There's a lengthy thread about Dorothy somewhere, but the slightly condensed version is:
A neighbor asked me for help with a stray kitty stuck on a roof for three days... five firemen (!!!) got her down, but she ran off, then took up residence under my car and in a storm drain, poor girl.
I befriended her and found she was declawed
... built a shelter for her in our securely fenced backyard where she stayed happily for a month while I waited, hoping her cruel, declawing owner would not come forward... and finally the shelter where I volunteer found room for her.
A woman named Sherry saw Dorothy at the shelter and asked to adopt her as soon as she became available... but everything went haywire. They opened Dorothy up to spay her only to find she had already been spayed... she developed an infection and very high fever after the surgery... also picked up a URI... and although she had been fine in our yard, she must have gotten injured at the shelter, because suddenly she was limping on one back leg.
The shelter then told Sherry she couldn't have Dorothy after all! By this time, I'd talked to Sherry on the phone quite a bit, and I felt sure she would be a wonderful mom to Dorothy, so I really wanted the adoption to go through. There was great evasion, confusion, and frustration -- and finally I was told they didn't want to let Dorothy be adopted because of her limp.
Sherry and I both reassured them that proper vet care would be provided, but they told us if Dorothy had started treatment with one vet, no other vet would be willing to continue it for some kind of legal reason... it was just absurd, and all this time, Dorothy was stuck in a very small cage in a big noisy room 24 hours a day, and I was so afraid that the fear and pain and confinement would ruin her sweet, gentle nature.
I finally got assertive and had a major serious talk with one of the directors at the shelter. I didn't exactly pitch a fit, but I started out forceful and ended up teary-eyed -- and the next day, they told Sherry she could have Dorothy after all!
So I met Sherry there, we talked at length, and I had a chance to say goodbye to Dorothy... which was difficult, because she's just the sweetest, most loving little girl.
But it was not the last goodbye! Sherry has been great, keeping in touch by email to let me know how things were going. She took Dorothy to her vet, who discovered that an injury with arthritis in her right back foot was causing the limp. He prescribed an anti-inflammatory and a pain med, which immediately improved things for Dorothy.
Sherry had the vet send Dorothy's X-rays to a surgeon to see if there was anything that could be done to repair the damage to her foot, and an appointment with the surgeon is scheduled this coming week. Sherry is taking just amazing care of this little girl!
But here's the best part: last weekend, Sherry had me down to visit! We had a wonderful time, a little wine, a little cheese... and it was so good to see Dorothy again! Her name is Zsa Zsa now, aka Z-squared, and I've been calling her ZZ Topp.
Her limp is hardly noticeable now, and she's achieved detente with Murray, too.
And our little girl is living in the lap of luxury! Sherry's downtown condo is like something out of Architectural Digest, sunny and cheerful, with plenty of space to run and play, multiple levels, lots of windows with downtown views... and Sherry is a wonderful, loving kittymom. So here are ZZ and Sherry, and also a shot of Murray:
We're planning a little outing to the recently-opened House of Blues next month, and Sherry kindly invited my mom to come along so she can come see ZZ again, too. So... three hot chicks on the town, some good rockin' blues... woohoo!
So there you go -- a very happy ending for my darlin' little rooftop girl!
A neighbor asked me for help with a stray kitty stuck on a roof for three days... five firemen (!!!) got her down, but she ran off, then took up residence under my car and in a storm drain, poor girl.
I befriended her and found she was declawed
A woman named Sherry saw Dorothy at the shelter and asked to adopt her as soon as she became available... but everything went haywire. They opened Dorothy up to spay her only to find she had already been spayed... she developed an infection and very high fever after the surgery... also picked up a URI... and although she had been fine in our yard, she must have gotten injured at the shelter, because suddenly she was limping on one back leg.
The shelter then told Sherry she couldn't have Dorothy after all! By this time, I'd talked to Sherry on the phone quite a bit, and I felt sure she would be a wonderful mom to Dorothy, so I really wanted the adoption to go through. There was great evasion, confusion, and frustration -- and finally I was told they didn't want to let Dorothy be adopted because of her limp.
Sherry and I both reassured them that proper vet care would be provided, but they told us if Dorothy had started treatment with one vet, no other vet would be willing to continue it for some kind of legal reason... it was just absurd, and all this time, Dorothy was stuck in a very small cage in a big noisy room 24 hours a day, and I was so afraid that the fear and pain and confinement would ruin her sweet, gentle nature.
I finally got assertive and had a major serious talk with one of the directors at the shelter. I didn't exactly pitch a fit, but I started out forceful and ended up teary-eyed -- and the next day, they told Sherry she could have Dorothy after all!
So I met Sherry there, we talked at length, and I had a chance to say goodbye to Dorothy... which was difficult, because she's just the sweetest, most loving little girl.
But it was not the last goodbye! Sherry has been great, keeping in touch by email to let me know how things were going. She took Dorothy to her vet, who discovered that an injury with arthritis in her right back foot was causing the limp. He prescribed an anti-inflammatory and a pain med, which immediately improved things for Dorothy.
Sherry had the vet send Dorothy's X-rays to a surgeon to see if there was anything that could be done to repair the damage to her foot, and an appointment with the surgeon is scheduled this coming week. Sherry is taking just amazing care of this little girl!
But here's the best part: last weekend, Sherry had me down to visit! We had a wonderful time, a little wine, a little cheese... and it was so good to see Dorothy again! Her name is Zsa Zsa now, aka Z-squared, and I've been calling her ZZ Topp.
And our little girl is living in the lap of luxury! Sherry's downtown condo is like something out of Architectural Digest, sunny and cheerful, with plenty of space to run and play, multiple levels, lots of windows with downtown views... and Sherry is a wonderful, loving kittymom. So here are ZZ and Sherry, and also a shot of Murray:
We're planning a little outing to the recently-opened House of Blues next month, and Sherry kindly invited my mom to come along so she can come see ZZ again, too. So... three hot chicks on the town, some good rockin' blues... woohoo!
So there you go -- a very happy ending for my darlin' little rooftop girl!
