When I walk through the house and notice the little darlings all curled up in their various beds or boxes, I want to go and shake them up!
Revenge for all my lost sleep.
.
Once we stopped giving him Gabapentin, Toby rallied.
Pleased that he was no longer tired and wobbly, he took himself for a walk.
.
He and Lily exchanged comments
before continuing their on own way.
.
We are not sure what causes the trouble with Toby’s legs. He is old, so arthritis probably plays a part but watching him recently I wondered if there was a neurological component.
After a long nap his legs are stiff, but once he gets going they seem to ease.
His back right leg drags slightly and it’s as if his legs don’t always go in quite the right direction .
The fur on Toby’s right flank became increasingly matted because he simply will not allow brushing. When I could see that the mats themselves were causing discomfort, I went in quickly (and carefully) with scissors.
.
For a long time we thought Toby had digestive problems. He was painfully thin. Now it seems less of an issue.
If Toby was young, we would pursue in-depth investigations but apart from the extreme discomfort it would cause him, there is no point.
He is too old for surgery . Medication?
We know how that goes.
.
Penny, who is also old and arthritic was unwell recently and we agreed to a x-ray which revealed inflammation. An injection and a course of medication set her straight.
Penny tolerates the same medication that made Toby all peculiar.
( Another of my technical terms.)
.
Where intervention can help, we are committed to it. When you take an animal into your home, you become responsible for its care and protection for it for the duration of its life.
For 8 years I took in out-of-luck cats and found homes for as many as I could but finally, I found myself with cats that were old, cranky or beset with ailments.
These cats would never be adopted so I officially let them adopt me.
Then I had the hard job of saying “no” to the endless sad stories people wanted to lay on me,
.
“Rescue” for some people amounted to taking an animal from whatever unfortunate situation it was in and delivering it to a shelter. Or a muggins with a foster-home.
Penny, already old and in painwas left behind when her person moved. Along with Muffin and the first Willow.
Someone noticed them and took them to a shelter. Penny was noted as being aggressive which she only is if lited carelessly which causes pain.
Penny being old and black and misunderstood, adoption for her was a remote possibility.
But at least she and her companions were given a chance.
.
Because the first Willow had been one of my fosters, she was chipped and Grant got a call from an irate shelter volunteer who was ready to chew him up about abandoning his cat.
This was one of the heart breaks that sometimes happen if you get involved with animal rescue. It’s hard to evaluate people who want to adopt because there is only so much checking you can do.
Willow was one of the adoptions we were most happy with. In total there were only about five we had no doubts about.
.
Of those five, two were utter failures.
At least Joey’s people did as we always emphasised they should and brought him back to us. No questions asked.
Willow and her pals were abandoned. Thank goodness the owners had never changed her chip.
.
So much for no more cats. I could break my own rules and Willow was coming back no matter what.
As soon as we were allowed, we rushed off to collect them.
The shelter was busy so we hung back waiting and watching.
.
A young woman came in followed by a man carrying a big fluffy orange cat.
The woman took one look:
“Can I have it?” she asked. The man shrugged and handed the cat over.
Instant adoption. It cheered us up.
.
Of course, we must be grateful to people who lift an animal from a bad situation and I accept that often turning the animal over to a shelter is their only option.
Decisions when it comes to animal care are complex and to me they are the most difficult of all as the animals cannot speak for themselves.
You are their only advocate.
.
My feeble attempts at foster care were proof of how bad some decisions actually are, but you can only do your best.
When, in June 2018, I suddenly knew without doubt that I needed to move back East, I had in my care 13 cats. That they would come with me was mere details. They were my responsibility.
Also, I loved them.
.
Some of the fosters were not with me long but there was never a cat I could not love.
Little Lea was our one real success.
She was adopted by a 19-year old young man who absolutely doted on her and gave her a wonderful life.
Tyler was a great animal lover and Lea often kept company with other foor-footed friends.
At the time of her adoption there was a fascinating and beautiful creature in residence that Tyler described as:
“A Chinchilla with a plan”.
.
As incensed as we were with Joey’s failed adopters, it must have taken courage for them to bring him back in such terrible shape. We were told Joey had developed a food allergy.
We could only guess the rest, but our vet was of the opinion he had been kicked.
Joey was the gentlest, most tolerant cat. He had been in bad shape when he first he came to us. He did not deserve this.
.
It was devastating to know that we had placed this trusting animal into a situation that went so wrong. I had wanted so much to keep him.
The first Willow came upstairs to live with my gang but the dynamics just didn’t work.
She deserved a less crowded home and it wasn’t fair to keep adding to my menagerie. I had 2 bunnies as well.
.
Emily didn’t fit in upstairs either, but her adoption was very happy.
Lucy reminds me a lot of Emily. She was one of the fosters that blended in when we all moved. Neutral territory helped.
Emily, like Lucy could be a real madam!
.
Letting Joey go a second time was hard, but the couple who came to meet him were real animal lovers. When it’s real, it shows.
Joey grew up with 2 little girls that loved him and with a couple of different dogs.
They moved East too, to Massachusetts.
.
We were kept up-to-date with some of the fosters and several that we know of have passed on, all of us aging now!
So in the long run, did it make a difference that I helped a few animals out? Wouldn’t someone else have in my place?
Did I benefit from all the heartache? I wasn’t looking for benefits and I knew there would be heartache.
.
All my life I wanted to help animals. I wanted to be able to do much more but other things happened instead.
Having a foster home was all I could manage in the end and I knew I must fulfill the promise I had made to myself, one way or another.
.
People will say of course I helped, of course I did the right thing.
I’m really not sure about that, only that I intended to do the right thing.
It is not always what counts. This I know from experience.
But it’s better than sitting around.
.
A would-be boyfriend told me once I had a heart like a cupboard. I laughed and said it only has one top shelf. He had it all wrong where boys were concerned. Top shelf, bottom shelf, I could only deal with one at a time. But I sure do have shelf-loads of cats in that cupboard. They will be with me till the end, each with its own story and precious memory.
This should have the sub title “Musings of a Mother Cat.” Delightful reading!
Thank you, Carolyn, for beautiful and moving post!
I also wanted to help animals from my early age.
Joanna
You DID make a difference — to all of the furry friends that you helped one way or another. Your kindheartedness shows through in everything you write and I appreciate all you do!!
Thank you.
Gladys
Reading about Toby’s legs made me think of Ollie. Does Toby have Arthritis tablets yet? It certainly helped Ollie when he was put on them, but does not cure it, only alleviates the symptoms.
Best wishes, Pete.
Oh, you have so many beautiful pictures of the cats here Carolyn. I love the dog that lies with his paw over the cat (Joey?). In my opinion, you have done more for animals than the average person would (myself included). It’s a special gift you have … looking after abondoned cats.
Now a question: What is in the left hand corner of your first photo? A leaf?
Well yes, it’s the shape of a leaf but it’s a decal on the window to prevent bird strikes.
Oh … the photo is so clear I didn’t think it was taken through a window 🙂.
Have you tried/thought about an animal chiropractor for Toby? It helps our senior lady GSD every two weeks with her arthritis, hence her mobility.
I think Toby has more than just arthritis. I have nerve damage myself and I suspect he has a super sensitivity of that kind. He won’t let me touch his right side, even with finger tips. I’m glad it works for your lady, though. All cats like all people are different. We tried acupuncture for one but it turned into a circus, whereas I know it helps many. Mostly I administer love.