As you all know...I have my indoor only cats, and then a BUNCH (too many) that I try to care for outside...mostly ones that were left behind by an irresponsible neighbor and I am footing the food bill and basic vet bills as I can.
This weekend, one of the toms...a very vocal, very friendly, very lovey male, had a broken hind leg...not sure how and at first it just looked like an abcess that ruptured, but by lastnight I could see bone starting to come through at the joint where skin was broken as it swelled...
I made calls right away - Saturday afternoon, and it did take some time, with me keeping him in a spare room, to find a place that could get him in to the animal hospital this afternoon.
A wonderful local rescue group called Noah's Hope has taken him in and will foot the vet bills, find him a foster home and then forever home....
However....the initial intake at the hospital shows that the leg will need amputated...and he is positive for feline leukemia...I asked if it was active, and she said she did not think so because the vet tech only told her (the lady that heads Noah's Hope) that the leg will need amputated and the cat, that they named Wesley, will have to go to an only cat home or one with already positive cats there.
So we are hoping he is otherwise healthy enough to go through with the surgery and recovery and find his forever home...
I asked her if they would realistically be able to place Wesley, and she said at this time she is not sure..they want to see how the cat handles the amputation and recovers from there...
She will keep me posted and if all goes well Wesley will be up on their Facebook page sometime this week looking for a home where he will be able to love and cuddle all he wants with his human!
However, if that is not to be, then I will know that he was helped across the Rainbow Bridge in a loving and humane way at a caring animal hospital (the one I go to for more serious situations with my own animals), rather than somewhere alone and hurting and cold.
Now if only I could find a way for them to help me spay/neuter the 29 or so still wandering around out here...sighs...
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I'm so glad you realized there was a serious problem and found help for Wesley (what's the story on that name BTW?). I wish I knew who could help you. Have you tried trying to raise the money? You could file as a charity - or work with an existing one like the one that took in Wesley. Here, the local vets volunteer and work with the SPCA at their clinic to provide low-cost spaying and neutering that is available to anyone. Is there anything like that near you? Make some noise - try to get on TV, in the paper, or the radio (we have 8 On Your Side on our local NBC station (Channel Eight) down here that looks at consumer needs. Any call-in radio shows?
"A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself." ~ Josh Billings.
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Thanks k9Karen...the local animal control is trying to get the local vets to do a once a month TNR donated weekend, but so far no one is stepping up to the bat 
As for his name...I did not name him...LOL....Noah's Hope names animals that come into their rescue, and I think they work their way through the alphabet for male and female names...W came up again, and they did not have a Wesley, so now they do!
Yes, this was beyond what I could financially handle at this time, mainly...they figure it will be well over $500 for surgery and aftercare. If it was just an abcess or a standard break that would heal...I would feel confident taking care of him on my own...but with the feline leukemia on top of it, even though not active and I am glad mine inside are vaccinated...I am glad I kept him in a separate room for his own safety, and my own cats do not go in there...it is the office...and anything he was on will be easily sanitized....
The injury, I have no idea how it happened...the rest of his body was fine, no other injuries...but that "knee" at first looked like a possible ruptured abcess with no fur around it and sores on either side...but this morning when I went to get him ready to go, you could actually see the ball part of the bone coming through a new break in the skin...so I am very thankful we were able to get him in like this...
It took longer than we wanted due to my stupid phone...answering machine was not working and I did not know it, so I was leaving her messages, she was calling back and not getting an answer, because she was unfortunate enough to call when we had left for a while...she finally left a message on facebook that she had been trying to call me, but by the time I saw it, it was after 11pm and I was not going to call her that late...
then this morning we had a power outage due to a car accident, so I could not use my phone or computer to contact her...frustrating to say the least...but at least he was in good spirits the entire time I had him confined in the office
As for his name...I did not name him...LOL....Noah's Hope names animals that come into their rescue, and I think they work their way through the alphabet for male and female names...W came up again, and they did not have a Wesley, so now they do!
Yes, this was beyond what I could financially handle at this time, mainly...they figure it will be well over $500 for surgery and aftercare. If it was just an abcess or a standard break that would heal...I would feel confident taking care of him on my own...but with the feline leukemia on top of it, even though not active and I am glad mine inside are vaccinated...I am glad I kept him in a separate room for his own safety, and my own cats do not go in there...it is the office...and anything he was on will be easily sanitized....
The injury, I have no idea how it happened...the rest of his body was fine, no other injuries...but that "knee" at first looked like a possible ruptured abcess with no fur around it and sores on either side...but this morning when I went to get him ready to go, you could actually see the ball part of the bone coming through a new break in the skin...so I am very thankful we were able to get him in like this...
It took longer than we wanted due to my stupid phone...answering machine was not working and I did not know it, so I was leaving her messages, she was calling back and not getting an answer, because she was unfortunate enough to call when we had left for a while...she finally left a message on facebook that she had been trying to call me, but by the time I saw it, it was after 11pm and I was not going to call her that late...
then this morning we had a power outage due to a car accident, so I could not use my phone or computer to contact her...frustrating to say the least...but at least he was in good spirits the entire time I had him confined in the office
Tambrey, the rescue group really should test twice whenever a test shows positive for FELV - this is just good practice so that the false positives can be ruled out. I'd recommend testing again in 4-6 weeks, plenty of time during recovery and placement for adoption to retest before placing in a new home.
Just wanted to mention, you could try to start up a donation page on your own website or via an online donation site (usually free) - people do this all the time for various reasons (including a lot of people asking for donations for special needs pets) - it could even be as simple as using your facebook page (providing you have a ton of "friends" or acquaintences who are automatically linked to your page), to get the word out, and even simpler, to put a paypal link on your site - you'd just have to get the word out somehow, send the link in all your webposts online, your emails, etc, tell everyone in your locale, etc.
So, you could this to help the rescue org cover Wesley's medical expenses, and/or for yourself to help with all your stray kitties (there may be restrictions with some sites, read the fine print to be sure). I'm not saying this is easy nor an easy fix, but I know people have done it and were able to raise a significant amount of money for certain things, it would be worth checking out.
Here's an example what you could check out: justgive.org
Just wanted to mention, you could try to start up a donation page on your own website or via an online donation site (usually free) - people do this all the time for various reasons (including a lot of people asking for donations for special needs pets) - it could even be as simple as using your facebook page (providing you have a ton of "friends" or acquaintences who are automatically linked to your page), to get the word out, and even simpler, to put a paypal link on your site - you'd just have to get the word out somehow, send the link in all your webposts online, your emails, etc, tell everyone in your locale, etc.
So, you could this to help the rescue org cover Wesley's medical expenses, and/or for yourself to help with all your stray kitties (there may be restrictions with some sites, read the fine print to be sure). I'm not saying this is easy nor an easy fix, but I know people have done it and were able to raise a significant amount of money for certain things, it would be worth checking out.
Here's an example what you could check out: justgive.org
..........Traci
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I will have to check out that site Traci...thanks....alot of my friends do know that I do this, but I never thought of starting something up like that to recover money and help wiht vet bills...
I am going to set up a fundraiser for Noah's Hope through my Tomboy Tools business. They have a fundraising option where after the orders are all entered, the profitable sales is figured, and from that number, 10% of it comes from my commissions and 10% of it is donated by Tomboy Tools Home Office...do 20% of the profits is donated to the organization, as long as it is a 501(c)(3), which they are.
I also am going to extend it by giving 10% of my commissions (I currently get 25%) of any workshops that are scheduled off of the fundraiser. They can hold the workshop in March or April and at the end of April, or after the last workshop scheduled from the fundraiser, I will figure the amount and donate a check to them.
I will also let Noah's Hope know about retesting in about a month or so...none of my cats have ever tested positive...not the ones in my home or any that I have ever found homes for.
I am going to set up a fundraiser for Noah's Hope through my Tomboy Tools business. They have a fundraising option where after the orders are all entered, the profitable sales is figured, and from that number, 10% of it comes from my commissions and 10% of it is donated by Tomboy Tools Home Office...do 20% of the profits is donated to the organization, as long as it is a 501(c)(3), which they are.
I also am going to extend it by giving 10% of my commissions (I currently get 25%) of any workshops that are scheduled off of the fundraiser. They can hold the workshop in March or April and at the end of April, or after the last workshop scheduled from the fundraiser, I will figure the amount and donate a check to them.
I will also let Noah's Hope know about retesting in about a month or so...none of my cats have ever tested positive...not the ones in my home or any that I have ever found homes for.
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I got word from the rescue, that after more bloodwork - kidneys, liver etc...Wesley was not as healthy as he seemed to be on the outside...surgeries to amputate and repair his leg would have put more stress on his body, so he was humanely euthanized rather than put him through it all.
I wish they had talked to me first, but I did sign him over to them, so basically had no more say in the matter...
I am just glad he was not cold and alone and hurting somewhere in the dark when he crossed the bridge, but was being held and petted by someone who cared..
Run free and talk to your heart's content, sweet Wesley...even though you were a left behind kitty...you still made a place in my heart for the short time I knew you.
I wish they had talked to me first, but I did sign him over to them, so basically had no more say in the matter...
I am just glad he was not cold and alone and hurting somewhere in the dark when he crossed the bridge, but was being held and petted by someone who cared..
Run free and talk to your heart's content, sweet Wesley...even though you were a left behind kitty...you still made a place in my heart for the short time I knew you.
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Poor Wesley, my heart breaks for him 
..........Traci
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mine does too...but he was in the good hospital in the city, with the best vets in the area, and if they did not give him much hope for a successful recovery, then I know they did the right thing by letting him go
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Mine too. I'm so sorry it turned out this way. I had hoped for better news.Traci wrote:Poor Wesley, my heart breaks for him
"A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself." ~ Josh Billings.
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I don't even have a picture of him to post...he was a big gray adn white tabby with an orange mustache...LOL...he always had a puckery look to his mouth because of his markings...but he was such a talker...and loved to be held and petted...you know at one time he was someone's pet...someone out there loved him...but he was one of the ones that the hoarder neighbor picked up in the city and brought home to shove into her cat collection shed...and then they were later just turned loose to fend for themselves...and here they are...at my place...
And if there is FeLV out there, then chances are they are all living with it by now...
I am hoping this summer to build a proper shelter for them farther out back, away from my front yard and the road...in hopes they will STAY back there and not want to come to the road, or around any other people who might grab one up and do them harm....
And if I cannot get them all spayed and neutered, then my idea is to build a 2 part shelter, both with fenced/divided yards with a screen over top so nothing can get in, or out...and have the females on one side and the males on the other...they could go into the shelter or outside at their will...I will try to build it near a couple of trees so they have those to claw at and climb a bit...but not be able to get all the way up them due to the top screen on the fences...
the trees will also provide shade for them...
I would plant cat grasses out there for them...and of course catnip...and probably use the idea I saw somewhere that a lady did for her cats with a litter pit of shredded cypress mulch and texas red wigglers to help compost it...every month or so, she dug that up and used it in her flower (non-edible beds) and refreshed the "litterbox"
And if there is FeLV out there, then chances are they are all living with it by now...
I am hoping this summer to build a proper shelter for them farther out back, away from my front yard and the road...in hopes they will STAY back there and not want to come to the road, or around any other people who might grab one up and do them harm....
And if I cannot get them all spayed and neutered, then my idea is to build a 2 part shelter, both with fenced/divided yards with a screen over top so nothing can get in, or out...and have the females on one side and the males on the other...they could go into the shelter or outside at their will...I will try to build it near a couple of trees so they have those to claw at and climb a bit...but not be able to get all the way up them due to the top screen on the fences...
the trees will also provide shade for them...
I would plant cat grasses out there for them...and of course catnip...and probably use the idea I saw somewhere that a lady did for her cats with a litter pit of shredded cypress mulch and texas red wigglers to help compost it...every month or so, she dug that up and used it in her flower (non-edible beds) and refreshed the "litterbox"