Last Man Standing

There's been quite a bit of shake up in the Shoup cat house and Mr. Morris is not happy - not at all. First, his sister Shadoe (now Artemis) was adopted out as a barn cat. She was a good mom to all the kittens she had as well as any strays that I brought in, but she so very clearly wasn't happy living in a home. If I looked into the basement through the outside, I could see her staring out the window. When I went down to the basement each night, she would hiss and hide. She got to the point she would meow at me when I put wet food down, but she made it clear we would never be friends. In addition, the kittens got less and less socialized as they would hide with her. The family that adopted her to be their barn cat is a very loving family and she will have another kitty companion with which to interact. It was kind of bittersweet to split she and Morris up, but he just couldn't go with her and she just couldn't stay.

A week or so later, an opportunity presented itself that allowed me to swap two of my healthy kittens for two kittens who needed some light medical care. I went back and forth on which pairings I should give up and ultimately chose the two kittens Morris played with the most. While they were great companions for Morris, his son, Sparrow, was the one most afraid of humans. While the other kittens interacted with me, Sparrow would always sit off to the side. I sent Channing, Sparrow's favorite companion as well, and Channing and Morris were always seen playfully romping about. Scout and Banjo have made the transition to the cat population seamlessly, but where Morris was once in the middle of the action, now he sits aparat, aloof.

That's not to say things are all bad for Morris. He has his boon companion, Neko, still and has worked on worming his way into Truvy's heart. I have witnessed Truvy and Morris cleaning each other on several occasions, so it's almost as though Morris is building his harem! ;-) I doubt I will see the day when he wins Satie's heart, but with Morris, I've witnessed many other miracles, so I won't rule it out entirely - yet. ;-)

I'm sorry that it's been so long since there's been an update on Morris. Things have been insane in general at the Shoup house and there really hasn't been much progress on Morris' part. He definitely doesn't take well to change, so he may just be a forever cat. Only time will tell. I promise to try to update more, even if it's just profiles from the ladies of Morris' harem.

Silly boy

As I sit here and type this post, Morris is playing the charming companion to several kittens who have chosen him as their play toy du jour. He's at least four times their size, but so gentle and so tolerant. One kitten in particular keeps coming back for more and Morris seems to enjoy it.

As much as I hate to admit it, I'm not sure what the future holds for Morris. If someone is looking for a companion for their cat, Morris is their man. In an environment where he has no other cats to keep him company and he may come out of his shell even more. His kittens continue to do really well. They are very social, very active and simply adorable. I am sure they will get adopted in no time. Morris will stay with me until he gets a home or we decide to keep him.

He really is lucky little Morris. Just yesterday, someone brought a beautiful Persian kitty without a home to my attention. She's social, super friendly and was probably left behind by someone who moved and didn't want to take her with them. I sometimes wonder why fate or the universe or what have you put Morris in my path, knowing I would do whatever I needed in order to help him. How was he the lucky one while others, more friendly, more loving don't get the same opportunities? While I wait for that plan to unfold, I'll continue to advocate for homeless animals at the same time providing loving care and support for those I have the pleasure of meeting. Morris has already been an inspiration to so many people and I hope his legacy will continue to inspire, even as his physical recovery is complete.

Motivated Morris

Morris continues to do really really well, physically. We're still working on the human socialization. He continues to bond very strongly with my nurturing cat, Neko. I'll try to get a picture next time they are on the cat tree together. He is VERY vocal when it comes to wet food. He's got a tiny little meow that is VERY insistent. He's also very food motivated. I am dealing with some eating issues with other cats that requires some flexibility on my part. They get super nutritious, extra calorie kitten food that nobody else does, therefore it makes it manna from heaven for Morris. Check out him flexing his legs. He wouldn't have done this two months ago.

Snuggling

A couple of weeks ago, I took Morris in for his surgical follow up. The surgeon was very pleased with his progress, both physically and socially. I was able to reach in and bring Morris out for his exam. There was no swiping, no hissing and no trying to get away from us. There are many domesticated cats that don't do that well, so Morris has made significant progress.


In terms of global progress, it's obvious to see just how far Morris has come. I can't thank those responsible enough for their contributions to Morris, their interest in Morris and their belief in a kitty whose story tugged their hearts.

Mobility: Previously, Morris ran wherever he needed to go. I think his idea was to get to where he needed to go fast to minimize the amount of pain. Upon arriving at his location, he would sit down very quickly. I'm not sure how, but it seemed that sitting caused him very little pain. Now, Morris strolls everywhere, unless I'm putting food down. ;-) He's still got a "swagger" and always will have a swagger, but he's more comfortable when walking and it's obvious.


Sociability: Morris has always sought the comfort of other cats, but never really played with them. He would try to engage his brother, but if Garfield wasn't interested, Morris wouldn't pursue it. Now, Morris plays all by himself and with the newest kitten to the fold, Olivia. He's really quite sweet with her. He also loves to play with Neko, our firmly established matriarch. Many nights you will find them snuggling together, mostly at his insistence.


Human Interaction: Previously, Morris would come thisclose and then run away. Any new stimuli would send him running for the hills. Now, he's rubbing his head on my hand and when new people enter his domain, he shows curiousity after the initial furor has died down. He still gets a little hissy when startled, but stays his ground and works through it. He even snuggled with ME recently, though as soon as he realized what he was doing, he vacated his warm spot, but not before I got photographic evidence!

HA! I can't tell you how much this made my day and hopefully it will make yours!

Spay and Neuter, people!

So, in a previous post, I mentioned that I get antsy when I have unaltered animals, especially when they are of the opposite sex. Generally speaking, I am quick to get the animals to the vet, especially cats. Here's why: An unspayed femal cat, her mate and all of their offspring, producing two litters per year, with 2.8 surviving kittens per litter can total: One Year: 12 Two Years: 67 Three Years: 376 Four Years: 2,107 Five Years: 11, 801 ... Nine Years: 11,606,077 Considering millions of animals are euthanized for lack of homes every year, these are grim statistics indeed. That's just based upon one mate match. Early Sunday morning, we discovered that, as my friend Sarah puts it, Morris was not too crippled to get his sister pregnant. She got pregnant during what presumably was her first heat cycle. Their "union" produced three kittens. (None of them look like Morris at all, so who even KNOWS if he was the dad). Morris' sister, I've mentioned before, is feral, so checking in on the babies has been challenging to say the least, but at this point, all appear healthy and momma is a good momma. Rest assured that this is not an event that will occur again. If I have to use a blow dart to catch Shadoe, she will be spayed once the kittens have been weaned. But this is an important lesson on why you should spay and neuter as soon as possible. Quick as a wink, without having any prior heads up, you could wind up with three kittens under a sofa in your basement. Just sayin'.

Disposable

It's true that this blog is supposed to focus on Morris and his recovery. But it's also a way to talk about some of the things that go on in rescue land. Don't worry, I won't bombard you with graphic horror stories. Today's post is more to talk about a shift in the way some people view their "pets". I recently had someone return a former foster cat because after two and a half years, she developed allergies to the cat. In speaking with the woman, she revealed that in the time she had the cat, she hadn't taken her to vet at all in the time she had the cat. The kitty had been moved several times, was eliminating inappropriately outside the litterbox and was shy. Additionally, the cat had not been spayed and oh by the way, she was moving to NY soon and how soon can we take the kitty? But, oh, she was going to be so heartbroken to give up her kitty. The woman's tone throughout the whole thing was so nonchalant, it was clear that the cat had become disposable. I can't refute the litterbox claim as the cat hasn't moved from underneath my bed since I brought her home. The rescue has such a thorough screening process, that it's disappointing to have someone like this pass with flying colors. The kitten I turned over was a vibrant, loving, sweet kitten who could have been the perfect pet for a family who would love her forever. Instead, she went to a woman who gave her the bare minimum to survive for two years. There are so many heartbreaking stories like this one. The dog who is being returned because he has gotten too big. The cats who were dumped at a shelter, despite the rescue clause stating they MUST come back to the rescue because it was too much hassle. The dog who was dumped at the shelter because her family couldn't wait another day to turn her over to the rescue. How about the 12 year old dog who was dumped because the kids are grown and the parents don't have time for it any more? The list goes on and on and on. We don't get to hear the stories of the family who adopted a geriatric dog, accepting all of his faults and rejoicing when he gives them almost two full years and they were only expecting six months. We don't hear the stories of the families who suffer through chemotherapy with their dogs to only get another two months with their beloved pet. When animals are treated as though they are disposable, it's an insult to those who work tirelessly to make these wonderful animals available to a loving home, devoting many hours and sacrificing family time to ensure they are placed in a safe and loving home. I hope that if you're reading this, you realize that your pet is not disposable. They aren't a razor to be thrown in the trash, or a shirt to be donated because you've grown tired of it. This is a living thing whose life and happiness depend on you, more so than a child does. Children grow up and move away. Your animal will give its life to you, unconditionally. Think about this, urge your friends, your coworkers, your family members to think about that before they bring a pet into the home. It shouldn't be treated as anything less than a lifetime commitment.

How many lives are left??

As a foster parent to animals, I feel like I expend nine lives in a year. Fosters like Morris (and others that weren't so lucky) remind me that I have been blessed with general good health with my fosters. Each new curveball is tackled as a learning opportunity. I'm sure you're thinking, yes yes yes, what about Morris? How's he doing NOW?? I'm getting to that part.

Morris was continuing to make great improvements in healing. The scar on one side had healed completely to the point that you thought it was a mere scratch. The other side, the side that got the most action because it had the most muscle, had a slight scab, but was healing well as well. On Wednesday night, I noticed he was starting to get some fluid build up on his right side. It stayed about the same size through Friday morning. When I took him in for therapy on Friday morning, I discussed the fluid build up with Dr. Chau of Family Vet of Stone Ridge. She explained that since that side had the least amount of muscle, it was the most prone to fluid build up. Made complete sense. She mentioned she might drain the fluid, but wasn't really sure. I didn't think about it again and hubby picked up Morris so I didn't get a chance to ask. Morris was very mobile on Saturday night and even attempted to make friends with another foster, Fatima. She was not interested, in the slightest, but I was encouraged by his exploration.

Fast forward to Sunday. My friend Sarah came over to see the "wunder kitty" as I call him. He did great, he looked great and he didn't even hiss at her (I think he's just reserving that for me now). We noticed the swelling was still there, but again, didn't think anything of it.

Sunday evening and I noticed an alarming puncture like wound located south of his incision. I will spare you the awful details, but his therapy for today was cancelled and he was dropped off at the vet first thing this morning. I am almost certain I'm going to screw this up, but the theory is that there was a blood pocket that pooled under his skin since he has so much "dead space." That area was especially week so all he would have to do is sit on it hard or lie down on it funny and the pressure would be released, which is precisely what happened. To fix it, the doctors sewed him up and put in a drain since there was fluid still draining from the wound. He's on crate rest for 7-10 days and therapy has been put on hold until the drain can be removed. Poor little guy. He's had a surgery every two weeks since his neuter was scheduled. He's a tough little kitty, though, as evidenced by how far he came WITHOUT the benefit of surgery. I hate that he has to be isolated though and look forward to when he can join everybody else.

Look! You can see where his hair had started to grow back in!

If you're interested, Morris is accepting visitors. I can't promise he'll want to snuggle on your lap, but it's not often you get to look at a bionic kitty. :-)