Monday I was going to start stripping wallpaper in my guest room and prep for painting. That plan changed when I got a tweet from a Toronto twitter friend. She had a friend, Jen, with a feral named Moe in desperate need of vet care. Phone calls and emails back and forth and plans were put into place.
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| Moe |
Then another email, or was it a phone call from Robin?? Anyway, could I pick up a cat carrier at her house and go to another location. There was a mom kitty with 5 newborns. The babies needed to be transferred to the carrier in hopes of getting mom in with the babies closing the door and then taken to a foster home. I just needed to do the transfer of the babies from one carrier with a broken door to another better carrier. As I picked up each wee tiny treasure I kissed each little head many times before putting into the second carrier with a clean dry towel. A few days later Mom and babies were safely delivered to a foster home
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| Mom with babies in old carrier |
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| 5 wee tiny treasures in a clean dry carrier |
Later that afternoon I got a call from Jen to say she had contacted animal services. They told her they would catch Moe and take care of him. I called her twice to tell her that I wasn't sure she wanted to go that route. Animal services puts ferals to sleep with little hesitation. I left it with her and hoped things would work out in the end. A few hours later she called. Animal services showed up, caught Moe and told Jen Moe would be put to sleep. About 7:30 that evening I had Moe in my garage for the night until I could deliver him to the vet for exam the next morning. Moe was very congested so I was pretty sure he had a URI (upper respiratory infection which is like a human cold), plus the poor guy was incredibly stressed from all he had been through in the previous couple of hours.
About 8:30 p.m. I began stripping wallpaper from my guest room walls.
Tuesday morning I was up early to deliver Moe to the vet. I called Jen to let her know he was at the vet and they would be contacting her once they had examined Moe. That evening I got an update from Jen. Moe indeed had a bad URI, he had 5 teeth removed, he was neutered and a snap test showed that he is FIV positive. I haven't heard from Jen since but believe that Moe is going to spend 4 or 5 days at the vet recovering. I will call her next week to check on his progress.
Tuesday evening I went to Robin's to get a lesson in using a drop trap. One of the kitties in the East Side Gang, Jag, has not been eating much. I felt she had a dental issue because her chin and chest were wet from her drooling.
Wednesday morning my dear little foster, Howie, went to the vet to be neutered. Howie is only 9 weeks old but once a kitten reaches 2 lbs he or she can be safely neutered or spayed. Acer was the first little guy I've taken to be neutered at such a young age and when I saw him after the operation I was amazed at how bouncy he was. It was as if nothing happened. Howie was the same.
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| Howie |
Thursday was my first opportunity to try out the drop trap to get Miss Jag. It was a bit of a production to cart all the pieces way back into the area where the cats live. It took a few trips with equipment, plus the bags of food and water.
Once set up it was a matter of waiting and waiting and waiting. Spirit went into the trap about 3 or 4 times and I had to chase him out each time. Jag was not showing any signs or interest in the food being offered. So after a long period of waiting and playing backgammon on my iPad, I decided to call it a day. Then Jag wandered over and bam! I pulled the string that releases the trap and she was caught. It took another ten minutes to get her into the transfer cage but once that was done, I packed up and headed to the vet.
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| Drop trap and transfer cage ready to go |
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| Spirit enjoying food under the drop trap |
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| Jag showing no signs or interest in food |
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Jag is in the transfer carrier with cloth
covering her to help keep her calm |
Yesterday's initial examination, which was done under sedation, revealed that Jag had very bad teeth and gums. I was happy to learn that a snap test proved her to be FIV and FeLV negative (happy dance). Today Jag had all her teeth, except canines, removed. I will pick her up from the vet tomorrow evening.
Today, I am spending my last day with baby Howie for tomorrow he is going to an adoptathon run by Toronto Cat Rescue. I'm pretty sure I will not be returning to pick him up at the end of the afternoon. Someone is going to see that sweet little face and go all melty in the heart. He will be greatly missed but he needs a home of his own.
Acer Update
I've heard from Acer's new family twice. He is doing very well and getting along with his new older sister, Chloe. The family has decided to keep his name too. I love it when I get to hear how my fosters are doing in their forever homes. It makes letting go so much easier.
Hugs to all my furry babies. I love you all.
