I'm still having bandwidth issues after the move to the new RV site, so I can't post pictures. BUT we can all have a laugh, because instead of posting pictures, I'm posting a link - to when we first rescued Lazlo, our first indoor-only rescue baby boy. Man-oh-man did we know NOTHING about cats! 
As anyone on a desktop can see, I joined TCS in June of 2002. My first thread was in the ferals forum, June 28. Our dilemma? Feral kittens had turned up in the yard. We'd been caring for a stray, Booger (I first called her Rocki on the forums because I didn't think "Booger" was a name people who loved cats so much would appreciate. ) for a year - but she preferred the outdoors.
As soon as we were aware of the kittens and mum, we started feeding them. As the vet declared Lazlo to be 8 or 9 weeks old when we brought him inside, the kittens must have been 4 or 5 weeks old when we started putting out food for the family. Mom (not Booger! We'd taken her to be spayed over the winter so there wouldn't be kittens, and discovered she already was spayed) had chosen an unused groundhog den in the woods behind our home as her nest. She launched our TNR work, and ultimately 4 of those 5 kittens wound up living inside with us (in order after Lazlo: Sheldon, Spooky, then Tuxedo). Laz is a brown mackerel tabby; Spooky is a McTorbie (Tortoiseshell Mackerel Tabby); Shel and Tux are B&W tuxedo kitties. One of the vet techs adopted the other kitty, a long haired red tabby. (Where did THAT come from? :lol3: We've never TNRd a long haired cat here. Julius has been the only long-haired cat in 11 years of TNR. :dk: ).
Well, on the 4th of July, the family disappeared, leaving Lazlo behind. I'm sure they left him because he was a noisy kitten. Mom never was able to teach him to be quiet. He cried outside for 2 days, and at the encouragement of TCS members helping me, we brought him in and adopted him.
The kittens were so cute, we had trouble thinking of any of them as males. :dk: :lol3: Turns out four of the five were male.
The beginning of our odyssey: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/9471/scared-cat-what-do-we-do
So why is 11 years a milestone? Because at the end of this month, two years ago, Lazlo was diagnosed with cancer. He had a "massive mass" in his stomach. Biopsy determined it was large cell lymphoma. He had lost a lot of weight in the month it took to diagnose him properly, and the mass was so large and so fused into the lining of his stomach wall that his only option was chemotherapy or palliative care. With palliative care, he was given maybe four weeks to live.
We had to at least give chemo a try. And thank goodness we did. We feel so very, very fortunate that he responded so well to the treatments. There were ups and downs, but overall, he just felt better and better. He began treatments within days of the diagnosis. His last treatment was January of 2012. I was terrified of the ultrasound in February. I nearly crushed our vet (she's a wee thing!) to death with the hug she got when she came out to announce his cancer was in complete remission. The entire vet staff was whooping and hollering.
Happy 11th Gotcha Day, Lazlo!
arty4:
As anyone on a desktop can see, I joined TCS in June of 2002. My first thread was in the ferals forum, June 28. Our dilemma? Feral kittens had turned up in the yard. We'd been caring for a stray, Booger (I first called her Rocki on the forums because I didn't think "Booger" was a name people who loved cats so much would appreciate.
) for a year - but she preferred the outdoors. As soon as we were aware of the kittens and mum, we started feeding them. As the vet declared Lazlo to be 8 or 9 weeks old when we brought him inside, the kittens must have been 4 or 5 weeks old when we started putting out food for the family. Mom (not Booger! We'd taken her to be spayed over the winter so there wouldn't be kittens, and discovered she already was spayed) had chosen an unused groundhog den in the woods behind our home as her nest. She launched our TNR work, and ultimately 4 of those 5 kittens wound up living inside with us (in order after Lazlo: Sheldon, Spooky, then Tuxedo). Laz is a brown mackerel tabby; Spooky is a McTorbie (Tortoiseshell Mackerel Tabby); Shel and Tux are B&W tuxedo kitties. One of the vet techs adopted the other kitty, a long haired red tabby. (Where did THAT come from? :lol3: We've never TNRd a long haired cat here. Julius has been the only long-haired cat in 11 years of TNR. :dk: ).
Well, on the 4th of July, the family disappeared, leaving Lazlo behind. I'm sure they left him because he was a noisy kitten. Mom never was able to teach him to be quiet. He cried outside for 2 days, and at the encouragement of TCS members helping me, we brought him in and adopted him.
The kittens were so cute, we had trouble thinking of any of them as males. :dk: :lol3: Turns out four of the five were male. The beginning of our odyssey: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/9471/scared-cat-what-do-we-do
So why is 11 years a milestone? Because at the end of this month, two years ago, Lazlo was diagnosed with cancer. He had a "massive mass" in his stomach. Biopsy determined it was large cell lymphoma. He had lost a lot of weight in the month it took to diagnose him properly, and the mass was so large and so fused into the lining of his stomach wall that his only option was chemotherapy or palliative care. With palliative care, he was given maybe four weeks to live.
We had to at least give chemo a try. And thank goodness we did. We feel so very, very fortunate that he responded so well to the treatments. There were ups and downs, but overall, he just felt better and better. He began treatments within days of the diagnosis. His last treatment was January of 2012. I was terrified of the ultrasound in February. I nearly crushed our vet (she's a wee thing!) to death with the hug she got when she came out to announce his cancer was in complete remission. The entire vet staff was whooping and hollering.
Happy 11th Gotcha Day, Lazlo!
arty4:
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, AND STUPENDOUS journey you have been on AND will continue to be on for as many years as life has in store (and I am sure there are many, many more to come - MANY MANY MORE MILESTONES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) :heart2: :sun: 
I am WHOOPING and HOLLERING too over Lazlo's miraculous turnaround.... CAN YOU HEAR ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
:high5:
