Progress Within The Clowder

It has been awhile since I’ve posted about our kitties.  I’m terribly sorry for that.  Life has been a little crazy right now.  But without further ado –

Orion – comfy in his bed that Daddy bought him!

Orion had another visit at the vet on August 2nd.  Dr. O requested more x-rays and blood work, hoping the imaging would show better once Orion put on weight.  We saw Dr. May (he’s so special, he has two doctors attending him!).

When we arrived in the exam room, the attending vet tech immediately weighed Orion.  I held my breath.  His last weigh-in was 6.9 lbs.  Well, we’re doing something right because Orion was 7.7 lbs!  Dr. May came in and commented on his weight first and about how happy she was he was putting weight on.  I was ecstatic!  Sometimes it’s difficult to tell by touch alone.  I thought his belly area felt a little fuller, but wasn’t really sure.  His back is still bony.  But, it wasn’t my imagination.  He really is slowly putting on the weight. 🙂  He’s got 2.3 lbs to go to reach his goal!

Orion’s physical exam revealed a slight heart murmur.  Dr. May said it was difficult to tell what was causing it at this point, without going through a series of different tests.  She suggested that focus on getting Orion’s weight to his goal first before we proceed.  However, if he started showing any signs that were not of his character to bring him in immediately.

He had another x-ray and blood work.  Unfortunately, the x-ray wasn’t clear like the first one taken.  Orion hadn’t put on enough weight yet.  Dr. May said that to perform an ultrasound at this point would be a waste because it would garner the same results.  And it would be a waste of money.  She suggested another follow-up visit in a month.  Other than the unclear x-rays and slight anemia (his blood work came back slightly anemic still), Orion received a clean bill of health!

We have been introducing Orion slowly to our other cats.  They get “supervised visits” for now.  So far introductions have been going as follows:

Orlox is curious about Orion, but when Orlox gets in Orion’s face, he hisses and swats at Orlox.  So far, Orlox hasn’t made a peep at Orion and backs off when Orion starts hissing.

Castiel is also curious, not so much about Orion, but more so regarding the room that has been closed off for the past month.  He walks around investigating everything.  When he finally sees Orion, he stares at him for a few minutes then leaves the room.  No hissing or swatting from either cats!

Boots just wants the window perch in Orion’s room.  That’s where he came out of his shell, and it’s Boots’ favorite place to nap.  Boots hissed at Orion when he tried smelling Boots’ tail.  Orion hid in the corner of the room until Boots left.  Orion didn’t make a peep.

Ishtar is curious.  When Boots, Prometheus, and Icarus were introduced, she was hissing the longest at them.  However, Orion is different.  She goes into the room with her tail high in the air, sniffs around, spots him, and stares at Orion for a little.  She gets within two feet from Orion, sits down, and stays there for a few minutes.  Then she leaves.  Orion hasn’t hissed at her.  His body language tells me his is comfortable when she is within two feet from him, but I have a feeling that he would be hissing if she came closer.  That’s okay.  It’s something we could work with!

Pandora was only interested in meeting Orion once.  And it involved treats.  She laid down  at the threshold of his room and just watched him go about his business.  Orion, in turn, ate and made himself comfy on one of his beds.  They watched each other for some time, their body language relaxed.  I was so proud of Pandora (she’s the cranky old lady of the house), that I awarded them with treats.

Prometheus wants to play with Orion.  But Orion has no interest in playing with anyone.  Prometheus makes his rounds in the room and runs up to Orion.  This kinda spooks Orion and he hides under the desk.  I think Orion is having a difficult time comprehending that Prometheus is a cat, because Prometheus doesn’t walk like a normal cat.  I was expecting this to happen, unless, of course, Orion grew up around CH cats.  When Prometheus was introduced, our kitties took a little longer to adjust to him and get used to the way he moved.  I’ll be putting special time aside to make Orion and Prometheus feel comfortable around each other.

And finally, Icarus – he is naturally mellow to begin with, so we started introductions with him.  Icarus is curious about Orion, but just loves hanging out in his room.  Orion doesn’t mind Icarus’ company unless Icarus decides to get within one foot of him.  The Orion hisses, but it’s soft hiss.  I think he feels most comfortable around Icarus so far.  Icarus visits Orion daily for lengthy periods and I’ve kept them in the same room together with the door shut without any problems.  Very promising, indeed!

I can’t believe tomorrow will be one month since Orion’s arrival.  It seems like he’s been here longer, and surprises me each day with the progress he makes.  I look forward to seeing what his weight will be in a month at his next exam!

Rags to Riches Adoption

Last week I wrote about Blaze, the cat that was rescued by a good Samaritan when a group of kids tried breaking his legs.

Well, Tuesday night (July 2nd), Blaze was adopted!

He went from an abused street cat to a little girl’s best friend.  A family saw Blaze in Wayne on Sunday and fell in love with him.  He worked over his new forever family good, too!  Blaze made himself cozy in his new guardian’s lap and sat next to their little girl (her lap was too small for them).  That cat is going to be living in a nice neighborhood with a family that loves him to pieces.  Between Sunday and Tuesday, the little girl kept asking if they were going to pick up Blaze.  They will grow up together and be companions to each other.  And they will form a bond that is unique to a little girl and her favorite kitty.

Many tear-filled congratulations to Blaze!

I’ll miss him, but I’m so happy for him at the same time.  I knew once he had an opportunity to meet the public, he wouldn’t be staying long in START II’s care. 🙂

 

Lucky The Cat

Lucky talking from his cage

The first week of April we had a very special new addition to the shelter.  Lucky, the cat.  He had his 15 minutes of fame.  There was an article featured on his rescue, as well as an interview with our shelter manager on a local news network.

On April 3rd, I met Lucky for the first time.  He looked awful.  Patches of fur were missing, the padding on his paws were cut up, his rendezvous with a tree caused a sizable cut on his inner thigh, and he was severely emaciated.  Lucky had already been to the vet after his rescue.  He was given IV fluids, vitamins, and an antibiotic injection to prevent any infection.  Lucky’s right eye was clouded over really bad.  The vet said it was scar tissue from a previous eye infection, but the eye was fine.  Our job at START II was to fatten him up to a healthy weight.  The poor little guy was completely emaciated.

After I finished cleaning cat cages, I spent some quality time with Lucky.  I held him close and brought him into the playroom.  We sat in a sunspot.  Lucky curled up against me and fell asleep, his body vibrating from his purr.  I gave him cheek scratches and chin rubs until he fell asleep.  Lucky napped on my lap for a good hour and a half before waking and wanting to explore the shelter.

Lucky enjoying time on my lap

Lucky is doing very well.  Today when I saw him, he looked like he put a smidge of weight on.  He loves Pro Plan wet food.  It is difficult to comprehend why anyone would allow this to happen to an animal.  There’s a ring around Lucky’s neck where a collar used to be.  It is obvious he was someone’s cat before he came into START II’s care.  Lucky loves to give me headbutts and gets really happy when I talk to him (well, when any of the volunteers talk to him – he loves people!).  He’s gotten a lot of calls on him so far for adoption, but his forever home hasn’t come along yet.  He’s a special cat and needs a special home.

I look forward to seeing him when I’m volunteering.  Lucky’s a strong cat.  He hasn’t given up on his recovery, nor has he become weary of people.

Awakening Prometheus

Prometheus was up early today playing.  He tired quickly though.

Prometheus passed out in bed

It’s hard to believe that such a precious, cute face could be so mischievous.  Sometimes I don’t think he knows his own strength.

Close-up of Prometheus sleeping

And then he wakes up with a huge yawn.  He’s ready to play.  Look at those teeth.  And people wonder why my arms are always scratched up.  Yup, this boy is a biter.  He loves to shake his head around once he’s latched onto an arm.

Prometheus – RAWR!