April
29,
2009 News
Orange Tabby
Rescued...Recovering |
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One of
MeoowzResQ volunteers feeds a colony of feral cats daily.
About 3 months ago, an orange Tabby showed up. Unfortunately,
it isn't uncommon for new cats to show up at this colony.
It appears as though people continue to dump unwanted cats
here. Some of the colony cats are truly feral, being born
in that very office park, while others were pets at some point,
and then dumped there by their owners.
One way
the volunteer knew that Tommy, as she calls him, wasn't feral,
is that he meowed whenever she came to feed the colony. Feral
cats generally do not meow at people.
At first,
Tommy wouldn't come near the volunteer. He seemed to be afraid
of people and of any movements, especially people standing
up. Over time, the volunteer managed to gain the trust of
Tommy and even managed to coax him over to her for short bursts
of petting. After a few strokes, he'd run away to a safe distance.
Tommy
seemed torn. He seemed to genuinely want to be petted and
to have attention, but he was very distrustful of people.
The volunteer
continued to try to gain his trust, every day while feeding
the colony. Squatting down or sitting on the ground, calling
Tommy over and tapping on the pavement, eventually he'd come
over and allow the volunteer to touch him.
Then a
few weeks ago, Tommy disappeared. This too, unfortunately,
isn't uncommon. The volunteer continued to hope that he'd
show back up and that he was OK.
Then on
Monday, April 27, 2009, Tommy did indeed appear back at the
colony. The volunteer was filled with both relief, and worry.
Tommy looked very bad. He had lost a lot of weight, was missing
patches of fur and his head, eyes, nose and ears were full
of scabs. He could barely open his eyes, they were so infected.
It took
several days for the volunteer to figure out a way of catching
Tommy. Her patience paid off. On the evening of Wednesday,
April 29, 2009, she managed to get Tommy into a carrier. He
seemed deathly afraid of being in a carrier and fought very
hard to get out. The volunteer took Tommy home and let him
out of the carrier for the night in one of her bathrooms,
quarantined away from her other cats. Tommy was very upset
and was now hissing and spitting at the volunteer.
She hoped
that by morning, Tommy would be a bit more relaxed, because
once again, he would need to be put in a carrier for a trip
to the vet's.
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04/30/2009
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Thursday morning, the volunteer dropped
Tommy off at one of MeoowzResQ's
favorite vets, Dr. Coghlan of 17th
Street Animal Hospital, knowing Tommy would get the best
care there.
After the
volunteer got off of work, she called the vet's office to find
out what the diagnosis was. The good news was, it was curable.
Although mange isn't common in felines, that's exactly what
Tommy had. The volunteer visited Tommy at the vet's and talked
to the vet to find out more. The vet and vet tech said they
had a very hard time with him, because he was a wild cat.
The volunteer
told them, "Actually , he's not feral. He let me pick him
up by the scruff without any trouble. He also lets me pet him.
But, he's deathly afraid of carriers." "Ah!"
Dr. Coghlan replied. "He may have been traumatized from
a previous visit to a vet, traveling in a carrier, like when
he was neutered." "Oh, so he's neutered already?"
the volunteer asked. "Yes, he is," replied Dr. Coghlan.
At least that was one good surprise.
Tommy had
gotten the first round of treatment needed at the vet's. Dr.
Coghlan gave the volunteer a topical treatment to follow up
with in a week as well as a treatment for any surfaces that
Tommy touched, to kill the parasite larvae to prevent the spread
of the mange. |
05/01/2009
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Tommy is
now at the volunteer's again, quarantined in the bathroom.
Tommy has
a healthy appetite, so should gain weight back quickly. He's
been drinking a bowl of water a day!
The volunteer
is working with Tommy to get him litterbox trained.
She's working
on Tommy's trust issues. At first, he didn't want to come out
of hiding, from the comforts of his cat igloo (so different
than sleeping in the cold under the bushes).
But with
patience and coaxing, Tommy comes out within a very short time
of the volunteer calling him and tapping on the floor.
Lately,
he allows her to clean his eyes and ears, with no objections.
He still
flinches at first, when touched. But once he realizes he's safe,
he relaxes and enjoys having his head rubbed. He even stands
on his hind legs, pushing his head into the volunteer's hand.
He still has other issues. If
the volunteer
moves too quickly, or stands up, Tommy runs and hides in his
cat igloo. The volunteer sits down, and calls him out again.
The volunteer
is working on all of these issues with him. She stands up while
petting him, talking sweetly, so he realizes that he doesn't
have to be scared when somebody stands up.
Then she
rubs his head, while making movements with the other arm, or
while walking a couple of steps back and forth, crouched over.
The volunteer is improvising, trying to figure out how to help
Tommy get over his fears.
And although
Tommy may not look so great right now, the volunteer continues
to remind him that he's a beautiful cat, worthy of love, and
that he is loved and will continue to be cared for.
The hopes
of this volunteer is that one day soon, Tommy will learn that
most people are loving and caring, and that he can trust us.
That one day he can relax and learn to be a happy cat again.
One day he will no longer flinch when first touched, and will
feel confident that he is safe. She
hopes that he heals quickly from the mange so he will no longer
feel discomfort, and that he will look as beautiful on the outside,
as he is on the inside.
And she hopes that once healed, he will find a forever home
with a special family.
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05/03/2009
Update
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Just
wanted to share some updated photos to show how well Tommy is
healing. Look at the difference that just a few days make, after
receiving proper treatment.
The inflammation
and ridging on his head have gone down quite a bit. The scaly
icky stuff is coming off all around his head and soft fur growing
back in its place. The scabbing on his nose and around his eyes
are healing. Even the insides of his ears are clean! Doesn't
he just look happier?
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05/14/2009
Update
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More
updated photos
and update from the volunteer.
"Tommy is healthy
and feeling good. He
is still scared of people walking around him and of any movements
toward him if he's not ready for it.
The past
few days he's been kind of grumpy. I think he's been cooped
up too long.
The first picture on the left is him hissing at me as I enter
his room.
But when I started sweet
talking him, he quickly rolled onto his back, showing me his
belly and rolling around like a wiggly worm.
I managed
to coax him out of his room, and he started exploring, sniffing
everything and taking his time to get to know the new surroundings.
He didn't
want to go too far, but was happy to plop down and relax in
the middle of the carpet.
One of my
cats came up to see what all of the fuss was. She did really
well, allowing me to pet her while she was about 2 or 3 feet
from him, only hissing and growling a couple of times. The more
I petted her, the more Tommy meoowed.
Even though
he's still jumpy, he does enjoy being scratched on his head.
I'm not
sure if he'll ever be able to be adopted into a normal home,
because he's so easily scared, but I'm still hopeful."
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MeoowzResQ would like to give special thanks
to the angels out there who donated money to help pay for Tommy's
medical expenses, and to those that sent loving wishes and words.
We'd also like to thank Dr. Coghlan for continuing
to help us with our rescue efforts. Thanks Dr. C.! Click
here to visit Dr. Coghlan's web site.
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