Conference misery::feline_v1

    Oh John, how lucky Luke is to have adopted you! 
    
    I love to hear success stories like your and I look forward to hearing
    more about Luke and the rest of your family.
    
    All the best - you are a saint!!
    
    Marilyn, Otis, Tiffany & Sam
    

    This would be a good place to put Cat Success Stories.
    
    I appreciate hearing how others helped save animals, because I've done
    it too and it sure makes you feel good.
    

    
    John:
    
    boy, did your story make my day --- its seems like this week was
    a 'bummer' with all the notes about placing cats. it does get
    pretty down reading some of these horror stories. anyways,
    it ws great to hear that you have made a home for luke. i'm
    sure he is already 110% grateful to you and will show you that
    a hundred times over. you do have a heart of gold and thank goodness
    the animals know the way to your house, which is obviously the
    place to be...
    
    keep us posted on how he does next week when he comes home from the
    vets....
    
    cindi - magen & cinnamon
    
    

      I just talked to my Vet..have an appointment for Tuesday evening for
    all his shots...then 10 days later he goes in for his "revision"...
    
      I'm still ticked-off at ME for not grabbing him last summer....the
    poor little guy must have gone through HELL last winter...His ears show
    a little bit of frost damage, but not as much as i'd have thought they
    would..sort of rough on the edges.
    
      Luke's a "talker"...last night when I got home I did my typical tour
    of my garden, and Luke followed me around each raised bed, and every
    time I'd say something to him, he'd answer with a very
    intelligent-sounding "Mrouwer?" He walked in the paths, never once went
    into the raised beds, except the one where I have some grass-clippings
    piled in an old empty radish plot. When he got to that pile of grass,
    he proceeded to hop up on it an lie down and stretch... His leg seems
    MUCH better..he actually RAN some distance back to the barn. He's not a
    bird hunter..he sits and watches the bird feeder which is about 20 feet
    from the barn door, and a male Cardinal was calmly eating aobut 6 feet
    from him this morning. He also pays no attention whatsoever to a
    Chipmunk that lives in a stone wall near this bird feeder, and who
    stuffs his cheeks with Sunflower seeds every morning. This Chipmunk
    goes within about 5-6 feet of Luke and he just looks at him as if
    he's one of the "fixtures". 
     Luke came to the door this morning, and I introduced one of the firls,
    "Stormy", to him...they touched noses, looked at each other very
    curiously, and then "Stormy" proceeded to "HISSSSSS" at him...but that
    is expected. I expect some of those prone, 10-foot-apart, "standoffs"
    with much terrible sounding growling and hissing, but after a day or
    two it will all be one big furry family again...
    
    John Mc 

    John, I guess we can all look back at something in our lives and feel
    that we should have done it differently.  Hindsight - as they say -
    is always 20-20.
    
    The fact is that you did something NOW.  He survived the past and you 
    are taking marvelous care of him today - and it sounds as though he is 
    loving you every minute!
    
    It was fate and it looks like you were both meant to be in each others
    lives.
    
    I am so happy....this definately made my day.
    
    Have a great week-end.
    
    Marilyn, Otis, Tiffany & Sam
    

      Re .1/.2/.3
    
      AH...But nobody can BUY what we get in return form these fuzz-balls!!
    If I hit the "big-one" with Mega-bucks or whatever, there's NO WAY you
    can find the affection that we get. Just this morning I'm sitting
    watching the news on the couch....a 75 pound dog on one side, crunched
    up against my leg...another dog on the other side, and here come's
    "Cookie", my little super-cat...she hops up, sits on my lap between the
    two dogs,and proceeds to wash the face of the 75 pounder for about 20
    minutes...and he's sitting there in absolute extasy.... It's AMAZING to
    watch these "natural enemies" react in an environment where peace and
    happiness is primary. Oh, sure, now and then the cats will get a bit
    rough when they tussle and we'll hear a "MEYOWLLL!", or a dog will bite
    a little too hard when playing and elicit a "YIP!" from the other, but
    this usually results in a mass-gathering of concerned little furr-balls
    all very concernedly trying to find out who yelped and why..and the one
    that caused it is usually sheepishly kissing the one who yelped. 
    
      But there isn't any way to get this kind of love anywhere...it seems
    to be part of the territory and I wouldn't part with it for the world. 
    So there's some "selfishness" in this animal rescuing...
    
    John Mc

    This is really great news!  You both must be thrilled now!
    

    Wow, to come in on a Monday morning and read this wonderfun note!
    
    You *are* a saint, John!
    
    Anna/Zildjian/Spunks
    

    Boy Luke is a smart kitty for adopting such a wonderful family!
    I had a similiar situation when Barkley (who was a stray for over
    a year) adopted us.  The first night he slept inside I realized
    everything was worth it...he layed on his bed and purred for hours,
    he finally gave me a sigh of relief as if to say "I'm happy to find
    a home".  The feeling of content and happiness.. made me feel wonderful.  
                                             
    Good Luck with Luke...please keep us posted.
    
    Sandy (Tamba, Poco, and Barkley)
    

      Well, He's still making the barn his home for the time being. Since
    we aren't home all day, I was curious and a little bit concerned that
    he might get into some predicament with his wandering during the day
    and/or night. I think he's very "road-conscious", so I may be just
    feeling a bit of paranoia now that he's so close to being incorporated
    into the "inside" world. 
      Saturday night he spent in his comforter, and he did the same thing
    last night. We know, cause the little "pocket" that we make in the
    comforter is very warm when touched in the morning. Sunday after
    breakfast he disappeared, and I thought he was on one of his "sojourns"
    around the neighborhood.. I went over to the barn to make sure, and
    right outside the barn is a larg clump of Tiger Lilies and a Peony
    plant. (I'm already beginning to converse with this guy like he's a kid
    or something...) I called "Meow--Luke where did you go?", wherupon the
    Lilies said "Meouw?" back to me. Luke's no dummy!! Hot day, not much of
    a breeze, but under the Lilies and Peonys it's COOL....so there's where
    he spent his entire day....except for the two times he had to "tour"
    the garden with me....walking along about 4 feet behingd me, talking a
    mile-a-minute, exploring everything, but NEVER straying from the paths
    into the raised-beds....
    
      I'm HOPING he isn't too traumatized by the idea of being popped into
    a cat-carrier and transported to the Vet's tommorrow night. He KNOWS
    how to use those 10 razors on his front feet...and he's quick as a
    flash with them. I've got a pair of those leather gloves with the
    gauntlets that go all the way to the elbow, but I hope neither me nor
    the vet has to resort to them...but we may have to.. I just hope he
    doesn't get so upset that he leaves after we bring him back....but I
    doubt that he will. The SECOND trip--10 days after he gets all his
    shots---may be the REAL test though...
    
    JMcD

     You are a saint.. 
    Kate

      Well, last night Luke and I went to the Vet's for his first
    examination and shots. I was a bit apprehensive about him, since he's
    been a little "free spirit" for over a year at least, but I shouldn't
    have worried. He was an absolute little Angel!! He wasn't overjoyed
    about being in the carrier, but he wasn't hysterical either. He
    "meow'd" some, but I was able to poke my fingers into the carrier and
    "skritch" his head, which settled him down and he soon stretched out
    and became totally calm..
      Once we got to the Vet's, I advised the technician that it may be
    wise to have the gloves handy, since I wasn't sure how he'd take to
    handling. Again, no problem!! I put the carrier on the exam table,
    opened the door, and he proceeded to walk out, and immediately lie down
    and stretch. Two shots didn't faze him a bit, nor did the rest of the
    exam.
    
      The Exam DID pinpoint the cause of his limp, however, and we're
    fairly sure now that he did in fact get hit--probably by a car--at some
    time in the past. He's healed, but the Vet said he'd had a broken
    sternum (that's the bone in the chest at the end of and between the
    ribs) and either a broken pelvis or a dis-located hip. He said that
    only x-rays could prove which, but from the looks of it he thinkd the
    dis-located hip is what's causing the limp. He is NOT in any pain, but
    one back leg is aobut 2.5 inches shorter than the other one. I asked if
    this and the sternum should be corrected, and he said "NO!". The
    injuries are healed, and even though he has a permanent "list", he is
    in no pain, and it would probably cause more damage to attempt to
    correct this at this time than it would help. 
    
      He was right there at the food dish this morning, as content and
    seemingly happy as ever.. Next appointment is his operation, which I
    beleive he'll handle with no problem as well...
    
    JM

    
    	Yay!  wonderful!  Luke sounds like and absolute love....
    
    

    How wonderful you are!!  I really like the way you have been writing
    about Luke and can even picture him walking behind you through the
    garden talking.
    
    Give him a hug for us.
    
    Flo & Oliver
    

    How did the surgery and intro into the household go????????
    
    Has he taken control of the favorite sun spot, and the best lap
    yet?????    ;^}
    
    M-L

      Luke comes home tonite...minus some claws 'n other things, with some
    sore paws 'n a sore rear...but with a GOOD possibility of survival,
    love, arm places to lie, and 4 other very friendly cats and 9 very
    friendly and cat-loving dogs to play with. He's already met five of the
    dogs and has had through-the-screen contact with the other kitties, so
    I don't anticipate too much trouble. I gotta go home and haul out the
    chipper-shredder tonite and shred-up some newspapers for his litter-box
    so he won't hurt those tender front paws until they heal completely,
    but that's no big deal...
    
      The folks at the Vet's have reported that Luke's been a VERY calm and
    friendly boy. Even through this trauma that he's been put through, he
    still loves to be petted, rolls over coyly, and purrrrrs to beat the
    dickens...but I already knew that!!
    
      I KNOW he'll be happy to get home and be cuddled tonite though....
    
    John Mc and Zoo...
    

      Well, Luke's home now and part of the group... Everything went pretty
    much as expected...no BIG problems with the introductions. Luke was a
    bit overwhelmed by the group, but aside from some hissing when the dogs
    got too close to him, he's adapted very well.
      Over the weekend he was caught "spray-marking" a few times, but
    according to the Vet this might disappear when his confidence builds up
    a little bit. We have this organic cleaning substance called "Orange
    Power" thats the best deodorizer/cleaner that we've ever seen. It's
    made from Oranges, and I believe the primary ingredient is the oil from
    the oranges. It cuts through that male cat urine smell immediately.
    What I've done as well is fill a couple of squirt-bottles with plain
    water, and if we see him backing up to someting with that evil look on
    his face, a shot of water has an immediate discouraging tendency.  
    He's a real little "love-bug"....likes nothing better thanto lie on the
    couch for hours getting petted and purring at a hundred miles an hour.
    He slept with Julie and two dogs on Friday night, and with me and three
    others Saturday night. He eats well--or should I say like a HOG!!. So
    far he hasn't figured out the leap to the counter-top where the cat's
    are fed, but when picked up and deposited in front of the old food
    dish, it's only a few minutes to a clean dish. It may be his hip that
    prevents him from leaping u there, but this is good...the way he eats
    he soon wouldn't be able to jump that high anyway since he'd weith 45
    pounds in a few weeks. I guess this comes from the many days of hunger
    that he went through...he doesn't leave anything.
    
      This morning---after a night of spraying and yowling---he somehow
    opened ont of the wounds on his front paw where the claws were
    removed... GOD!! I never saw anything bleed as much. Our only resort
    was "clip-stop", which I know must have really stung...but it did stop
    the blood and we bandaged that paw and have him isolated in a huge cage
    with his litter box and soft things to lie on. I think keeping him calm
    and quiet will be the best cure for that paw.. It doesn't seem to
    bother him a lot to sit in the cage, and two of the other cats--Smokey
    the male with three legs and Stormy the female we rescued from the
    street in Maynard were sitting crunched against the outside of the cage
    when I left for work...so he isn't really lonely. 
      I think the adjustment is going very well.. Absolutely NO animosity
    from any of our animals, including Luke himself. 
    
    JMcD

    FANTASTIC!

    If anyone needs something to stop bleeding, say if you trim a toenail
    too short, stick the paw in to a cup of flour or corn starch.
    
    
    J, not sure if would work on large scale bleeding, but might be
    worth a try.  Wrapping the paw tight could also help - moderate
    pressure might also help. 
    
    E.

    A bleeding paw is such a pain.  I would call your vet and let
    him know what happened, she/he can give you something to put
    on that toe or might even want to wrap it. It's sort of like
    hitting a finger with stitches in it. We are so fortunate our
    vet uses a process to declaw, when he is finished he puts a
    shinny substance on the end where the nail was removed  and there
    is NO bleeding and it keeps the dirt out. What ever it is disolves
    in a couple of weeks and everything is healed.
    
    Still sounds like the cats have nails when they walk across the
    tile floor until it all wears off.
    
    Keep in touch and let us know how Luke is doing.
    
    Barbara  
    
    

       Well, he's fit in really well. Paws are all healed up now, and he
    has seemed to stop spraying....I think he realizes that he's got no
    real need to dominate. 
    
       I got a few neat photos of him laying stretched out on the couch
    with one paw around our Dachshund, "Ruby".  Cats 'n dogs in our house
    do not recognize the theory that they're "enemies", though, so this is
    not an unusual circumstance..although outsiders find it sort of strange
    now and then....
    
      Luke's not been causing as much problems as the little girl we found
    on the Maynard street....She has a tendency every now and then to begin
    SCREAMING in the middle of the night, and if you're sound asleep and
    you hear this bloodcurdling YOWWWLLLL!!!!, the result is to sit
    bolt-upright in the old bed in a state of shock.. So little "Stormy" is
    sometimes "isolated" in the back room---comfortable and warm and with
    a litter-box, food and water---but out of earshot when she pulls one of
    her tantrums... 
    
    
      All-in-all though, everything is working out just fine...
    
    John McD 'n furr-balls...