Cats, goes back home to nap until around 10am and then bounces around our block for most of the afternoon, with naps on my property in between his escapades.

Rose thought he was dead. She believed something or someone got him.

But I just had a feeling he was around somewhere. I was concerned he was sick and went off to die alone. He’s probably about 9 years old and has been losing a little weight so it wasn’t out of the question.

We knocked ourselves out for three days trying to figure out where he could be so we could help him. I posted all over Facebook, talked to all of the neighbors on our block, looked high and low and nagged the hell out of Rose to make sure she was doing the same on her side of the street. I even crawled under my next door neighbor’s barn (where Fluffy had The Kits in 2015) with a flashlight to make sure he wasn’t under there.

For three days I called him. Rose called him. We asked her next door neighbor to check around inside HIS barn, outbuildings and shrubs. I kept picturing his face and telling him to let me know where he was so I could help him. I told him that I couldn’t help him if he didn’t make himself known to me!

Blacky v Wild Turkeys, 2017 — Blacky blocking a flock of wild turkeys from exiting our back yard…October, 2017

The third morning, it dawned on me that I should look UP. Maybe he climbed a tree and couldn’t climb back down? He’s so soft-spoken under normal circumstances that I wasn’t sure if I would hear him if he was in duress.

I went out front to put food out for the Yard Cats. I called Blacky a few times. The next thing I hear is what sounds like a cat in heat across the street, next door to Rose’s house. I started walking to the street to get a look. As I approached my street, I saw Blacky’s dumb little face in the window of the barn door across the street!

Just like I thought…he got himself trapped! He must have wandered in their barn one day while they were doing yard work and they didn’t realize he was in there when they locked up.

Reunited and It Feels So Good!

Lucky for us, our neighbor returned home just a few minutes later and let me into the barn. Blacky wouldn’t come out with them in there so I asked them to leave us alone out there. He still wouldn’t come out so I ran home (in flip flops, no less) and got a can of his favorite food. I walked back into the barn, cracked open the can and he finally came out.

By then I got in touch with Rose and she came over with a carrier to grab him and keep him inside for a while to make sure he was okay. The weather was hot that week and he didn’t eat or drink anything for that three days he was missing! We both fed him all he could eat the next few days to help him recover. Luckily, he was in pretty good shape for being in a hot barn without food or water for so long!

Blacky and his mama Rose the day I found him — Blacky and his mama, Rose, May 4, 2018. I just found him that morning!

He Changed My Life for the Better

It was then that I realized I love Blacky as much as my own cats. I consider him one of my pets even though he has a home and a mama. A cat can never have too many families, right?

Rose keeps talking about moving out of her folks’ home. And I keep trying to talk her into leaving Blacky to live here. But I can’t bring him inside like she can, and I have to remember he is HER pet, but sometimes it’s hard. He LOVES her. He knows she rescued him. Remember when he was sick and he came out for her and not me?

I have to remember that myself.

Sure, he loves me, but Rose, her husband and kids are his FAMILY. I’m just the nice neighbor with the good food!

All I can do is keep hoping Rose doesn’t move anytime soon! And if she does? I have to PRAY that he will be happy and be okay. And stalk her for weekly updates!

TRULY One of a Kind

He is THE MOST UNIQUE cat, animal, LIVING BEING, I ever met in my ENTIRE life. He marches to the beat of his own drum. It’s HIS way or the highway. He stalks me from across the street when he wants food.

Blacky stalking me in my bedroom window. — Blacky was across the street watching me put suet out in the bird feeder. I tried to duck him and come right back in. The next thing I know, I look at my window to see who Rascal is talking to and see THIS!

EVERY SINGLE TIME I pull up in the Jeep on nice days, he comes running over to greet me and get a snack. If he doesn’t see me and wants something, he will jump outside the windows and STARE into the house until I go out there to tend to his needs.

Blacky stalking the Jeep. — January, 2018. And you thought I was exaggerating, right?

And I’m not the FIRST neighbor that he adopted! Apparently he has done this to Rose’s other neighbors before he moved here!

Blacky has a fan base of neighbors all over South Jersey spanning three counties and 70+ miles!

He has plenty of attitude and plenty of MOXIE.

And a TON of personality!

I’m forever grateful that God and Saint Frances brought Blacky into my life, and I enjoy every single moment I have with him. Even when he’s being bad! Or eating enough cat food to put me in the poorhouse!

Blacky and Lefty the Reindeer, 2015 — Blacky, ever the nosy neighbor, is always the FIRST to check out what I’m doing outside. Here he is with his pal Lefty the Reindeer in 2015. It’s our tradition that he helps me decorate for Christmas every year!

Nicknames: Sylvester the Cat, Daddies, Fuss Pot, MOOCH, Nosy Neighbor

Songs: “My Way” – Frank Sinatra, “My Way” – Limp Bizkit

**This post contains affiliate links, which means we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products that we use and wholeheartedly believe in!

Your support is crucial to us as it helps us to continue to advocate for special needs and community cats!**

Any treatments, food and supplements I mention in this post are the result of my own research and experience. Please consult with your vet as necessary.

Posted on April 10, 2018April 13, 2018 by robynhoovenwilson

Oreo Crossed the Rainbow Bridge-Surrounded By Love-With Me By His Side

Oreo and Trouble 11.1.17 — Oreo and his protege, Trouble-November 2017

Too Soon After Penny Passed

I think I mentioned in Oreo’s Introduction about a thousand times that if Oreo were to become terminally ill and unable to care for himself out there, I hoped I would be able to take him in so he wouldn’t have to die alone under a bush somewhere.

That time came March 1, 2018. His official “Gotcha Day”. I noticed weight loss in February, which is much too early for the Yard Cats to start their “Spring Shed”, especially with harsh Winter we had here in New Jersey. He then started refusing food. I knew right away it was the beginning of the end, but the eternal optimist in me decided to try a few things to help him out. Especially since it was too soon after losing Penny.

I first tried Revolution for fleas and Drontal for any worms he may have had, especially since I saw that he had diarrhea. Oreo was chewed up by ticks in the Spring of 2017, and he had fur mats in the areas where I pulled the biggest ticks out of him.

Once he got Revolution, he was able to pull those fur mats off. He had one on his side that he got off, and I noticed he ripped off a small piece of skin. He developed an abscess that burst, so I started giving him 125mg amoxicillin once per day, which was a challenge since I couldn’t pill him outside without him running away from me. We managed to get six days worth of antibiotics into him and he appeared to be doing better on Days 5 and 6. He started to get back to his old self again…eating, running to greet me, hanging out in my neighbor’s yard during the day…but he wasn’t playing as much as he had been this past year.

Oreo’s Rescue

In hindsight, I realize that was his last rally before his final decline. He started refusing just about anything I tried to feed him. In an attempt to separate himself from the others, he moved out of the shed and started using the heated shelter I have under our back steps. That one isn’t as wind-proof or waterproof as the shed shelters.

They were forecasting the second of four Nor’Easters (in less than a month) to hit NJ. They were calling for 10″ of heavy, wet snow, 60mph winds, and widespread downed trees/power outages. I was REALLY worried that he would run off into the woods and die during those conditions . And if he didn’t, it still would have been rough out there for him since he was so sick. so I brought him in.

I got him the evening the storm was starting to hit. He was TERRIFIED. He would not calm down even with his carrier covered with a sheet. My vet came to see him right after he came inside and we found he was in full blown late stage liver disease. I didn’t want to put him through extensive testing and treatments and break the trust I worked SO hard to earn. Especially since I knew it the back of my mind that there was a good chance it wouldn’t help.

After the vet left, I put him in the room with is pal, Fluffy, who I rescued just two weeks prior. He was sound asleep in his carrier and even when I opened the door, he stayed asleep for the first 15 minutes. This, after all of the excitement and fear. That’s when it really hit home how sick he was.

I REALLY Wanted to do More!

He didn’t want to be inside. I knew that. I didn’t really have a choice. After that bad storm, during which we lost power and heat for 30 hours, we had two more Nor’Easters in the following two weeks. I wasn’t even able to entertain the thought of trying to put him back outside. My heart broke every time he sat in the window and cried when he saw his pal Trouble.

I resisted the urge to break his trust completely by giving him supplements, sub q fluids, B12 injections, appetite stimulants, etc. For his sake and the sake of our relationship, I had to go with the minimal treatment of antibiotics only.

He did allow me to cuddle him and even played with a peacock feather from time to time. My poor boy held his pee for the first two days until I got the idea to go outside where he usually went to the bathroom and get a leaf from that area to put inside his litter box. Once I did that, he used the litter box maybe an hour later and used it faithfully throughout his time inside. I must say…he was remarkably easy to pill for a feral cat!

It Was Time…

Unfortunately, it didn’t help. He was at least 13-14 years old, FIV +, with extensive dental disease. After two weeks on antibiotics and one week of him flat out refusing ANY food, I had to make the gut-wrenching decision to let him go.

It was one of the hardest decisions I ever had to make. I really hoped that I could get him healthy and return him back outside. Or at least give him a good year or two inside with the cats he protected and played a big part in saving.

When the vet came, I was clinging to the false hope that maybe we could try something else. I know Dr Matt very well. If he truly thought there was anything else we could try that would help, he would tell me. He felt that there was nothing more we could do.

And I knew it, too. I was just living in Denial Aisle to get me through the heartbreak.

His Final Moments

They administered a sedative so that I could take him out on the back step where he used to nap in the sun. I wanted his last moments to be where he considered “home”. Dr Matt and his assistant stayed inside while I sat with Oreo on the step. I called Trouble over to us to say “goodbye” to him. That was important to me and I’m sure important to Oreo. They had a very weird and special friendship. Oreo didn’t react to Trouble because of the sedative, but I have to believe that he knew Trouble was there.

Once Trouble left us, Dr Matt came outside. We sent him to the Bridge, with me by his side, petting him, and telling him how loved he was.

Just like I hoped, he passed surrounded by love, not alone under a bush.

For the past two years since he moved here, I always told him that this was his forever home.

And it is. We buried him in our backyard with his flag overlooking his colony.

RIP Papa Oreo. Thank you for making a profound impact on our lives, Fluffy and The Kits’ lives, and the Yard Cats’ lives.

You will always be here protecting us. We love you!

Oreo's Final Resting Place — Oreo’s Final Resting Place overlooking his colony.

**This post contains affiliate links, which means we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products that we use and wholeheartedly believe in!**

Any treatments, food and supplements I mention in this post are the result of my own research and experience. Please consult with your vet as necessary.

Posted on March 23, 2018March 23, 2018 by robynhoovenwilson

Treating Stage 4 Feline Chronic Kidney Disease – Penny’s Regimen

Penny May 2012 — Penny in May 2012-soon after I adopted her.

Disclaimer

My experience with treating Penny is NOT a substitute for veterinary advice or treatment. Please consult with your vet when treating Feline Chronic Kidney Disease (Feline CKD) or any other ailment.

Introduction

I am part of a Feline Chronic Kidney Disease Support Group on FB and every day I see posts from pet parents of newly diagnosed Stage 4 CKD kitties. Often, their vets give them no hope.

Penny's blood work results after starting treatment. — Look how much her values dropped three weeks after we started treatment and after her much-needed dental!

I’ll start with this – We are taught to treat the CAT, not the “numbers” (meaning, their kidney values). Although I don’t think my vets could have never imagined in a million years that Penny would have gone on to live such a quality life for 20 months after she was diagnosed, they never let on to me that her situation was “hopeless”.

All of Penny’s treatments became such a part of the routine. I already forgot some details since she crossed the Rainbow Bridge November, 2017, so I decided to bust out all of my notes and her worksheets (yes, I kept worksheets) to refresh my memory and blog about her treatment so that I could easily share with others.

There were issues that cropped up along the way. Feline CKD is progressive, and as their kidney function diminishes, new secondary illnesses can develop. When she was first diagnosed, she was not anemic. Even at the end she was only slightly anemic but didn’t require medication. Knowledge is POWER when advocating for our pets! I learned how to read her blood work results and sometimes would find things that the vet missed, including a low-normal hematocrit reading just a few months after she was diagnosed with CKD. You will see that I included B-complex in her regimen, with my vet’s blessing, when I saw her borderline anemia start to develop. I believe that was an integral part of preventing anemia that is so common in CKD cats.

She also developed hypertension secondary to the kidney disease progression about six months after she was diagnosed. Her symptoms were similar to a minor stroke in cats. She had a couple of seizure-like episodes followed by an unstable gait (she was actually stumbling around trying to re-orient herself). These episodes would be over as quickly as they started. I took her to the vet the very next morning and had a blood pressure check done. Her symptoms resolved and never returned once she started treatment for hypertension and her blood pressure remained well-controlled.

I will not be including her Feline Diabetes treatment in this post. If you have a diabetic cat and would like to see her insulin dosage and blood glucose readings, click Here. For more on our Feline Diabetes journey, see Feline Diabetes Category-Penny & The Kits.

Penny’s Treatment

At the time we began treatment, Penny was 15lbs. As she lost much-needed weight (her “ideal weight” was 12lbs), her fluids and Adequan doses were adjusted with my vet’s supervision.

MORNING:

Breakfast: 1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon Miralax mixed in her breakfast on an as-needed basis**
9am: Amlodipine 1.25mg, 1/6 Sundown Naturals B-Complex. I used a Size 3 Gel Cap and put both medicines inside so I was only pilling her once. Watch Pill Time here!
11am: 150ml lactated ringer’s solution subcutaneously. As she lost weight, the dosage was adjusted. Generally, we stuck to the golden rule of 10ml per pound of body weight. Watch Penny getting fluids here!

EVENING:

Half hour before her dinner: Pepcid 2.5mg. It’s more effective to give Pepcid on an empty stomach, if possible. This was to combat the excess stomach acid that is common with CKD kitties. I also would get up around 3am to feed her a wet meal (she was a social eater so wouldn’t eat all night when I slept) since stomach acid tends to really bother empty stomachs. She very rarely vomited and when she did, it was typically just a hairball (she was a Maine Coon, after all!)
Bedtime: Renadyl, 1 capsule mixed with food. I used Weruva Cats in the Kitchen gravy pouches that I purchased from Chewy.com because it mixed easily with the gravy. For more information on how Azodyl/Renadyl can help, click here. Scroll down to the “Probiotics and Prebiotics” section. I chose Renadyl because I only had to give it once per day (rather than three times) and it’s less expensive than Azodyl. I firmly believe it did make a difference for Penny!

WEEKLY:

I gave Penny a B12 injection (0.25ml) once per week. This was recommended by both Tanya’s Comprehensive Guide to Kidney Disease as well as my vet. My vet recommends B12 injections for any cat with chronic disease. Penny was actually taking B12 before her CKD diagnosis because of her diabetes.

MONTHLY:

Penny was taking Adequan-Canine injections every four weeks for spinal arthritis. It was a Godsend for her. Up until her last day she was still jumping on windowsills to bird watch and had no problem keeping up with The Kits without the assistance of ANY painkillers! If you have a cat with arthritis, PLEASE inquire with your vet about Adequan!

Penny on High Tower — Penny up on “High Tower”, the highest vertical point in the house!

Special Notes

PENNY’S DIET

Since Penny was diagnosed at Stage 4 with a very high phosphorus level, I immediately switched her kibble from Young Again Zero (Carb) to Young Again Zero (Carb) Mature Health, which has a phosphorus level of 0.5%. The phosphorus level is the same, if not lower, than the “prescription” diets, yet was still low-carb for her Feline Diabetes. Often, food the vets and experts recommend for CKD kitties isn’t the best for diabetic kitties, especially the “prescription” diets. Most diets formulated for CKD cats are entirely too high-carb for ANY cat, much less a diabetic cat! When feeding a cat with BOTH conditions, it’s important to feed for the diabetes FIRST. If I lost control of her blood glucose levels, glucose would have spilled into her urine, which would only advance the kidney disease that much quicker.

I was able to switch her wet food to the lower phosphorus/lower carb Weruva and Fussie Cat flavors at first. After a while, she started refusing any of the foods that were low-carb and low-phos. I had to switch her back to Fancy Feast Classic pates (her favorite wet food). Fancy Feast is very high in phosphorus, so I added in an aluminum hydroxide (ALOH) binder. I mixed in max dose split between four wet mini meals per day. I purchased the ALOH online from Thriving Pets.

MIRALAX FOR CONSTIPATION AND OTHER DIGESTIVE ISSUES

**Re: Miralax and constipation. Penny had a slight case of IBD. The day I decided to adopt her, she had a very loose bloody stool while I was at the Pet Smart adoption center visiting her. When I took her to her first vet visit, her anal glands impacted and infected. Poop consistency is VERY important for a cat with IBD who has problems with their anal glands. Normally, a cat’s anal glands will extract when they poop, but when the poop is too soft there is enough pressure to properly extract them. If I didn’t see Penny poop for more than 48 hours, I would start Miralax at a more aggressive dose, but I had to be careful not to use too much so her poop wouldn’t get too soft. The dose I listed is a recommended maintenance dose. Ask your vet about using Miralax for your cat.

A note on using slippery elm bark (SEB), which recommended by MANY lay people and “cat experts” on the internet and social media. For a short while, I had decided to try slippery elm bark for Penny in lieu of using Pepcid since I’m a big fan of safe and effective holistic treatments. Slippery elm bark is good for everything from nausea and stomach acid to diarrhea and/or constipation. I know a lot of people who have used it on their cats with great success. However, I’m not one of them. Penny developed the worst case of constipation she ever had while taking SEB – to the point that she stopped eating completely for a day, so we had to discontinue and treat her stomach acid with more traditional drugs.

Quality of Life was Our Goal

As you can see with the videos I included, Penny’s treatments were not stressful for me OR her. She was easy to bribe with raw chicken or Fancy Feast Broths, which made treating her health issues SO much easier for us! The pills, fluids, etc became just a regular part of our day.

Up until Penny, I had never been able to successfully give cats medication on a consistent basis. She was so young when she was diagnosed with Feline Diabetes (5yrs old) and Feline CKD (7yrs old) that I had to figure out what works for US so that I could extend her quality of life for as long as possible.

I had decided in the beginning that I would continue this treatment regimen for as long as it worked to keep her feeling great. If it had worked for ten more years, we would have kept going, but when everything I did no longer worked, it would be “time”.

In hindsight, I’m glad that I made that decision early and stuck by that decision when I was losing Penny and couldn’t think objectively or unselfishly.

Penny was a kitty of grace and dignity. I made SURE she maintained her dignity throughout her entire illness. I’m proud of the fact that we maintained her quality of life for so long. Since cats live in the moment and don’t fear death like we do, it is ALWAYS important to consider that above ALL else when our fur babies get sick. As their trusted parents, caregivers, servants (lol), we OWE them that!

Penny's 9th Birthday Picture — Penny’s 9th Birthday Picture. This was a BIG deal because I didn’t think she would make it to age 9!

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Posted on February 23, 2018February 25, 2018 by robynhoovenwilson

My Baby – My Soul Mate – Was Diagnosed With Feline Kidney Disease

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I’ll admit I’ve been putting off this post. I was hoping that when I typed this particular post that I could report that Penny was still doing really well. Tomorrow will be two years since she was diagnosed with Stage 4 kidney disease.

Instead, I lost her on November 15, 2017.

I’d like to share what I posted on Facebook a year ago today..

Penny-February 2017. One year after her kidney disease diagnosis.

“Penny in all her scruffy splendor after trying to mooch lunch off of me this afternoon. And just about a year ago today she was diagnosed with Stage 4 chronic kidney disease and we didn’t think she’d be here another week or month much less a year!

Her kidney values still suck, it’s progressive and incurable, but clinically she’s been doing very well and even gaining weight she doesn’t need to gain. Her diabetes is still in remission, playing with The Kits and just living her happy, spoiled life. She takes her sub-q fluids and meds really well because she likes the reward she gets afterwards! Bribery will get you everywhere with this cat!! 😂😂

I don’t know what tomorrow or next week or next month will bring with Penny, but if you had told me a year ago when she was very sick and dying that she would live an A+ quality of life for another year, I would have told you that you were nuts!

She has taught me so much about life and being resilient. About having a positive attitude. About doing things you never thought you could. Because a year ago I thought that I could “never” give a cat a pill or subcutaneous fluids and I thought that her life would be sheer misery with all the meds etc. Yet all of her treatments take less than 10 mins per day and she gets to enjoy the other 23 hours and 50 minutes each day like there’s nothing wrong.

She lives in the moment. And I’ve learned to do that WITH her. With Weeny, I spent her last days mourning her. I won’t do that with Penny. I will mourn her when it’s “time”. Today I just enjoy her living her happy life!

She has shown me what strength and resilience look like. And, most importantly, she has shown me what’s possible when there is LOVE.

She is the strongest, toughest, most hard-headed daughter I’ve ever had and I love her for it!! ❤”

This still stands true. I would do it ALL over again for her. I would have done it for another ten years if I could have sustained the quality of life she enjoyed while she was “sick”.

I always said that if I had a cat diagnosed with kidney disease (Penny was my first), I would just put them to sleep rather than torturing them with fluids and pills and vet visits, etc.

It’s funny how quickly what you think you “would have” done changes when you’re actually faced with the situation.

Back to 2016

Penny was only 7 years old when she was diagnosed. And if I had gotten better control of her diabetes when she came out of that first remission, she may not have been faced with her death sentence at such a YOUNG age. (Read about Penny’s Feline Diabetes)

When I got the news that she was “end stage”, I was DEVASTATED. Penny was overdue for a dental when I had taken her to the vet. She had stopped eating, was very depressed and lethargic, started hiding and being anti social, and was drinking what seemed like GALLONS of water, even though her diabetes was under good control at that point.

The whole time she was dealing with insulin resistance, I knew it was only a matter of time before her kidneys would show some damage. She had blood work done just seven or eight months before and her kidneys were fine. I could not believe she had gone from “fine” to Stage 4 kidney disease that quickly, but she did.

I took her to her old vet for a second opinion. One of the issues on the table was that dental. She really NEEDED it because she had an infected tooth and significant inflammation.

I Had to Trust my Instincts

Everybody was telling me to admit her to the hospital for IV fluids to try to flush out her kidneys. The problem was that Penny was on insulin at the time. Since she wasn’t eating much, I was not able to give her the full dose of insulin. I had to test her blood glucose like crazy to make sure she stayed safe. A lot of dosing decisions I made at that time were based on my knowledge on how Penny responded to insulin and my gut instincts.

There was NO WAY I was going to admit her to a hospital and have a vet who was not familiar with PENNY’S diabetes and who didn’t live, eat, and breathe this disease day in and day out for 2 1/2 years administer Penny insulin. The only way I could guarantee her safety was to keep her home. If she died at home because she was not getting her kidneys flushed, so be it. I was NOT going to take a chance of Penny dying alone in a cage from insulin shock!

Not with Penny’s history at the rescue. Not with her separation anxiety.

My vets agreed with me on this issue. They knew that nobody could handle Penny’s diabetes better than I could. However, on the Facebook support group, I had people telling me that my cat was going to die if I didn’t admit her.

This is one of those instances where you have to trust your gut instincts and PRAY.

FIND A WAY!

Penny was prescribed sub q fluids, phosphorus binder, Cerenia for nausea, an antibiotic to get the tooth infection in check, and was given an appointment for her dental a few days after her diagnosis.

And I was wondering if this would be it. Was I going to lose her so suddenly?

Especially because I didn’t “think” I could pill a cat or give subcutaneous fluids. I was never successful in pilling a cat before and had never given sub q’s before. It was very scary. I thought I’d be spending hours per day chasing her around for her treatments while she hid in terror from me. And I almost gave up.

Until I looked into her big, round, emerald green trusting eyes. And I remembered that promise I made to her the day I saw her at Pet Smart and knew that we belonged together.

One of the biggest lessons Penny ever taught me is the old, “When it’s important enough, you find a way!”

And that we did.

I watched a bunch of YouTube videos on how to give sub q fluids to a cat. Those well behaved kitties on YouTube were NOT my feisty, bossy Penny! I watched videos on how to pill a cat and give liquid meds. Here I was…a PRO at giving her injections and testing her blood sugar, yet I couldn’t medicate her! Even then I had to laugh at myself.

Here are some REAL LIFE videos for ya!

Giving Sub Q Fluids to a Difficult Cat

Pill Time!!

WHEN IT’S IMPORTANT, YOU FIND A WAY.

And our “way” was BRIBERY. Just like with everything else I’ve done with Penny. As long as there’s something in it for her to enjoy when it’s over, she will cooperate. She was a VERY smart girl. But I will never forget the first time we did Penny’s sub q fluids. I was shaking the entire time. I knew SO, SO much rode on us being able to give her fluids daily. Fluids are the single most important treatment you can do for a cat in late-stage kidney disease. I was so excited when we were finished successfully giving her fluids the first time that I totally annoyed Penny praising her!

Penny sniffing her sub q fluid bag — Penny with her fluid bag just after we successfully did sub q fluids for the very first time!

I will get into detail in another post about Penny’s specific treatments. I learned everything I know from Tanya’s Comprehensive Guide to Kidney Disease and the sister Facebook page, Feline Chronic Kidney Disease. Of course, I never started ANY new treatment without discussing with my vet first and getting their FULL blessing. Luckily, my vets were well versed with Tanya’s site, so that made them going along with my ideas much easier.

I wanted to get Penny more “stable” before we attempted that much-needed dental. I was so afraid of losing her at the vet that I almost risked her life. I cancelled the dental that she had scheduled five days after her diagnosis.

Many of you who follow the blog, know me personally, or follow our Facebook page know that I don’t always trust vets. I don’t always trust lay people, either.

That Life-Saving Phone Call

But when Dr. Jared called me from his home at 10pm the night before she was originally scheduled for her dental, I had to at least listen. He felt very strongly that if Penny had ANY chance of pulling through for a while that she had to have this dental. He even offered to go in on his day off to oversee her surgery if I would just agree to do it. She would have TWO vets making sure she pulled through.

Knowing that an out of control infection can just damage the kidneys further, and putting some really blind faith into Dr. Jared because he was just so convincing, I agreed to bring her in for that dental the next morning.

Boy, did I CRY. I sat on eggshells and was a nervous, shaking wreck ALL DAY. The vet said they would call me when she was done and by 4pm I hadn’t heard anything. I was literally SICK with worry.

They FINALLY called me back around 5pm and told me she pulled through just fine. Two years later, and I’m actually crying as I type this. I REMEMBER the feeling of RELIEF I experienced when I heard she was fine. She had a much tougher time recovering from this dental. She had five extractions and significant infection. It would be a few weeks before she would eat anything besides Weruva Cats in the Kitchen gravy pouches. I had them on auto-ship from Chewy.com and we were blowing through up to six pouches per day just to keep her nourished. I must say, the gravy from those pouches alone was enough to keep her out of fatty liver disease until she started eating normally again.

She also took much longer to clear the anesthesia from this dental than her first one in 2013. Likely because her kidneys were so compromised.

Living Our “New Normal”

She did bounce back, though. By mid-March, her kidney values had decreased significantly from “off the charts on on death’s door” to a high-Stage 3. In one way that was good news…the treatments were working! But I remember my heart broke all over again when we got her results. I had been hoping against hope that it was acute kidney failure and that this would “go away”, but the test results just confirmed her death sentence.

Copy of Penny's Blood Work — Penny’s Blood Work Re Check from March. You can see I wrote in her old values from her diagnosis blood work.

“Treat the cat, not the numbers.” I read that on Tanya’s site. I heard it repeatedly on the Facebook support group.

And it’s very true.

She lived her best life yet between her diagnosis and her passing. We had our hiccups. Like when she appeared to be having seizures or mini strokes and we learned that she had developed hypertension secondary to the kidney disease. We had to change and/or add some treatments as the blood values showed progression after a year of being stable at a low-Stage 4.

Treat the cat, not the numbers.

Rescuing The Kits had been very good for Penny. For two years prior to their rescue, we had experienced death in our family. First my dad. Then Checkers. Then Weeny. The Kits brought LIFE back into the house. They helped with Mom’s depression after losing Dad. Penny was running, playing, taking jumps I never thought she could take, being spoiled, helping me raise The Kits, and eating enough to choke a horse. She was still gaining weight in the Fall to prepare for Winter. If you didn’t look in her litter box or see her blood work results, you would NEVER know that she was “sick”.

Penny in her favorite spot at the top of the living room cat tree – March 2017

She had earned the nickname of “The Comeback Kid” by her vet.

She amazed me EVERY SINGLE DAY with her will to win.

Her Final Decline

Which made it that much harder when she started her final decline in the Fall of 2017. Was she just crashing or was this IT? Would she bounce back this time? When was it time? Was she suffering? I had made her final appointment two other times before we actually followed through with it. And each time, her vet was so happy to hear she had rallied yet again. After all, she was The Comeback Kid!

I ANGUISHED over “The Decision”. When you’re hurting and you see the love of your life hurting, it makes it extremely difficult to know when to make that VERY final decision.

I had to recall what I decided back when she was living her quality life. I always said that when the treatments stopped working, it would be “time”.

It was a very difficult decision to stick to when faced with the fact that I would no longer see her face everyday…when she would no longer trip me or nag me for food.

When my little Soul Mate would no longer be by my side 24/7.

When her quality of life was no longer there, it was “time”. Whether I liked it or not. I kept putting off the final appointment when she would show me she was still interested in living after spending hours or days hiding and hunched in pain.

Even when the vet was en route, even when he was here, I was doubting myself.

She panicked when the vet got here. She calmed down when she figured out it was her favorite vet, but she still didn’t like it very much. Mentally, she was NOT ready to go and I don’t think she ever would have been. She spent her last conscious moments watching squirrels and listening to my awful rendition of “Earth Angel”. HER song.

It wasn’t until after she passed that I was sure I made the right decision. I scooped the litter boxes. Throughout her entire illness, she was always good for 6-8 ginormous “pee balls” a day. In the 24 hours prior to her passing, she had only produced two.

Her kidneys were just days or hours away from shutting down completely.

It Was ALL Worth It!

I still feel like we won. Because up until that last month, she spent 20 months living her life and didn’t care that she was “sick”.

It was worth all of the treatments, vet visits, heartbreak and triumphs to have that time with her. Like I said earlier, I would do it all over again for Penny.

I miss her more than I ever thought I could miss anybody…even my dad, who I was close with as an adult. This has been a very painful week for me, reliving what happened.

But if our story saves another cat’s life…If our story gives someone else the hope and strength to fight…reliving this pain is ALL worth it.

When she was hiding and sick in that final decline, I recall feeling like Penny was holding on because she didn’t want to leave the home that she had waited SO long for in her 3 1/2 years at the rescue.

I told her she didn’t have to. I told her that even though she had to leave her body, she never had to leave her home. This is her FOREVER home. Which means FOREVER.

Penny napping with Patchy March 2016 — Penny and Patchy – March 2016

If you follow us on Facebook, you know that she understood and listened. Shadows and orbs show me that Penny didn’t go anywhere. She is still VERY MUCH here! And that has made all of this just a little more bearable.

Rest In Paradise, my Precious Pup.

**This post contains affiliate links, which means we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products that we use and wholeheartedly believe in!**

All treatments, foods and supplements mentioned in this blog are based on my own research, experience and done with my vet’s knowledge and consent. Consult with your vet as necessary.

Posted on February 7, 2018February 7, 2018 by robynhoovenwilson

Vet Care – Be Your Pet’s Advocate…It May Save Her Life!

close up of Junior at emergency vet — My aunt’s cat, Junior, at the emergency vet.

If only I knew then what I know now. How many times do we say that in our lifetime?

Junior’s Story

I’d like to share a story. The cat in the picture above is Junior. He was one of my feral cats who came here in 2016. Soon after he was neutered, he suddenly turned into a love bug with me and Mom (not so much with the other ferals) so I adopted him out to my aunt.

Last year, my aunt had asked me to meet her at our regular vet. She was concerned because she found that Junior had been snacking on her Peace Lily plant and had since stopped eating and was lethargic. My first thought, as well as the receptionist at our vet’s, was, “Oh no! LILY! Kidney failure!” My aunt had already paid $55 to the Animal Poison Control line and had a case number for the vet to reference. The receptionist on duty directed us to the emergency vet 45 minutes away without even calling Animal Poison Control to get direction.

I admit I walked in there on guard. I have had plenty of BAD experiences at emergency vets and I really DO reserve them for emergencies because of the expense and price gouging that occurs in my area.

When we were taken back to the exam room, I told my aunt not to commit to admitting him without my seeing his blood work first. We had a LONG wait because they messed up the results of his first blood panel and had to re-run it. I think we waited at least three hours just to see the blood work results. While we waited, I decided to start playing Dr Google on my phone.

I was AMAZED at what I had found out. Although lilies are toxic to cats and cause kidney failure, Peace Lilies are not really a lily. Therefore, although they cause unpleasant side effects, they do not cause kidney failure in cats. The side effects include “Oral irritation, intense burning and irritation of mouth, tongue and lips, excessive drooling, vomiting, difficulty swallowing.” (Source ASPCA – Peace Lily)

When the vet FINALLY came in with his blood work, she reported everything was “within normal limits”. Since she couldn’t figure out WHY he had stopped eating, she recommended admitting him to do IV fluids (even though his liver and kidney values were FINE), more blood work, x-ray, CT scan… You get the idea, right? I could almost hear a cash register ringing each test up as she mentioned them.

Cha-ching! Cha-ching! Cha-ching!

I asked the vet for a copy of the blood work and an estimate before we made any decisions. Of course, she didn’t bring the results into the room with her, so we waited another half hour just for her to bring back a piece of paper.

At this point, I should bring up that my aunt is 75 years old, retired, and on a fixed income. So when the vet re-appeared with normal blood work, an estimate for $1800-$2200 and yet another recommendation to admit, I asked again why the vet felt that he should be admitted. She reiterated that she didn’t know why he was not eating and needed to run tests.

I showed her what I found on ASPCA’s website about Peace Lily poisoning. She had the case number from Animal Poison Control and had consulted with them already. I asked her (and I think I backed her into a corner at this point because I was fuming), “You mean to tell me that the intense burning he’s feeling in his mouth, throat, esophagus and GI tract ISN’T causing his loss of appetite??”

She said, “No. I think it is completely unrelated.”

HELLO??? Whatever happened to common sense?

I asked her if HER mouth, throat, and GI tract felt like they were on fire, would she have an appetite? She never did answer me.

I told her I wanted him to receive 100ml of sub q fluids, a Pepcid injection for the heart burn, and a Cerenia injection for the nausea. I told her my aunt was on a fixed income and I was SURE that once the burning passed that he would feel like eating again and if he didn’t, we would come back. Admission wasn’t necessary.

She left the room to get his meds and sent two vet techs in to do his fluids.

Man, how her attitude CHANGED when she came back in. She started the discharge instructions by saying that she still thought he should be admitted. And I cut her off and told her that my aunt didn’t have the money and it wasn’t necessary. After that, she got downright rude with me. She explained the treatments she was giving him (uh, they were MY idea) and blah blah blah.

My aunt was charged $350 for that visit.

Had I not been there to advocate for my aunt and Junior, they would have gotten a retired women who lives alone and on a fixed income for upwards of $2000.

Do I even have to tell you that Junior was fine the next day and hasn’t had a problem in almost a year now?

And Then There’s Penny

Penny would have died four years ago had I blindly listened to a vet without doing my homework and talking to lay people who live Feline Diabetes day in and day out. You can read more at Our Introduction to Feline Diabetes.

Penny would have died two years prematurely had I blindly listened to a 2nd opinion vet who suggested that I give her 400ml of sub q fluids daily when she “crashed” and was diagnosed with stage 4 kidney disease. (The maximum “safe” amount for Penny’s weight would have been 150ml daily).

The vet also recommended that I admit her for IV fluids, which is common practice and normally beneficial for a cat who in a “crash”. However, Penny was on insulin at the time. Since she was not eating her usual amount, her blood glucose levels were dropping low and I had to follow my gut with her insulin dosing to keep her safe. I knew her diabetes very well and knew her “trends”. This is something a vet tech who was not familiar with Penny would not be able to do as well as I could. If Penny were admitted to the hospital, there would be nobody with her overnight to monitor her blood glucose and I couldn’t take that chance. Once I explained all of that to the vet and showed him her blood glucose spreadsheet, he agreed with me.

He respected my opinion and admitted that he didn’t think of the insulin issue and the potential for hypoglycemia without somebody there to monitor. That is a vet whose ego does not get in the way of his work. We treated her safely on home sub q’s, although I did the recommend 10ml per pound of body weight rather than the vet’s suggested 400ml daily.

Taz Would Have Lived a Better Life

My Taz (1996-2007) would have lived a much better quality of life if I played Dr. Google back in 1997 when he was blocked with struvite crystals. The treating vet taught me a lot about urinary tract blockages and how to prevent future episodes. What they DIDN’T teach me was how to prevent the urinary tract infections he was riddled with for the rest of his life.

In 2006, Taz became very ill and stopped eating. My vet could not figure out what was wrong and recommended I ship him off to a veterinary diagnostic hospital up in Ocean County, which was a good hour from where we lived. I opened up a Care Credit that day and took him up there. Five days later, I picked up a terrified and still sick Taz. My new Care Credit was maxed out at $5000 already. He rallied for nine months, but eventually passed away from this mystery disease. The outcome would have been different if I had just asked questions and gotten online to LEARN. It turned out he had liver disease. I could have learned about feline nutrition and how to properly medicate a cat without terrorizing him. But I didn’t. I was told nothing else could be done. I blindly trusted the vets.

Taz September 2000 — My Taz in September, 2000

Live and learn.

This is not to bash vets. AT ALL. Like I’ve said before, I could not do their job. God bless them. There are MANY phenomenal vets in the world who treat their patients like their own pets. But I have learned through experience that every cat is different. Some vets see hundreds of patients per week. Including OUR pets. They aren’t given extensive training in specialized diseases such as Feline Diabetes. They aren’t given extensive training in feline nutrition. And since they get a commission for every bag of “prescription food” they sell, I have to wonder if they truly have our pets’ interests at heart when those foods are filled with slop that I wouldn’t feed my worst enemy.

Vets, much like doctors, surgeons, and weather people, are HUMAN. And not always RIGHT.

On The Flip Side..

When my Penny “crashed” and was diagnosed with Stage 4 kidney disease just about two years ago, her vet felt strongly that she needed an emergency dental if she had a chance of pulling through the crash. I had originally cancelled her surgery. He was so adamant about it that he called me at 10pm at night from home to try and talk me into it. He offered to go in to work on his day off to oversee her dental since a less experienced vet was scheduled for the surgery. I had a tough time taking a risk like that with my bad experiences with previous vets, but my gut was telling me that Dr Jared was probably right.

I took her for that emergency dental the next day. And cried and prayed all day long. I didn’t want her last moments to EVER be at the vet or in a cage, alone and scared. She pulled through. And lived 20 more quality months before she crossed the Bridge. I don’t believe we would have ever had that time together had I not listened to my vet that night.

Robyn kissing Penny on the head-Feb 2016 — Penny & Me – February 2016 about a week after her emergency dental.

So what’s my point here?

We have to advocate for our pets like we would advocate for our sick parents (been there, done that too!), sick children, and ourselves. Ultimately, the decisions are OURS.

We have something with our pets that no vet will ever have with them – an emotional bond. They are our FAMILY. It’s okay to ask questions to fully understand what is going on. It’s okay to admit that you play Dr Google and discuss what you learn online with your vet. Any GOOD vet will RESPECT that and listen to your concerns.

My vets all know that I know my stuff. They know I play Dr Google. They know that I’ve managed Penny’s diabetes and kidney disease from things I’ve learned online and from lay people. I’ve ALWAYS cleared these treatments with my vets first. They respect that I do my homework, ask smart questions, and take the time to educate myself and understand everything so that I can better help my pets.

I have good vets. I’m very lucky. If I ever came across a vet who didn’t respect and understand that I advocate for my pets, they would never see me or my pet again.

At the end of the day, WE are responsible for our pets’ well being. The vets are there to help. But we make the final decisions.

Don’t be afraid to do your homework before allowing a vet to treat your pet. Please don’t be afraid to speak up. Your pet is DEPENDING on YOU!

Spunky and Robyn selfie Jan 2016 — Spunky and me – Jan 2016. She was about 8 months old in this picture!