Yes, we are circus and sideshow freaks but, we also love dem kitties! on 4/28/15, our kitty Dexter escaped the backyard. I was outside in the garden with the kitties and went inside for a few minutes. I went to the backyard to call them in for dinner and Dexter was the only one who did not come back in. Jacek and I made fliers, visited animal clinics and pounds for 9 days while calling for him and combing the neighborhood all hours of the day. I posted on Louisville Lost & Found on Facebook along with Kentuckiana Lost & Found. 400 fliers were printed and nearly all were posted and hand delivered door to door. The entire neighborhood knew who Dexter was. All of facebook even knew who he was with over 150 shares. I was grieving so hard and in so much fear that he was trapped somewhere or someone would never return him that I hardly ate or slept. While getting out of the car one day to check Louisville Metro Animal Services again, I nearly passed out. I had to stop and sit down while a worker brought me water. Jacek held onto me while my heart spilled out and I cried with grief. It was terribly painful to look all the animals in the eye and search their faces to make sure they weren't Dexter. We visited Kentucky Human Society every day as well. While on the hunt, I realized just how deep and wide the problem of stray animals, lost and found pets are in Louisville, KY. The problem was overwhelming and I could not take it on all by myself. There are people who work for no one but for the good of helping others by matching lost and found pets all over Kentucky.
Jacek walked the neighborhood and posted flyers with me everyday. At first it felt that the stress would tear us apart as a couple but I knew I had to watch my mood if I wanted help with finding Dexter. The focus and singleness of purpose brought us closer together. This is the poster we had everywhere before finding him.
Jacek walked the neighborhood and posted flyers with me everyday. At first it felt that the stress would tear us apart as a couple but I knew I had to watch my mood if I wanted help with finding Dexter. The focus and singleness of purpose brought us closer together. This is the poster we had everywhere before finding him.
Along the way, I found this guy two streets over begging for food on someone's porch. I was calling for Dexter and this guy came running up to me. Though, I did not want to pet him and even wanted to shew him away because he wasn't Dexter, I bent down to pet him anyway. He had a fresh, deep bloody gash in his ear and puss dripping off an open wound on his leg. His hair was all matted up. Even though I had pet him a day or two before and knew of his matted hair, I didn't notice his wounds. When I saw this, I grabbed him by the scruff and picked him to take him home. He ate a lot of food immediately! I posted him on the lost and found facebook pages with no luck in finding his human. A lady DID however private message me with a more direct number to an Alley Cats Advocate volunteer. Alley Cats still has the guy now and is stitching him up. He was an unaltered male that was so beat up and happy we decided to call him Bruce Willis aka Schrapnel. In every movie Bruce Willis is in, he gets his ass handed to him and still wins. We thought it was appropriate. There is a huge cat in the neighborhood that beats up on the other outdoor kitties relentlessly. I am sure they have had a run-in or two together. We are awaiting his return and he will be homed on farmland with my mom since he insists on being outside. Here he will have no competition for food and get lots of loving.
A few days later while putting up flyers one street over around 10:30 in the morning, Jacek found this kitty in someone's driveway. I looked across the street and saw her bobbing in place while sitting in the hot hot sun. I went over and took one look at her knowing she could die and scooped her up in my arms. We took her home immediately. She was severely underweight and had cognitive issues. She hardly fought to get out of my arms and was too weak to push or jump away. She couldn't meow and was covered in fleas. We had tons of dry food but I didn't trust she could handle it. Even though it is not advised to give a cat tuna, it was the only wet food we had. She nearly ate the whole can of tuna and drank lots of water. She had one diarrhea accident on a towel and after that has almost always used the litter.
I posted her also on the lost and found boards. I called Shamrock to reach a message that said they were not helping with cats right now ( I guess they were overwhelmed) so, I had given up on them. After Michelle from Shamrock saw the photos of this little one, she gave me a more direct number to call. Shamrock Foundation helped us get Casey, the itty bitty wonder kitty in to be seen at Grimes Animal Clinic the following day on 5/8/2015. The vet said she was anemic, gave us a small dose of Advantage since the fleas were stealing her blood, gave us antibiotics just in case and a blood builder. He did not want to move around too much as she was super fragile. She weighed just over 4 lbs. Most healthy adult cats weigh at least 8-9 lbs. Imagine being half the weight you are supposed to weigh through being trapped and starved! Over the next few days we took her into the garden where she would explore and frolic when she had the energy. The past two days, however, she had been suddenly lethargic without frolic. She protested when we picked her up in the yard. Today while Jacek was on a house painting job, I began to worry about her health even more. She wasn't drinking water and eating far less of her favorite food (chicken). I couldn't get into Grimes soon enough so I called Shamrock and drove toward an emergency vet. Michelle called me back to reroute me to Gailor. Casey was super happy about this vet. I could tell she liked her because she responded to Dr. Renck's voice with meows and purrs. We got even more medicine and some AD canned food from the vet. She is luckily Feline Leukemia and FIV free. She is not spayed nor microchipped. We are waiting on parasite results from the fecal check. She is still anemic, white blood cell count is high and could POSSIBLY have kidney disease. Her bowels are inflamed and is dehydrated. The vet gave Casey subcutaneous rehydration. The kitty messed on herself on the way home so, I gave her a good bath and hung out with her in the garden to dry from wind and towel. She all of a sudden started shaking and meowing loudly. We took her back inside where she insisted we stay in her company and hold her tight. We just moved her out of the bathroom into our bedroom where there is natural light and to be around us. She will have a lengthy recovery and we are all routing for her. When she is healthy enough, Shamrock will help get her spayed.
Friends have donated money to us, paper towels and cat food. We could use some regular towels as well since that is what she likes to sleep on and has messed on a few times. We are running out of our own personal towels. We are washing these kitty mess towels and keeping for kitty time.
We have paid part of the vet bills that we could afford. If you would like to help with the vet costs that Shamrock is helping us cover, you can either pay on the bill directly at Gailor Animal Hospital (Louisville, KY), pay on Shamrock's Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shamrock-Foundation/261789923833?fref=ts , pay on their website: www.shamrockpets.com or even mail in to Sharon Mayes 1446 Goddard Avenue 40204
I posted her also on the lost and found boards. I called Shamrock to reach a message that said they were not helping with cats right now ( I guess they were overwhelmed) so, I had given up on them. After Michelle from Shamrock saw the photos of this little one, she gave me a more direct number to call. Shamrock Foundation helped us get Casey, the itty bitty wonder kitty in to be seen at Grimes Animal Clinic the following day on 5/8/2015. The vet said she was anemic, gave us a small dose of Advantage since the fleas were stealing her blood, gave us antibiotics just in case and a blood builder. He did not want to move around too much as she was super fragile. She weighed just over 4 lbs. Most healthy adult cats weigh at least 8-9 lbs. Imagine being half the weight you are supposed to weigh through being trapped and starved! Over the next few days we took her into the garden where she would explore and frolic when she had the energy. The past two days, however, she had been suddenly lethargic without frolic. She protested when we picked her up in the yard. Today while Jacek was on a house painting job, I began to worry about her health even more. She wasn't drinking water and eating far less of her favorite food (chicken). I couldn't get into Grimes soon enough so I called Shamrock and drove toward an emergency vet. Michelle called me back to reroute me to Gailor. Casey was super happy about this vet. I could tell she liked her because she responded to Dr. Renck's voice with meows and purrs. We got even more medicine and some AD canned food from the vet. She is luckily Feline Leukemia and FIV free. She is not spayed nor microchipped. We are waiting on parasite results from the fecal check. She is still anemic, white blood cell count is high and could POSSIBLY have kidney disease. Her bowels are inflamed and is dehydrated. The vet gave Casey subcutaneous rehydration. The kitty messed on herself on the way home so, I gave her a good bath and hung out with her in the garden to dry from wind and towel. She all of a sudden started shaking and meowing loudly. We took her back inside where she insisted we stay in her company and hold her tight. We just moved her out of the bathroom into our bedroom where there is natural light and to be around us. She will have a lengthy recovery and we are all routing for her. When she is healthy enough, Shamrock will help get her spayed.
Friends have donated money to us, paper towels and cat food. We could use some regular towels as well since that is what she likes to sleep on and has messed on a few times. We are running out of our own personal towels. We are washing these kitty mess towels and keeping for kitty time.
We have paid part of the vet bills that we could afford. If you would like to help with the vet costs that Shamrock is helping us cover, you can either pay on the bill directly at Gailor Animal Hospital (Louisville, KY), pay on Shamrock's Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shamrock-Foundation/261789923833?fref=ts , pay on their website: www.shamrockpets.com or even mail in to Sharon Mayes 1446 Goddard Avenue 40204
Thanks to a tip from Michelle of Shamrock Foundation, we found our Dexter within five minutes of using her method. Remember, we searched and grieved for nine days. Then, following my gut as to where I kept thinking he would be and also basing it on a dream I had about Dexter, I went outside after dark with a flashlight and called for him. After dark with a flashlight- duh! The reflective eyes! After less than five minutes I found him stuck in between two fences rubbing and meowing at me. I had to grab him by the scruff through the chainlink fence up, up, and up to get him into my arms. He purred loudly and let me carry him all the way home... 3 doors down from our house. I kept getting the feeling at times that he had been watching me through the bushes while we called for him. Jacek didn't think he was far away either. We may have been right.
So, if you are ever missing your pet- flashlight at night and look where you have a feeling your pet will be!
This adventure has inspired us to do many things such as:
walking every day to save stray kitties
this blog
do more circus and sideshows to benefit animal rescuers
not argue about the small stuff
and a tour for the animals!
So, if you are ever missing your pet- flashlight at night and look where you have a feeling your pet will be!
This adventure has inspired us to do many things such as:
walking every day to save stray kitties
this blog
do more circus and sideshows to benefit animal rescuers
not argue about the small stuff
and a tour for the animals!
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