Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Saturday / Sunday


I left you yesterday with the kittens back in their cage and everyone a little stressed out.  When I went back into the kitten room that night for dinner there was vomit all over the room.  Six to eight piles of bile.. It was more than a little disconcerting .. especially since I had no idea who did it.  They were small enough they could have been Ella..

I put down food, and shortly there after Elsa vomited.  So now we know

It was late in the day so the shelter was closed. I had no idea what was going on, but Elsa was interested in food, she was playing with Ella and she didn't seem in any more distress than she had been prior to the kittens showing up, so I left her for the night.

The kittens were very happy to get more food.  They are little more than fur and bones.  I've seen worse, but that doesn't make this any better.  To tame ferals, I usually make food the reward, but being so thin it felt almost cruel to withhold any food from them, so I gave them a great big bowl of dry, some water and more canned food than they should have been able to eat.  They were also covered in flea dirt.  Cuddling them I tried to dislodge as much as I could - I even found a tick.. eww.  I hate ticks.  They had been treated and the fleas I pulled off them were dead, but the tick's legs were moving after I dislodged him.  The food helped them forget the incidents of the afternoon, and we were pretty much back to square one - which I was thankful for.

So I went back down Saturday morning, and there were more piles of vomit around the room.  Not as much, but some.

well remember this picture?

I had bought a box of small garbage bags to scoop litter into since I ran out of grocery bags.  With the garbage bags came a pack of twist ties.  I didn't see them until I had gone through about half of the box, and when I did I put them in the draw that I keep the food in.  Well a few days later I found a majority of the pack on the floor and someone had been having their way with them.  I picked up all I could find and threw them away.  Well two days later I found a few more.    Then this..

and then the vomiting and the grumpiness.. In my wildest fears I assumed she ate a twist tie, so I called the shelter to report the vomiting and the fact that it was possible.  I don't know she ate one, there is no way to find out.. Well the shelter has a clinic and the vet was in so they had me bring her in.  She was examined and nothing major happened.. They wanted to keep her a while and see if she ate and pooped.. I was out of the house most of the day and when I got home there was a call from the shelter manager.

Being as Elsa is a "rambunctious" cat, there is a serious fear about putting her up for adoption.  She can't go into a community room where kids show up all the time, because I can't say she won't go after them.  The other option is to put her in a cage, which does not go over well with her at all.  And with possible medical issues and looking at having to invest more in a cat that currently has no prospects at all, well a discussion had to be had.

I figured this discussion was going to have to happen at some point.  I keep working with Elsa, but each time I try I see her skin ripple down her back and watch her get over stimulated each and every time.  Is there a home for Elsa?  I have no doubt that there are some people out there who would appreciate her unchecked reactions, but it is a very very limited pool, and finding them without being able to properly house her.. well lets just say it is sad, and it makes me want to work with her more... but facing possible surgery and that expense and what not.. I was resigning myself to the fact that this might have been the best possible way for my psyche to handle all of this.  

So Sunday morning I went in to face the music.  I was preparing myself to say goodbye.

Then there was this..
I want out!!
No vomiting, active, vocal, looking like herself, and trying to get that kitten to play with her.  I talked to a staff member and they said she seemed to be fine.  I was told the manager wasn't going to be in until Tuesday so I was able to take her home and continue to monitor her.

Yup, I adore this little kitten.  I am assuming he is a boy, simply because he is orange.  Silly I know because I've fostered my own share of female orange kittens.  O.. M... C.. this kitten was obnoxiously friendly.  One of those kittens that could be turned away for being TOO friendly and purring TOO loud.. I can't tell you how badly I wanted to stick him in my pocket and bring him home to help everyone understand what a friendly cat is.. :)

Sadly Niki was STILL at the shelter when I went in on Sunday.  Paws crossed she has a home now.  The shelter even has reduced their fees because they still have a slew of kittens and are full up with cats..   Even our shelter who has awesome adoption rates is struggling.  This is when those people who say a no kill nation is actually an option across the nation right now and they actually believe that pet overpopulation is a myth drive me up the wall.  but that is another post..

Anyway.  The reunion was interesting.  Elsa seemed a little annoyed when she got home.  She ate, she inspected every ounce of the room.  She shunned Ella for about an hour.. She ignored the orphans.. she growled and made unhappy vocal noises.. was she unhappy or were these HER happy noises?? I have no idea.

Once she settled down, I let the boy out for a bit.  He and Ella played.  Elsa got in on it a little.  She played very nicely, groomed him a little, but mostly stayed out of things.  After a while I thought it was time to put him away, and I was able to heard him into an area where I could easily get him to minimize the stress of my trying to get him.  I gave him a snuggle and a few kisses and put him back in the cage.


so at this point we are in a holding pattern and hoping for the best..

19 comments:

  1. I was sorry to read what Elsa might be facing only beacuse she gets overstimulated quickly and the vomititing problem. I have had my cat for 11 years and she plays fiercly and I don't think that is a problem with the majority of people. Sure, everybody wants cuddly cats but we adopted out cats we had to work in gloves with for months. And we are just a couple of volunteers, who finance everything but the spaying and neutering. Every cat eventually finds a proper home. Euthanizing them but for serious medical reasons it's unacceptable for us, no matter the cost (that we pay ourselves). Just my opinion.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sandra,

      I can totally respect and admire what you do. You have to remember that I volunteer for an open admission shelter with a large flux of cats and kittens coming in all the time. At any given point in time there are hundred or so kitties up for adoption and a hundred plus in foster care. While the shelter is by no means poor, funds are limited and they service many local communities. Resources put into this cat will not be available to save much more highly adoptable animals (cats, dogs, birds, rabbits, mice, guinea pig, hamsters). It stinks when you need to run a shelter (or anything involving life) as a business, but sometimes you have to. With out the making those tough decisions the shelter would fail and they wouldn't be there to help anyone.

      Since Elsa has already bitten hard enough to draw blood, she is a severe liability. There are options while she is healthy, but having a kitty with a possible intestinal blockage who won't sit in a cage, who can't go out into the general population, and has ADD and no impulse control, that really should be considered a serious medical reason. At this point she is back with me, she is eating and acting normally (for her) so we don't have to make those decisions right now.

      I think her trip back to the shelter has actually done her some good. She is a bit calmer, she tends to put herself in 'time out' when she starts getting over stimulated, and I see significant progress in her behavior since she came home. I am by no means ready to say she is safe for the public, but I think at this point I'd feel safer inviting other adults into the foster room.

      Delete
  2. I sure hope something good happens for Elsa, and that the right person is waiting for her. I'm a bit unclear--you took home the orange boy too?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. no, no orange boy for me. I really really wanted to though..

      Delete
  3. Fingers crossed....it can be so hard when you know there may be a family out there for her, but at what cost? We are struggling too...for every adoption I do for the rescue, we get so many more coming in.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I am very sad to read about Elsa. She is such a happy rambunctious little girl and probably has no idea how that might not be in her favor. We'll hope for the best for Elsa.

    ReplyDelete
  5. She will come good it's just going to take time and patience

    ReplyDelete
  6. I know very well how hard it is to adopt even more adoptable kittens, I have 3 at home that nobody "wants" but I still refuse to give up on not so adoptable ones. Maybe she could be someone's only kitty or a farm kitty... I know I am a bit naive and I know funds used for one cat are not available for the next one... but I still want to believe we can save them all.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I so wish we could save them all. They all deserve it, not just the cute ones or the pretty ones. I have fostered mother cats that were so feral and were so damaged they couldn't even safely be integrated into a feral colony / barn cat. it stinks but the idea of opening the door and just letting them run isn't a good idea either, and sometimes putting them down IS the humane alternative. that is not something I want for Elsa. I was so close to tears at even the thought of discussing it because she is not a mean cat, just confused. Fortunately we do have more time..

      Delete
    2. It breaks my heart to read this, but I know that we just can't save them all. I have to hope that someone out there, maybe reading this blog, will see her and be able to work with her challenges.

      Delete
  7. And I admire you for what you do immensely, you are a true cat angel and I hope you can do your miracle for Elsa as well.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Fingers crossed for a happy resolution.

    Nubbin wiggles,
    Oskar

    ReplyDelete
  9. I'm sure this isnt easy for you, but I'm so glad for people like you who try so hard! Keep up the good work, because it does make a huge difference!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Paws crossed for Elsa and that cute li'l orange guy (?) who's so needy. Kinda reminds us of Faraday....

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous4:19 AM

    Fingers crossed for Elsa! Who knows things will change in the future or when she gets older? I hope so!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous4:32 AM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous4:33 AM

    Got my paws in a twist with my previous comment; try again:

    We cats are were all feral,so I understand the problems you are having. My adopted sisfur Blackie became a total difference cat when she was spayed. She turned from feral to house cat overnight. I hope everything works out for you.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I sure hope Elsa can find that good home. Maybe she will calm down as she gets older. It is harder with the feral cats. We have a lot of them here. We sure hope she straightens out soon. Have a great day.

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...