Saturday, December 5, 2015

Mixed Kitty News and Hard Decisions

Well folks, I have very mixed news to report.

First of all, I was able to get Little Gray into a carrying case so he could go to the clinic with the rest of the family.

Sweet Little Gray

It turned out that without the other cats to hang out with, he suddenly got a lot friendlier and started following me around in the yard. So I spent about an hour outside playing with him and we started to have some pretty amazing breakthroughs.

He started acting like he wanted to snuzzle, but was too scared, so I decided to "pet" him with the stick that we were using as a toy. He arched his little back and started purring and even let me pet him a little bit with my hands. When it was time for me to go inside he sat at the door crying and it was breaking my heart.

Then I got the idea to take a towel that his sister had slept on the night before and put it in a carrying case to see if maybe her scent would make him less afraid.

Little Gray loves his sister

I was thinking it would take days or weeks to get him to come up to the carrier after that nasty mishap with the trap, but it only took me about 10 minutes of playing with him to get him to come look in the door, and once he smelled Little Blackie on the towel, he started kneeding it and purring.

From there, all I had to do was get him to follow his little stick toy into the carrying case and voila!

So that's the good news....

The bad news is that my poor sweet Gray Boy tested positive for both FIV and FeLV.


I'm very sad, but also not terribly surprised - I just had a feeling that was how it was gonna go, but I'm super bummed that it wasn't just FIV but FeLV too.

Anyhow, I spent a good deal of yesterday and this morning doing research and talking to various experts, and everything I learned about FeLV was pretty grim. Even most of the "no kill" shelters in town euthanize FeLV positive cats because apparently it's just too contagious and too painful of an end for the cats otherwise.

So, based on all of that, I made the very hard decision to have him put down. It just didn't seem fair to him to set him up for a horrible end - especially knowing that if he did need medical care or euthanasia in the future it would be darned near impossible to trap him again. And it didn't seem fair to put so many other cats at risk - both the other cats in the neighborhood and my indoor kitties, Smoky and Jasper. (I know the chances of them getting infected by him would be minimal, but honestly, I was just starting to feel afraid to even pet them for fear that I might have a bit of virus on me and inadvertently infect them.)

My Sweet Gray Boy... I wish I could have done more for you


On the good news front, all of the kittens tested negative. BTW - they were pretty sure that Gray Girl was a litter mate of the other two. AND... get this, she was already in heat! So thank heavens we got to her in time before the situation multiplied any further so to speak!

Gray Girl getting some kisses

But that's not the end of the hard decisions (though much easier than the decision about Gray Boy). Because the kittens have all been exposed to FeLV, there is still a chance that they could be incubating the virus. So if I were to try to adopt them, they would need to be kept totally separate from Jasper and Smoky for 60 days, and I would have to treat the situation as if they were infected.

Based on how difficult it was for me (both logistically and emotionally) just having potentially infected cats in the basement for a few days, I honestly just didn't think that I had it in me. Constantly having to worry about changing clothes, washing hands, making sure I wasn't putting Smoky & Jasper at risk, and then finding the time to work with each kitten individually to make sure they got properly socialized... well, it just felt overwhelming.

Plus... working with them for two months, there's no way I wouldn't get completely and totally attached. And then if it ended up that they did indeed have FeLV and had to be put down, I would be utterly heartbroken to a degree that I'm just not sure I'm prepared to deal with.


So I made the decision to put them into the adoption program where they have the facilities to safely keep them apart from other cats until they are medically cleared, and also the staff and volunteers to continue to work with them one on one until they are ready to find forever homes.

It's a great program full of volunteers, professional animal behaviorists, even foster families who can give them all the attention that they need and deserve. And they will continue to work with them until they find homes - there's no time limit. The only situations where they euthanize are for health reasons (like if they did end up with FeLV) or if they were to become violent and dangerous to people - and I can't see that happening.

I'm confident that the Gray Girl and Little Blackie will be easy to adopt (assuming the FeLV thing works out OK). And based on how quickly Little Gray started to come around once he was without other cats to rely on, I'm pretty sure he'll tame up quickly too with a little bit of work. And if they simply can't get Little Gray tame enough to adopt as a house cat, they also have a barn cat program where he can go live on an actual farm and be cared for as a "working cat".


I feel some sadness about this whole situation, but honestly, I also feel a great deal of relief. As sweet as all of them were, the amount of time and energy this whole little project was starting to take was... well, I was starting to feel like it was taking over my entire life - my life that I only just got back after a year of nursing Princess 24/7. And given my little melt down the other day, I think it's clear that for the sake of my own sanity, I need to get out of "kitty crisis land" for a while.

Plus... poor little Jasper and Smoky were being totally neglected, and they only just started to get some real full time attention after years of my attention being dominated by caring for Sputty and then Princess.

Sooo... now begins the great clean out - tossing or disinfecting anything that they came into contact with. I already tore down the outdoor shelters because I really don't want any more cats taking up residence there. The ally cat folks said they'd be thrilled to take them - and I think they'll get a bunch of food out of the deal too.

The way the adoption program works, you have to surrender the cats completely, so I'll never know the fates of the three kittens. I can only hope that it all works out well for them. At least I'm confident that they are in good hands and have the best possible chance of getting a good forever home.

OK... I think I'm gonna go have a nice cry now. Sigh.







30 comments :

  1. Very sad about Gray Boy (I had a little cry) but I suppose at least he gave his kittens a great chance at life.

    It sounds like giving the kittens up was the best plan- the worry about them will be shared between many people, rather than just you. Hopefully no more kitty stress for you for a long while!
    Hope you're ok and Jasper and Smoky are giving you lots of cuddles.

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    1. Gray Boy was a wonderful daddy, and those kittens are his legacy. I don't know if they'll make it or not - I certainly hope so, but one thing's for sure, they wouldn't have made it this far without him caring for them. Sigh.

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  2. You did what was right no matter how hard it was (including their care). You are to be admired greatly for that. Now I'm hoping for lots of down time for you with purring cats on your lap and Catman beside you while you are watching movies.

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    1. Thanks so much, I really appreciate your support.

      Down time would be very much welcomed at this point. I got the first real night's sleep in about a month last night - not having to wake up at the crack of dawn worried about hungry kitties in my backyard. Still much cleaning to do, but I'm looking forward to being an unrepentant football fan today! :-)

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  3. I'm so sorry about Gray Boy. It's never easy to decide to put a sick kitty down, but given the circumstances, it was the best decision. I wish you could have kept the kittens, but at least there is a strong, caring network available for them. Cuddle your Jasper and Smoky lots; it will help ease your sorrow. Hang in there!

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    1. Thanks Linda, part of me wishes I could have kept the kittens, and part of me is grateful that I didn't. I mean, after Princess died, I was pretty firm that I didn't want any more cats - especially any more "project cats" - I just wanted to be in a more normal situation and enjoy Jasper & Smoky. Then the kittens appeared, and well, you know the rest.

      But, the folks at the feral cat place got a grant and will soon be doing massive and coordinated TNR program in this area, which apparently is the city "hot spot" for feral cats - no wonder they're always showing up at my house! This is wonderful and welcome news, and hopefully will cut down on the number of "project cats" arriving on my doorstep! :-)

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  4. Oh I'm sending so much love your way! I'm sure you Googled and maybe they didn't have the space, but I did find a rescue in Denver that takes FELV cats: http://rmfr-colorado.org/. In Austin, we have two rescues that have FELV sanctuaries, which is great. One is the rescue I foster with, which is so nice because they allow them to be adopted out, but also offer sanctuary for the duration their lives. I hate that you had to make such a heart breaking decision! It's hard too because sometimes there are false positives. My brother used to work at a vet and adopted a cat that had FELV. They then got another FELV kitten. The kitten had to be put down less than a year late due to the effects of FELV. But when they got Nell (the older cat) re-tested, she was negative...even with being around a positive kitten for almost a year. Just wanted to share some hope in case you come around that situation again. Thank you for helping these kitties!!!!

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    1. Thanks Megyn. I did speak with the folks at rmfr (Rocky Mountain Feline Rescue.) They consider FeLV cats on a case by case basis, and since Gray Boy was, for all intense and purposes, feral, they wouldn't take him. There are 4 other smaller shelters in town who have some FeLV cats, but they were all full and also wouldn't consider taking a cat who wasn't fully socialized.

      They (RMFR) said they'd consider taking the kittens, but only after their status was clear - meaning that I'd have to foster and socialize them for 60 days, then re-test them. Then RMFR would evaluate each one individually and maybe take them, maybe not - depending on space and the cat's personality. They are a no cage shelter, so they will only take cats that they believe will integrate well with the other cats at the shelter, so that policy makes sense, but it just wasn't a situation that I was comfortable putting myself in.

      As for re-testing at a later date. If Gray Boy had been a pet, rather than a feral, I definitely would have done that. But since he wasn't handle-able, and there would be no practical way to isolate him for a period of time before re-testing... and since re-testing would have involved re-trapping, which would have been darned near impossible, there was just no way to make that happen.

      Poor sweet, beautiful Gray Boy.

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  5. Hard decisions ... but I think you made wise decisions. Now you need to nurture yourself for awhile.

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    1. Thanks Kris, I am really looking forward to having some time to focus on myself for a change! :-)

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  6. You did the best for all the cats. An unaltered male cat is the most likely to have leukemia, due to fighting, as you know. The others will hopefully not convert, and you are giving them all the best chance to have a life where they can be adopted and live healthy, long lives.

    A good way for you to stay involved, if you would like, might be as a foster, especially for kittens or a nursing mama. You know those babies will have a place to go as soon as they are old enough, and they will have been tested already. Also, if they are healthy and not bottle-feeders they really don't take up that much of your time. I've also found that my 5 adult cats are accepting of the kittens and pretty much just leave them alone.

    I've been fostering for several months now, and to me it is so rewarding. My specialty seems to have become kittens, especially those that need bottle-feeding. I am better made for the job than many of our other volunteers because I don't work outside of the home and can get up during the night to feed. Of course I get attached, because who wouldn't with an adorable fluffy kitten? But then I remind myself that if I keep one, that is one less that I am going to be able to take in the future. Right now kitten season is slowing down and I have no bottle feeders. I do have a spunky 12 week old grey tabby named Seth and a tiny little 6 week old black kitten named Raven. He came in healthy and will be ready to be adopted soon. Raven came in severely anemic due to flea infestation and doesn't have a lot of energy yet, but is learning to be a kitten thanks to Seth.

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    1. Thanks so much for your support. I had a bad feeling about Gray Boy from the very beginning, simply because he kept showing up with open wounds from fighting, so I was pretty sure he was a "high risk" cat. sigh.

      Anyhow, I might consider fostering at some point in the future once my life and my emotions calm down a bit, we'll see. It's just so hard for me because there is literally and endless parade of homeless cats in this neighborhood, so I'm constantly feeling tugged in the direction of caring for them. Apparently my neighborhood is just infested with ferals - and I'm pretty sure that someone at the end of the block is feeding but not fixing.

      When I did reconnaissance work trying to find out if Gray Boy or the kittens belonged to someone, everyone (neighbors, mail man, etc) pointed to one house. I spoke with the woman there (in Spanish - so I hope we were communicating) and even though there were literally 5 cats that paraded through the yard during the course of our 5 minute conversation, she insisted that she didn't know anything about them. I suppose it's possible that the person feeding them lives behind her...

      Anyhow, the feral cat group is going to do a TNR dragnet in this general area, so I may try to get them to do some outreach and see if they can work with whoever it is that's feeding them. I think that would help the situation considerably.

      At any rate, it would be really nice if I could get to a place where my kitty obligations came as a result of a conscious decision on my part rather than because I'm being emotionally yanked around by kitty guilt, if you know what I mean.

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    2. Guilt! Yes, I completely know what you mean. I'm SO glad there is a TNR group where you live. Here in our rural area, people just call animal control and there is nowhere to put cats at the city facility, so they are euthanized. Our ACO also works at the humane society and is a fantastic person but can only do so much. At the humane society we do what we can if they are friendly or kittens, but when they are feral and people complain, she has to take them. I wish more people would understand that if you move the feral population out completely, you are just going to have more feral cats come in because there is no one there to protect that space. TNR is a very workable solution to that problem. Hang in there! You are making a difference!

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    3. Thanks so much. I sure hope the TNR folks can make a reasonable dent in this area. I admire them greatly, but I just don't seem to be able to maintain the emotional distance necessary to handle that sort of work. Maybe it's different if you go out each day and feed cats in a vacant lot or something, rather than having them all living in your backyard.

      Here in Denver, animal control won't come out and trap/catch cats. They only respond for reports of injured/disabled animals or something like that. That's probably a good thing because otherwise they would just all get euthanized.

      Anyhow, spending some time with the feral cat people has sorta changed my perspective on the issue. I mean, my emotional inclination is to try to move heaven and earth to care for each individual cat as the precious creatures that they are. But when you really start to grasp the scope of the problem (over 100,000 free roaming cats in Denver) you start to realize that making a dent requires a coordinated approach.

      I am hopeful though, because over the past 5-10 years there has been a decided shift in attitude. It used to be that most shelters here were basically just warehousing animals for a few days before destroying them. They would euthanize for space, and if you took a cat to a shelter they basically had 5 days before being destroyed. But recently the shelters started to realize that this approach was really self defeating because NOBODY with any sort of conscience would take an animal to a shelter. As a result, many people felt it was better to just abandon the animals to fend for themselves on the streets... which, of course, only made the problem worse.

      So now the shelters and rescue groups all work together, and they've invested heavily in socialization & behavior programs in an effort to better place animals in adoptive homes. Many of the shelters now run TNR programs of their own, and the barn cat program is also a great solution for cats who cannot be socialized enough to be house cats.

      Anyhow, it all makes me hopeful, and it's nice to feel like there are actually some resources out there where you can get meaningful help, because it used to be that the only choices were to do nothing, take it all on yourself, or take the cat to a shelter to be put down.

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  7. The right thing is sometimes the hardest thing, and I admire you so much for doing the right, hard thing. Your sweet Gray Boy couldn't have landed with a kinder, more compassionate human. May you rest easy over that difficult, honorable, humane decision. Sending you hugs and peace....and hopes for a nice lazy football day. xoxo

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    1. Thanks so much, Eliza, I really appreciate your kind words.

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  8. I am very sorry about Gray Boy, that is so sad that he tested Positive for both. I am sorry you had to make so many tough choices with these kitties, but everything was done with love. XO

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    1. Thanks so much - I just wish love didn't hurt so much.

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  9. Oh! poor little gray boy...he was beautiful, and you gave him love, and in the end that is all you can do.
    May the Goddess guard him;may he find his way to the Summerlands; may his sons and daughters grow strong.

    Take care of yourself and give some cuddles to Jasper and Smokey
    Marieann

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    1. OK... now you went and made me cry again. I sure hope those kittens get to have long and happy lives.

      I think I could really use some cuddles right about now.

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  10. You certainly did make the right decision, and I'm sorry for your sadness now. Yep, I can relate. Really a hopeful angle on all of this is the barn cat program and the coordinated TNR.

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    1. Thanks Stacey, I agree... they are both fabulous programs and I'm hopeful that they can make a difference. In the meantime, I'm sorta thinking that I'm not gonna be feeding any more outdoor kitties for a while. I took Jasper for a loooong overdue checkup today and he needs to have some teeth extracted, Oy!

      Anyhow, I'm feeling like I need to focus on my own little ones for a while now, and maybe a little bit on myself too.

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  11. You made the right call! Hope you're doing ok these days, all things considered.

    Maria

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    1. Thanks Maria, I'm doing better, and looking forward to a much calmer year (fingers crossed) on the kitty front!

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  12. I'm so sorry about Grey Boy but I think you did the right thing, allowing him to suffer later would have been so cruel plus you have also protected the rest of the neighborhood cats from contracting the diseases.

    I can't even imagine how hard it was for you to keep the cats in your home, give them attention while keeping them separate from Smoky and Jasper. The adoption program is a great alternative and I like that they also adopt out the cats that are too wild as barn cats. It's a shame you won't know what happened to them but for all involved you did the best for everyone, yourself included. Now give yourself a pat on the back for all you did for those cats.

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    1. Yes, keeping cats separated is a challenge. I had them fairly contained down in the basement (as in isolated to the bathroom or in cages, rather than running free down there) but even so, I've been scrubbing everything with bleach and Jasper & Smoky still haven't been allowed back down there.

      Anyhow, the experience did get me to thinking about how the basement is used, and I think I'm gonna rearrange some things and get rid of a bunch of junk while I have the opportunity. It's much easier to do that sort of thing with no kitties under foot!

      And I am still very sad about Gray Boy. Last night, Smoky went on alert running from window to window, which usually means that there's an animal of some sort in the yard. My first thought was "Oh, it's Gray Boy!" Then I remembered that he's gone, and had myself a nice long cry. I know it was the right thing to do, but it still hurt like hell. Heavy sigh.

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