- Joined
- Oct 23, 2021
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I live under the same roof with my mother and my daughter. I came to live with my mother a few years after being widowed and my daughter joined us later, as she is trying to down-pay debts and needed to off-load the burden of rent. We all have our own cats.
But about four years ago, my dad found a cat on his garage roof and showed her to me. She was trying to fit in the shade of the eves of the main roof, but the lean-to shed roof she was on was a tin roof. In mid-July the sun was mercilessly hot.
She was a small, long haired calico, but most of her fur had fallen out. She was that cat that you would describe as "looking like she had been pulled through a knot-hole in a fence". I had a flash of intuition that said in a booming voice, "Oh! She's in a bad way!" and I instantly flung out my hand and patted the roof, inviting her to come to me. She instantly came to me and let me take her. She clung to me as though she was afraid of being dropped, so I cuddled her close while carefully picking her nails out of my shoulders and arms. She was full of scabs and fleas.
We immediately treated her for fleas and made a place for her on the front porch until the fleas fell away. We fed her carefully not knowing if her bony body was the result of being starved or from the flea infestation. We didn't know her age. We weren't sure she was going to survive. She really was in a bad way, but her spirits were very good. She was interested in getting to know us and was very hungry.
Even though we knew what to do to pull this kitty through her crisis, and successfully brought her from the brink and fattened her up a little; we really should have made a visit to the vet as a first step of bringing this kitty into our home. Even if for an establishing health exam, we should have introduced her to our vet.
Then along came the CO-Vid pandemic. Vet clinics at first refused to see patients and when they began seeing patients again, they were overwhelmed. Many pet owners were having their pets euthanized. Perhaps it was out of fear that pets could spread the virus, or fear that in case of their own demise by CO-Vid, their pets would be left alone in an uncertain world. And perhaps ailing pets having not had access to care, were just collapsing. Whatever the reasons, the vets were full of appointments and began not taking any new patients. Three years later and our vet is still not taking new patients. Since we haven't taken any of our cats to our vets since 2019, we would be considered new patients again.
So, rules have changed in a few years as far as our clinic goes. Before CO-Vid, our clinic didn't care how long it had been since they saw us. Now not only do they care about that, but also trying to get appointments over these past three years for our kitties they have refused us for not being current with rabies shots - even on indoor cats, which they previously did not require at all. Rules have changed and they seem to be aiming at keeping us out.
We named that cat Harley, because her calico markings contrasts her face right down the middle of her nose; with a golden brown on one side and a dusky grey on the other. We think she is hard of hearing because she doesn't hear food being opened to come running like the other cats - but as soon as the scent hits her nose, it goes up in the air and she follows the smell of food and then she joins the group for dinner. Yet for some sudden sharp noises, like the neighbor shutting his car door, her head might snap around. But the other cats will focus in one direction in accord, she will be about 45 degrees off. We do call to her, but we also thump the floor with our foot to get her attention.
Lately, she is losing weight, she is bony again. She is going to the litter tray less and less but goes where she shouldn't; she used to not need one but always went outdoors. And very recently she has developed a very horrible grind in her teeth when she eats. I've looked up the problem and while a cause isn't very specific, all sites say the same - she is in terrible pain.
My mother has become determined not surrender or euthanize Harley. She has claimed Harley her for her own. We have covered the living room arm chair with plastic and bedding for her. She sleeps, eats and toilets there. I'm changing her bedding every two hours. I insist she's peeing more than a cat should. My mother doesn't acknowlege my work (my mother has a slight dementia), I'm up all night she's up all day to take care of Harley. She doesn't believe me. She doesn't believe Harley is an old cat, that she is experiencing renal failure, tooth reabsorption, and is need of veterinary care. All these issues with my mom would be resolved with the validating determination by a vet. And hey - I could be wrong about some of these things. But after going through many different end of life scenarios with my kitties over the decades - it really looks like her kidneys are failing.
I'm just having a real hard time. The vet won't see her, they put her on a waiting list. They don't care this is end care or that she is a rescue of only four years ago. We are just unable to get any services to help her tooth and make her comfortable as she convalesces and soils the arm chair.
The Animal Humane Society offers end of life services (euthanasia) at reduced cost, with familiy member attending, which we'll be availing ourselves of. You can look up more of these services on their website. I'm sure my mother is going to hate me for it. A vet would be very helpful to me right now to reassure my mother that I'm not all about killing her cat (she has this idea that I'm just trying to kill her cat), but that Harley is in need of care and I also need to know if I am doing the right thing or am I misreading something.
So, my tale of caution to anyone who is taking in rescues would be this:
Stay in touch with your vet,
stay informed of the requirements for continued services,
If your vet refuses you a request for an appointment to treat your pet and sends you looking for another vet; ask them to make a note of it in your pet's medical records. If your vet keeps refusing to see you, they can then claim they haven't seen you in such a long time that you are no longer a client
Keep your pet vaccinated for rabies. It seems to be required now to have your pet continue to be a patient.
I hope you have a better vet than I do.
If you can't afford to have all pets vaccinated, or have indoor pets that shouldn't need that vaccine, try getting one pet vaccinated (or as many as you can) and choose the pet who is most likely to need to see the vet next. Having one pet, the most likely pet, with a paw in the door may hold the door open a little for your other pets. Maybe! This is my suggestion and it's not a professional one. Times have become deparate around my area.
Free vaccinations are available in limited quantities through AHS and goes by per household and involve standing in long lines, for one day between restrictive hours. We're not likely to run 7 cats to the free vaccs. We might get three in if we have that day free to do it.
The world is turning harder against people with limited means who have pets without pedigree. We won't be taking in any more rescues. If I find kitties like Harley that need care, they won't be entering into my front door, but I will bring them straight to the shelter. Although things have changed for the better at our local shelter (they've expanded their space and become a no-kill shelter), I'm still unsure that there's any gurantee that an abandoned kitty like Harley would be sheltered and rehomed and not sent to another shelter to be euthanized in the state that she was four years ago when we first found her.
It has helped that people in our neighborhood who let their cats have kittens then kicked the batches out onto the street, have moved away. There are fewer abandoned and feral kitties coming to our door, and that's a good thing. I just hate surrendering unadoptable pets. But I can't stand that our vet is now refusing all of our pets since they have started to turn us away during the epidemic and now claim that they haven't seen us in three years.
In any case, things might be playing out differently now had we taken her straight to our vet.
But about four years ago, my dad found a cat on his garage roof and showed her to me. She was trying to fit in the shade of the eves of the main roof, but the lean-to shed roof she was on was a tin roof. In mid-July the sun was mercilessly hot.
She was a small, long haired calico, but most of her fur had fallen out. She was that cat that you would describe as "looking like she had been pulled through a knot-hole in a fence". I had a flash of intuition that said in a booming voice, "Oh! She's in a bad way!" and I instantly flung out my hand and patted the roof, inviting her to come to me. She instantly came to me and let me take her. She clung to me as though she was afraid of being dropped, so I cuddled her close while carefully picking her nails out of my shoulders and arms. She was full of scabs and fleas.
We immediately treated her for fleas and made a place for her on the front porch until the fleas fell away. We fed her carefully not knowing if her bony body was the result of being starved or from the flea infestation. We didn't know her age. We weren't sure she was going to survive. She really was in a bad way, but her spirits were very good. She was interested in getting to know us and was very hungry.
Even though we knew what to do to pull this kitty through her crisis, and successfully brought her from the brink and fattened her up a little; we really should have made a visit to the vet as a first step of bringing this kitty into our home. Even if for an establishing health exam, we should have introduced her to our vet.
Then along came the CO-Vid pandemic. Vet clinics at first refused to see patients and when they began seeing patients again, they were overwhelmed. Many pet owners were having their pets euthanized. Perhaps it was out of fear that pets could spread the virus, or fear that in case of their own demise by CO-Vid, their pets would be left alone in an uncertain world. And perhaps ailing pets having not had access to care, were just collapsing. Whatever the reasons, the vets were full of appointments and began not taking any new patients. Three years later and our vet is still not taking new patients. Since we haven't taken any of our cats to our vets since 2019, we would be considered new patients again.
So, rules have changed in a few years as far as our clinic goes. Before CO-Vid, our clinic didn't care how long it had been since they saw us. Now not only do they care about that, but also trying to get appointments over these past three years for our kitties they have refused us for not being current with rabies shots - even on indoor cats, which they previously did not require at all. Rules have changed and they seem to be aiming at keeping us out.
We named that cat Harley, because her calico markings contrasts her face right down the middle of her nose; with a golden brown on one side and a dusky grey on the other. We think she is hard of hearing because she doesn't hear food being opened to come running like the other cats - but as soon as the scent hits her nose, it goes up in the air and she follows the smell of food and then she joins the group for dinner. Yet for some sudden sharp noises, like the neighbor shutting his car door, her head might snap around. But the other cats will focus in one direction in accord, she will be about 45 degrees off. We do call to her, but we also thump the floor with our foot to get her attention.
Lately, she is losing weight, she is bony again. She is going to the litter tray less and less but goes where she shouldn't; she used to not need one but always went outdoors. And very recently she has developed a very horrible grind in her teeth when she eats. I've looked up the problem and while a cause isn't very specific, all sites say the same - she is in terrible pain.
My mother has become determined not surrender or euthanize Harley. She has claimed Harley her for her own. We have covered the living room arm chair with plastic and bedding for her. She sleeps, eats and toilets there. I'm changing her bedding every two hours. I insist she's peeing more than a cat should. My mother doesn't acknowlege my work (my mother has a slight dementia), I'm up all night she's up all day to take care of Harley. She doesn't believe me. She doesn't believe Harley is an old cat, that she is experiencing renal failure, tooth reabsorption, and is need of veterinary care. All these issues with my mom would be resolved with the validating determination by a vet. And hey - I could be wrong about some of these things. But after going through many different end of life scenarios with my kitties over the decades - it really looks like her kidneys are failing.
I'm just having a real hard time. The vet won't see her, they put her on a waiting list. They don't care this is end care or that she is a rescue of only four years ago. We are just unable to get any services to help her tooth and make her comfortable as she convalesces and soils the arm chair.
The Animal Humane Society offers end of life services (euthanasia) at reduced cost, with familiy member attending, which we'll be availing ourselves of. You can look up more of these services on their website. I'm sure my mother is going to hate me for it. A vet would be very helpful to me right now to reassure my mother that I'm not all about killing her cat (she has this idea that I'm just trying to kill her cat), but that Harley is in need of care and I also need to know if I am doing the right thing or am I misreading something.
So, my tale of caution to anyone who is taking in rescues would be this:
Stay in touch with your vet,
stay informed of the requirements for continued services,
If your vet refuses you a request for an appointment to treat your pet and sends you looking for another vet; ask them to make a note of it in your pet's medical records. If your vet keeps refusing to see you, they can then claim they haven't seen you in such a long time that you are no longer a client
Keep your pet vaccinated for rabies. It seems to be required now to have your pet continue to be a patient.
I hope you have a better vet than I do.
If you can't afford to have all pets vaccinated, or have indoor pets that shouldn't need that vaccine, try getting one pet vaccinated (or as many as you can) and choose the pet who is most likely to need to see the vet next. Having one pet, the most likely pet, with a paw in the door may hold the door open a little for your other pets. Maybe! This is my suggestion and it's not a professional one. Times have become deparate around my area.
Free vaccinations are available in limited quantities through AHS and goes by per household and involve standing in long lines, for one day between restrictive hours. We're not likely to run 7 cats to the free vaccs. We might get three in if we have that day free to do it.
The world is turning harder against people with limited means who have pets without pedigree. We won't be taking in any more rescues. If I find kitties like Harley that need care, they won't be entering into my front door, but I will bring them straight to the shelter. Although things have changed for the better at our local shelter (they've expanded their space and become a no-kill shelter), I'm still unsure that there's any gurantee that an abandoned kitty like Harley would be sheltered and rehomed and not sent to another shelter to be euthanized in the state that she was four years ago when we first found her.
It has helped that people in our neighborhood who let their cats have kittens then kicked the batches out onto the street, have moved away. There are fewer abandoned and feral kitties coming to our door, and that's a good thing. I just hate surrendering unadoptable pets. But I can't stand that our vet is now refusing all of our pets since they have started to turn us away during the epidemic and now claim that they haven't seen us in three years.
In any case, things might be playing out differently now had we taken her straight to our vet.
