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. :-)

Progress!

Yesterday was Morris' second therapy appointment. I picked him up before picking up Kaitlyn. Don't worry, I didn't subject him to a school full of happy children. He gets enough stimulation at the homestead. As soon as I got in the car, I smelled something burning. I was very concerned that it was the car and we would need to schedule a service appointment too. Further examination (I refuse to say further sniffing) included a faint aroma of singed fur. I started cackling out loud, much to Morris' dismay. I had a burned kitty in my car! He's fine, it's all part of the laser beam, but I still thought it was amusing.

Morris has full run of the basement now. For the most part, he chooses to sleep on the pillow I put back in his crate. He has let me approach him without running away several times, though I do get the obligatory hiss. Last night, I was able to get near him and pet him lots, no hiss and no instant running away! For anyone who has dealt with a feral, semi-feral or distrustful cat, this is HUGE!!!! He's also starting to seek affection from my resident queen, Neko, which she happily provides. She's the cat that smooths everything over, so to have her on board and have him seek her out is very very helpful. Neko, affectionately known as "Meatball" (thank you O'Neil - Lemke family), was a semi-feral kitty herself who now loves being in your lap and letting you know how much she loves you. She has helped me tame many a cat, so I'm hopeful that she will be a guiding force for Morris in this transition.

So exciting!! Hopefully, I'll have new pictures and video soon!

Well, look whose walking!

Morris had his first therapy session today. I was crunched for time and almost literally threw his crate on the counter, shouted ".15 of buprenex" and ran out the door. Later, I called to make sure they had all the stats on Morris and apologized for my haste. I will say as soon as I set his crate on the counter, Morris came to the front of the crate to greet the receptionist. What the?!?! Clearly, Morris has forgotten which side his bread is buttered on. I picked up the pieces of my tattered pride and reveled in the fact that he felt comfortable enough to be curious.

By the vet's account, Morris did very well. He was even better behaved than the personal kitty someone dropped off. BONUS! The vet was very impressed with his mobility and took video of everything she did. As soon as I get that link, I'll post it.

I came home tonight and gave Morris his freedom, after his pain medication dosage. Morris was very excited! He explored the entire basement and reaquaint himself with the rest of the kitties. His mobility is incredible. 10 days post op and he's walking WAY better than he did before the surgery. He is standing, which he wasn't doing before, and walking instead of running everywhere. Really, the difference is indescribable. For him to get as far as he did in as much pain as he was experiencing, the difference is just breathtaking. PLUS! He doesn't run when I approach to pet him and actually allows me to pet him. I think we've turned a corner. Until the next time I have to give him meds, anyway. ;-)