From: srockaway@gmail.com
Subject: poisoned cat needs barn home
Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2009 01:31:33 -0400
To:
********** Please cross-post far and wide **********
Poisoned cat w/spinal injury needs immediate barn home!
I know that every day we are all trying to find homes for unowned animals, but I had to send this email b/c of "Jimmy's" story, and b/c he's only looking for a barn home -- maybe it will be easier to find a solution. ... I also realize that many of you receiving this email don't have barns, but please forward this email to anyone you know who might be willing to give this cat a home. ...
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Please meet Jimmy, a friendly stray male that had been accepted into a feral colony in Shelbyville, Kentucky. He loves to head-butt people and purr when petted. He's also a talker. He was obviously part of a family at one time. This very friendly stray has had a difficult life (lost his family, a spinal injury and poisoning), and it just seems to be getting more difficult. ... He desperately needs a barn home.
(Jimmy doesn't like camera flashes!)
... Jimmy's been on a waiting list for our TNRM (trap-neuter-return-management) program for at least three months. The first time we saw him, he seemed to be in pretty good condition. ... On Wed., June 17, we finally trapped him -- the last male cat in this particular colony that needed to be neutered. While working to trap him, we noticed that his tail appeared to be broken (about 2 inches from his body), and he seemed to be skinnier than he had been three months earlier.
On Thurs., June 18, after surgery, the vet discovered that his blood wasn't clotting. They had to knock him out 2 more times in attempts to cauterize the incision and make various other efforts to save him. Nothing was working, and the vet was concerned he might bleed to death.
So the vet called us to ask how we wanted to proceed. After teary-eyed phone calls to the other board members, we decided to begin with the least expensive fix -- a vitamin K injection (this probably sounds awful, but we've only been incorporated since Jan. 30, and our bank account is low. If that had failed, the next step would have been a $300-$400 blood transfusion that would have been paid for out of pocket.) Fortunately, the injection worked. Unfortunately, it very likely meant that Jimmy had been poisoned -- whether intentionally or unintentionally remains to be determined.
Needless to say, we're all very happy that he survived, but sadly, we cannot return him to his colony -- his "HOME" -- where he would likely come into contact w/poison again. (As an aside, we're also working to resolve the poisoning issue. Thankfully, the other cats in this colony do not appear to wander into the same area -- behind a specific restaurant -- where Jimmy likely got into the poison.)
To add to this story, during his rehab, we've discovered that Jimmy's broken tail is more likely nerve damage from a spinal injury. This nerve damage has also left him incontinent when it comes to urinating (he uses the litterbox just fine for his bowel movements). ... He's going back for a recheck on Tues., June 30, and if nothing has changed, he'll be given the green light to go to a new barn home. ... Therefore, while Jimmy waits for his vet appointment, we really need to find a home for him so he can move immediately. Right now, he's sitting in a very large crate w/a plastic tray in the bottom. When he involuntarily pees, he winds up laying in it (and even though we clean it out 3 times a day, we're not always around to immediately clean the area). Urine can cause burns on a cat if the cat is exposed to it long enough. ... Apparently this wasn't a problem outside at his former colony home.
If you have a big heart and a good barn home for a sweet cat that's had a tough life, please contact either Stacie (502-633-1199) or Sandy (502-220-0271). Jimmy's eager to meet you!
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