Conference misery::feline

    Oh, I hear you, Mary!  If this boy has a fighting chance I will gladly
    scrounge up what I can towards his recovery, and if he needs a home I
    might even (gulp!) take him in.
    
    Sending prayers your way.
    
    -Roberta (who lives near Tufts)
    

    Mary, you are a saint, and there are many cats who are alive and
    healthy and happy because of you.  Bless you for being so caring.  That
    young lady who stood guard over him deserves praise too.  Those owners
    on the other hand, deserve the same treatment that their poor cat got.
    
    Kitty prayers for that poor baby, I hope he makes it, and I hope for
    your sake it won't be too expensive.
    
    Steffi

    Mary,
    
    I'm sorry to hear about this; Did the woman get a description of the
    boys? I think a call to the NH equivelent of the MSCPA is in order.
    
    Deb 

    The boys are known.  I'll deal with that once Blue (that's what I
    call him.....original, eh?) is out of the woods...hey, he is out of the
    woods....well, let's say when he's out of imminent danger.
    
    Once I get myself collected, I'm going to visit the girls and do
    something nice for them for helping the poor kitty.
    
    
    St. Mary of Nashua

    Mary,
    
    Kudos to you and the girl who stood watch over the cat!!  
    
    It really saddens my heart when things like this happen.  It makes me
    think there is no hope for this world when children are so cruel. 
    Where do they learn that???  It can't possibly be natural!
    
    My thoughts and prayers are with you.
    
    Best,
    Michelle

    You know, I get just as upset over owners who leave cats out all day
    and all night cause they can't stand the cat.....grrrrrrr all around.
    
    Mary

    Where do children learn that....well the sad part is most of the
    time it is taught by the parents.   Just imagine if that jerk of
    a person who's cat got hit..had young children.   They would grow up to
    believe you can just throw a cat outside if your sick of it....they 
    don't need medical attention...and a cat is a meaningless piece of
    moveable meat!   It's sad!!!
    
    On the other hand in the same situation if the jerk cared...his
    children would see him rushing for medical help...giving alot of love...
    and showing them a cat is a kid with fur.  
    
    An example would be my nephew (18) who is a wonderful sincere animal
    lover.  When we first brought Sass home knowing he did not have a long
    time to live...my nephew had a hard time understanding why we would
    want to do this.  Why fall in love...to only hurt later. This same 
    nephew stops by to see Sass on a daily basis...he wipes the nose..
    he shows him love and he gives him treats.  I do know my nephew will 
    do this same exact thing for a cat someday...even though two weeks 
    ago...he thought his Aunt and Uncle were absolutely crazy and we had
    lost our bonkers!!
    
    Gee Mary...your note got me going this morning.  I'm going to be
    wound up all day today!!   All my prayers are for Blue....Tufts is
    the best place he could possibly be.   You are wonderful for helping...
    and give a big hug to the girl who stood over the cat.
    
    Sandy
    
    

    Mary,
    
    
    	1. If you'll send me an address, I'll send a donation toward Blue's
    	   expenses.
    
    	2. If you send me the address of the kid, I'll pay them a visit
    	   with some BIG FRIGGING ROCKS.
    
    Steve

    Mary,
    
    Was he at Ferry Rd. Hospital yesterday?  The reason I ask is I had to
    stop there after 4 p.m. to pick up medicine for D.P. and pay something
    on Middy's tab and receptionist was on the phone telling someone that
    "the cat had been lying on the ground all day after being hit and was
    very groggy so they couldn't give him any more sedation and wouldn't
    treat him for fleas until he was out of danger from being hit".  I also
    heard the word "Euthanize" mentioned in the conversation so I think the
    owner was still trying to get rid of him.
    
    I hope he's in your hands now, and not the owners.  They are definitely
    not responsible pet owners from what I gathered here and at the vet's.
    
    I'm also glad you know who the smart a..'d boys are too and will deal
    with them and their parents later when Blue is (hopefully) better.
    
    Bless you, Mary.
    
    Pat & Clan
    

	Hugs for Mary and for Blue!  We'll try to help too, if we can.
	Keep us posted on his condition - poor baby!

	Sandy

    What a shame.....it's so refreshing to know that there is a group of
    folks in this world that care so muc about animals!  
    
    Michele, Nippa and the barn kitties
    
    

This situation reflects the sad state of our species. It is
more natural for children to care about and identify with animals
than it is for them to throw rocks at the critters (Baby books deal
almost exclusively with baby animals).

But at some point in their lives it is adult behaviour that teaches
children to stifle these feelings. There was a recent note about the 
woman who wanted to breed her cat (I forget the breed), got a male, then
abandoned both of them when she moved. A Noter asked what this woman was
teaching her children. What her children learned is their sympathetic 
feelings for animals are wrong. And that is the first step to getting kids
throwing rocks at an injured animal.

Caring for critters is essential to our humanity and one of the things I
appreciate about Feliners.


                                             Susan

    Hi all...here's the morning update.  Blue made it through the night but
    is still a pretty sick kitty.  He had lots of blood in his urine which
    means damage to the kidneys or bladder.  They're going to continue to
    monitor this and will determine what the next step is.  Obviously, Blue
    needs to be stable before the pelvis can be repaired.
    
    Pat, that was the owner on the phone with Cathy.  The owner did tell
    Cathy that if it was expensive, they'd want to euthanize.  The owner
    seemed (to Cathy) more concerned about fleas than anything else.  I
    will visit the owners this p.m. after we get a better update and ask
    them to release Blue to me.  I do not want to pay a small fortune for
    his care and then have them insist on taking him back.
    
    As for donations, they would be VERY welcomed!  I'll post an address as
    soon as I know whether or not he'll be transferred to Tufts.  My vet
    told me yesterday that the surgery would run about $1500-$2000...
    
    Thanks to all of you for you offers of help and for just being there
    and listening.  Blue's gonna make it and he'll be OUR kitty!!
    
    Mary
    

    
    	Oh Mar.....I'm surprised you didn't visit my office this
    	morning!
    
    	I wish I could help with the $$ part of this but I can't.
    	Maybe if I get the part-time job I'm looking for....so for
    	now I'll just have to pray for the poor baby....
    
    	Gonna have to give MY blue point himmy extra hugs tonite....
    
    	JJ
    

    Good God, Mary! Please be sure to post an address for donations if
    things work out for Blue and you. Can only give a tiny bit, but lots of
    tiny bits add up.
    
    ng

    
    NOW I'M SO DAMNED MAD TOO !!!
    
    I'm sitting here with tears in my eyes reading this because I just
    CAN'T understand how people (the boys as well as the owners) can be so
    heartless.
    
    I would have done ANYTHING to have saved my Ebony (note 390), and still
    constantly cry over him being gone (1 month today!) ... in fact, I
    dreamt of Eb all last night and woke up crying [again] ... I'm just
    never going to get over him not being with me, NEVER!   How can people
    be so cruel to such a helpless and beautiful animal, HOW??!!
                                                                              
    Mary, this is a wonderful thing you're doing and I'm more than happy to
    make a donation to help with the bills ... just post your address!!
    All you feline lovers were so comforting to me during my tough time,
    this is the least I can do.
    
    Barbara                              

    Mary-
    
    All I can say is WOW!
    
    Keep us informed.  $1500-2000 is a lot of money.....especially
    for "someone else's" pet.   Poor thing....
    
    L

    Mary - Count me in too in memory of our Jixie.
    
    Pat Beaudet

    
    	Mary,
    
    	I know the pain and the decisions that are facing you.
    	In April we lost our cat to a car. Bubba never left the 
    	yard, but for some reason that day he did. He was hit just hard
    	enought to messup the base of his spine, he was able to get back
    	into the garage (we leave the door open enought for him) and
    	he waited from 3pm till 6pm for me. I rushed him to the vets,
    	it would cost some $ 2,000 for the surgery with no guarantee.
    	So after 2 days we painfully made the decision to send him to
    	kitty heaven. It was tough to lose a friend after 10 years.
    	Today we still feel the lose. So after a couple of months,
    	the house was not the same without a fur-face we adopted
    	on the 4th July weekend a new baby. He is gold and white,
    	with big ears and biggggggg feet, sound like, looks like 
    	yup, maine coon. Wednesday was his last trip to the vets for 
    	the shots, he is now a 8 pound baby and still growing. 
    	Since one kitty is not enough we adopted another baby that
    	is now 10 weeks old. He to is the same colors gold and white
    	but doesn't have the big feet...
    
    	I guess discuss it with the Vet, if the end results will are
    	good and the kitty will be able to have a normal life
    	then it is your decision. Let us know, I will send a little
    	$$.
    
    	Oh didn't you know that your name was summitted to the Pope
    	for Saint Hood....8^)
    
    
    	Mike 

    Mary, if those turkey owners won't give up the cat and insist on his
    being euthanized, would the vet perhaps tell them he'd done that and
    let you have the cat?
    

    Mary,
    
    	I am usually a read-only reader, but I just had to commend
    you on your caring and love.  It really depresses me that people
    and especially children treat animals like this.  I hope that
    action like yours can teach others.
    
    	Please post your address because I will send what I can.
    I will be keeping hopes for Blue.
    
    Donna

    Whew....now that (some of) my anger has subsided, and since I'm your
    humble co-moderator, I'd like to ask that expressions of wishing to
    inflict harm on the children be turned inward.  Children with that set
    of values need prayers more than stones.  Trust me, I know exactly how
    you feel, however!!!!  But violence begets violence.  I'm trying to think
    good thoughts.
    
    I'll continue to keep you updated on Blue's progress.  No decisions
    about surgery have been made yet, so keep them prayers coming!
    
    Mary

    It's really atrocious that things like .0 happens in our society.  Real
    sickening.  I wonder if Blue's owners treated their kids any better than
    they treat their pets?!
    
    There were 2 separate 'cat' stories in the news this past week at
    Southern Cal.  A colony of homeless cats (neutered and kind of taken
    care of by some kind folks) were poisoned to death.  
    
    Also, the L.A. SPCA had to do a ban on black cats  adoption until after 
    halloween because they are afraid that people will use the cats for s
    atanic rituals.
    
    Disgusted,
    Stella
    

    I visited Blue this morning.  He's not doing very well.  His breathing
    is very labored and my vet is very concerned.  He's still kind of out
    of it and doesn't look too happy.  His humans have visited him twice
    and his woman owner is very, very upset.  She called me Friday
    afternoon and was in tears.  She's taking this very hard.  There are
    lots of reasons....she's got a baby who demands her attention, a
    toddler who's very rough on the cat, they can't really afford a huge
    vet bill, but she loves him.  The husband, however, is a different
    story.  So I think LeAnn (his 'mom') needs some prayers, too.
    
    My vet took another xray yesterday and will again today to check on his
    lungs to make sure there's no fluid.  She'll keep him on IV and
    steroids thru the weekend.  Della (the vet tech who makes us cat
    maniacs look sane) is trying to get him to eat some tuna--it's his
    favorite food.  So far, all he's done is lick her finger a little.
    
    So, my poor Blue still isn't out of the woods.  I'll update on Monday
    after I've seen him.
    
    Mary

    Sunday nite update...Blue was rushed (and I mean rushed) to Tufts this
    morning.  He's in ICU receiving oxygen and having zillions of tests
    run.  Something appears to be going on with his heart, liver, lungs,
    trachea, and everything else.  He'll be having an echocardiogram done
    in the morning as well as a thoracentisis (test for fluids in lungs)
    and EKG, tons of blood work, more x-rays, and ultrasound.  By tomorrow
    afternoon, we should know Blue better than any cat on the planet.  I
    heard them say something about sending his pawprints to the FBI......
    
    I want to thank Roberta for spending 4 hours sitting in the waiting
    room with me, keeping me sane.  Time goes fast when you're twiddling
    your thumbs.  THANK YOU, Roberta...I would have gone nuts without you!
    
    We got to see Blue for a few minutes before we left.  He seemed very
    larthagic and was in obvious distress.  Poor little Blue....
    
    I'll post Tufts address in the morning after I talk with the accounting
    folks for those folks wishing to contribute.  His bill is up to $682 so
    far, so donations would be most welcome.  His people will not be able
    to pay for any of this, so it's now my responsibility...
    
    Mary

    You're welcome, Mary!  Was it really 4 hours?  Time sure flies...
    
    It was my pleasure to wait with you... I know how it feels having been
    that route before and it sure does help to have a shoulder to lean on.
    
    Despite Blue's injuries, he appeared to be hanging in there pretty
    well.  He is a gorgeous cat, and a real sweetheart.  He will be in good
    hands there and hopefully on the road to recovery real soon.  With all
    the tests they are doing, nothing will be overlooked, that's for sure!
    
    Lots of prayers for Blue, and I would be happy to go see him during
    visitors hours.  Sometimes having loving, caring humans around really
    helps their progress.
    
    -Roberta
    

    Kitty prayers to Blue......he's at the best place he possibly could
    be!   
    
    Hang in there Mary....and please keep us posted.
    
    Sandy

Blue is doing much better.  His breathing has returned to normal and it
appears he's out of the woods.  The cardiologist is doing an ultrasound
and an echocardiogram today and we'll then know about the suspected
underlying heart problem.  And get this....he might be coming 'home' today!
YIKES!!!!!!  Now what?????  Before I panic, I need to talk to Dr. Wohl, the
attending vet, to see what about his 'bodily functions'.  If Blue still
won't eat or go on his own, then I dunno.  So, there are still LOTS of
unanswered questions, but I'll keep you posted....

Mary

    I'm so glad to hear Blue is doing better.  What an exhausting weekend
    for you all.  (What about his broken pelvis if he comes home today?
    Are you going to get to keep him?  Perhaps his owner would see that
    he's better off out of her hands.)
    
    all appendages still crossed
    

    Good news about Blue.  The Cordes family is keeping all fingers 
    and paws crossed for a complete recovery.
    
    Jan

    Great news...that is one thing about Tufts...your in and out in
    no time.  Mary...they will give you explicit directions on what
    needs to be done and if they need to see him again.
    
    Do you have a cage at home that you could possibly keep him in
    for a little while?? 
    
    Sandy

Lots of you have asked about sending donations....the reason I haven't posted
an address is that I didn't know just where to have you send the money!  If
he comes home today or tomorrow, which is very likely, I'll have to pay the
remainder of his bill before he can be discharged.  So, I guess it's best to
send donations directly to me.  If you wish to send a check, my home address
is

Mary Tamir's Home for Wayward Cats
9B High Pine Avenue
Nashua, NH  03063

If you have a DCU at your facility, you can deposit directly into my 
share draft account.  My badge number is 6944 (yes, I'm OLD).

I don't know how to thank you all enough.  I'll take a picture of Blue and
send it off to his "fan club"!!

As for what do I do when I get him home...I don't know!!  If anyone has a
large Tokyo cage I could borrow, I'd be grateful.  Or does anyone know where
I can rent one??

The husband/owner told my vet to euthanize yesterday.  Naturally, we didn't.
The wife/owner called me last night and quietly that was her husband's idea
and she hoped that I could take care of Blue and find him a wonderful home.
So, for now, he's in my care...

Mary, who really wonders why these cats find me.....

    
    A check is on the way.   
    
    I'm so glad that the owner isn't putting up a fuss - I'd be beside
    myself if they all of a sudden decided they wanted him back (at
    your/our expense!!!)
    
    Best of luck to both you and Blue.
                                      
    

    Wow, what an expedient staff Tufts has!  I would be hesitant about
    taking him home if he can't eat on his own or relieve himself in an
    appropriate fashion.  Hopefully all of his diagnostic tests will have
    good results!  Please keep us posted the minute you hear something.
    
    Once thing's for sure... Blue will recover a lot faster at home with
    you than at Tufts if he's stable and out of the woods.  Plus, you know
    your vet, Robin, will be there day or night if you need her!!
    
    -Roberta
    

Roberta, since you're the expert on cardiomyopathy, what's the real story?
The vet this morning seemed to think if he has it, that it can be dealt with.
The cardiologist will have more details, but what if Blue has cardio???

BTW, if he comes home tonight, he'll be staying at my vets for a couple days
just to make sure he's OK.  I'm a good nurse, but I'm not a good vet!!

Mary

    I'm sure sorry for his female owner.  I know who I'd euthanize and
    it's not a feline :-)

    Mary,
    
    As I said on the phone, I have a VERY large show cage that I'd be MORE
    than happy to lend you.  I had it for Kyra and her kittens and was able
    to fit a litterbox (small one, but a box) on one side, her kitten box
    on the other side, and there was plenty of room in the center for both
    her food and a bed.  
    
    You can take this and put it on some type of table or bed.  it's really
    great.
    
    
    Holly

    Whether or not a cat can live with cardio really depends on how early
    it is caught and the damage done to the heart.  With my Ragdolls, it
    was more than just a clear-cut case of cardio.  Both cats had very
    small aortas and narrowing at the valves; defects that would have been
    unresponsive to surgery according to the Tufts cardiologists.  With
    Murdock, my Birman, it was classic hypertrophic cardio (enlargement
    of the left ventricular free wall) complicated by infection that
    progessed his illness into sudden cardiac arrest.
    
    However, there is hope.  Marlene Balzer attempted to enter a lengthy
    entry about her Exotic Shorthair, Bailey, and got tossed out of the queue.
    Bailey threw a saddle thrombus (blood clot to the hind legs at the
    junction of the femoral artery) a few weeks ago.  (I have Marlene's
    permission to share this.)  She found him upon coming home with some
    friends, and rushed him to her emergency vet.  Radiographs revealed
    hypertrophic cardio.  Marlene must have caught this very early because
    he regained use of his hind legs in just about 24 hours, and was put on
    lasix and cardizem from the get-go, along with baby aspirin every other
    day to thin his blood to prevent more clots.  Well, I am happy to
    report that the Bales has made a miraculous recovery, and is living
    proof that a cat *can* live with cardio!  He is running around,
    playing, eating on his own and using the litterbox.  We hope he will be
    with Marlene for years to come!  A second round of radiographs showed
    marked improvement to his heart with the meds, and the specialists are
    beeiming with pride and calling the Bales a miracle kitty!
    
    It feels good to enter such a happy story after all of the doom and
    gloom we've been hearing over the years.  So, I hope this answers your
    question, Mary!
    
    Hugs for Blue, and the Bales is ready for a party!!
    
    -Roberta

    That's great news for Bailey!!!  Miracles and advances in medicine do
    continue, let's hope it stays on the upswing!
    Karen
    pawpats to Blue
    xo

    This note is being entered for a member of our community who wishes to 
    remain anonymous.  Before you go on to the text, I want to remind
    everyone that we value differences of opinion here in FELINE.
    
    Jan
    Moderator, FELINE
    
    
    
Before I start this, I do want to say that I really commend the caring
and compassion of the people in this notes file who will use their own
money to care for cats that do not belong to them.......

I own a cat and have owned several during my life.  I have cared for my cats
and taken them to the vet when they were sick, I have cried over them and had
my heart broken because of them.  

But.....   and this will probably sound uncaring and unfeeling to most of the
feliners in this file....  I take the opposite stand on this issue. I have seen
animals (cats, dogs, and other wildlife) that has been the victims of road
accidents and I really feel terrible about it.  It brings tears to my eyes and
anger to my heart that the owners of the cats and dogs have so little caring
and desire to keep their pets safe that they do not take steps toward
protecting their pets.  But this is where I draw the line.   I have
unfortunately been in the position of having caused an animals death because he
ran out in front of me and I was unable to stop in time.  It broke my heart. I
stopped and found the owners and reported the accident to them.  I did NOT
offer to pay for the vet bills, because IT IS NOT MY RESPONSIBILTY..... and
even if I wanted to pay for the bill I couldn't affort to.  The owners are
responsible for their pets and therefore are responsible for their own vet
bills.  If it was my cat and through some unfortunate incident was able to
get out of my house and yard and someone hit him, I would be devastated but I
would not accept the offer for them to pay the bills because my cat was MY
responsibility and therefore MY FAULT not the drivers that my animal is hurt.

I think that there are probably a lot of people out here in the world today who
have the same type of view point.  They probably have pets themselves and hate
to see the animals lying along side the road as well, but they are not
responsible for the animals lying along side the road.   The animals on the
side of the road are not the only victims of their uncaring owners.  The
unfortunate  driver who was unfortunately in the wrong place at the wrong time
is also the victim of the animals owner.......

Just my opinion..

    
    I found the animal on the side of the road.  I am writing the checks
    for his care.  Nice people are offering to help out.  Equally nice
    people have offered words of moral support that are just as
    appreciated.
    
    I do not fault the driver who struck Blue.  It was an accident.  My
    only wish is that he/she had stopped.  Or called the animal control
    officer to notify them of the accident.  Period.  That's all I ask.
    Blue was left on the side of the road for 7 hours, bleeding and in
    pain.  At least the AC officer would have collected him sooner.
    I would not have expected the driver to pay the bills nor have I made
    any effort to find out who hit him.  Nor do I fault Blue's owners for
    declining to continue his care.  We each make our own decisions.  
    
    So, to summarize, I wish Blue would have made it to help sooner.  I
    wish the driver would have called the police.  It costs nothing to pick
    up the phone and say "Gee, someone hit a cat on Cypress Lane--could
    someone pick him up?".  
    
    Just my opinion.

    Mary,
    
    I'm glad to hear that the kitty is feeling better, and I hope going
    to his new home (Chez Tamir) tonight, or as soon as your local vet says
    he can go.
    
    Deb & THE_FIRM

    Blue has hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.  Like Bales, he'll be on Cardizem
    and baby asprin for the rest of his life.  How long with that be?  Who
    knows??  Anyway, he's doing great.  Yesterday, he looked near death. 
    This evening, he's beginning to pull himself up a little and is eating
    baby food.  He's coming home tomorrow night.  YIPEEEEEEE!!!!!!  He'll
    be getting cage rest for several weeks, but he'll be safe and warm.
    
    Good job, Blue!  We knew you'd come through!!
    
    Mary

    Yeah, Blue!  Give him a hug for me.
    
    What's happening with his pelvis?  Is the plan to let it heal without
    surgery?
    

    Oh, ya!  The orthopedic surgeon thinks Blue will recover with cage
    rest, so there is no surgery planned or anticipated.  He's already
    trying to stand up and it seems like he'll be just fine!
    
    Mary
    

    This just re-affirms my belief in fate!  Poor baby Blue was the victim
    of a tragic accident - but how lucky for both of you - that you found 
    each other to love!  Miracles do happen.  
    
    Bless you for DOING what you did.  I would like to think that I would 
    do the same but having never been faced with the situation I haven't 
    been tested.  I guess it is human nature to talk and debate issues 
    regarding ownership of responsibility and expressing opinions about 
    what's "right" or what's "wrong" - bottom line - it does my heart 
    good to see action.  It saved a life!!
    
    Give Blue a kiss on the forehead for me .... the fact that he's going 
    "home" has made my day and proves to me (once again) that people really 
    are good!
    
    Marilyn & Otis
    

    
    	Mary - Patron Saint of Kitties.
    
    	Someone up there knows who to bring to the aid of these poor
    	babies....Beth and Blue are proof of that!  =)
    
    	Glad to hear he's doing better Mar!  Maybe once you get him
    	settled in I can stop by and take a peek?  (I'm due for a visit
    	to Missy Beth anyway!)  =)
    
    	JJ
    

I spoke with Robin, my vet, about Blue's follow up care.  Blue will be
coming home with me tonight, but on Thursday, he'll be back to see her for
an x-ray and....................a bath..................don't tell Blue!

So, JJ, Blue will be a beautiful, clean, fluffy kitty would would just
love to have his chin scratched!!  Till then, he'll be caged in my spare
room away from the other monsters.  Well, maybe they can look, but they
can't touch!

Let the games begin........

    
    	Well then I'll wait till he's all clean and deems himself
    	proper enough for a visit.  =)
    
    	JJ
    

    kitten?  How old is baby Blue?
    

Blue is about 3 years old....I guess I meant kitty, not kitten.  Blue would
be very upset......

I went to Taylor Rental and rented a cage for Blue to spend his recovery time.
It's not very big, only 2' x 3', but it's big enough for him, a litter
box and some food and water.  I doubt he plans on much entertaining....

Once he get moving around a little better, I'm going to move him to
larger quarters, but I'm still scouting for ideas for larger housing.
I think the upstairs bathroom will be OK--plenty of room, heated,
comfy....

Mary

    Mary, have you gotten something in writing from the owners
    relinquishing all claims to Blue?  It would be awful if after you nurse
    him back to health, that miserable man wants Blue back.  
    
    Steffi
    
    PS. My check's in the mail.

    Re: .52
    
    I'd let sleeping dogs lie. Possession, nine-tenths, and all that.
    

No, I haven't gotten anything in writing yet.  I asked my lawyer and he told
me that I really should, however my vet has noted in his file that the owner
instructed her to put the cat down, so that basically releases 'parental'
rights.  I will ask the wife owner to have his vet transfer Blue's file to
my vet.  The only way the owners would get Blue back is if the wife left the
husband for her cat.....

I really should have them release him legally.  Perhaps The FIRM can draw
up some kind of paper work.....

Mary

    Here's more hugs for Blue's speedy recovery.......I'm sure he'll be
    happy in the cage for awhile.....
    
    And for Bales...well thank god there are miracles.....and he proved
    kitty can live with Cardio.    
    
    Sandy

Well, Blue is home.  He even purred for me for a few moments last night.
It's obvious he's not a happy little kitty.  He's in alot of pain and he's
just not doing too terrific.  He's on 2 different medications and I'm
monitoring his respiration and heart (every two hours.....he's got a little
chart on his cage just like a hospital patient.  He's getting excellent
care from his personal nurse....

The other cats are very curious (and very pissed that they can't go into the
spare room).  Ever see a cat do chin-ups??  The table that Blue's cage
is on is the same width and length as his cage, so there isn't any place
to jump up.  Well, Biff got his from claws into the table and hoisted himself
up to get a better look at Blue.  It was quite a sight.  Blue just hissed
at him and Biff bolted.  Honey's interested in what the big deal is, and
little Beth is too busy carpet surfing.  She has no idea what's going on.

Blue is drinking plenty of water (and wetting his blanket), but hasn't
eaten a bite.  If he hasn't eaten by noon, he'll be going to my vet to
be force fed.

So, he's home, but not holding his own yet....

Mary

    I'm sure Blue has the best personal nurse he could possibly have.
    
    Your house is starting to sound like mine...we put Sass in a cage
    in my living room at night so he can be with us.   And my cats are
    so curious......they sit on the floor looking up at this huge cat
    with there mouth wide open as if they are in shock. I swear they
    think it is a small horse....and they don't even attempt to jump
    up to get a better look.   All Sass needs to do is "hiss"...and 
    off they go running!! 
    
    Keep us posted on blue...and if anyone can help this baby...I'm sure
    you can Mary!!!
    
    Sandy                    

    
    	I've seen pictures of Blue.  What a beautiful boy!  But he
    	definitely does not have on a happy face.....poor baby.  =(
    

    Mary, I don't now for sure if these would help. A suggestion for Blue
    wetting his blanket is to maybe get some of those Chucks.  They are
    absorbant like a diaper but with a plastic backing.  You can buy bags
    of them at CVS.  They have two different sizes.  They are actually
    pretty handy to have around.  You can put them in a carrier for short
    trips, hang them on the wall for studly dudes, use them for the elderly
    or sick children!  There's no limit!!! :-]
    Karen

Oh, what a good idea!  I'll have to check into that.  Changing Blue's 
bedding isn't easy, since he doesn't like to be lifted or moved.  Good thing
I spent all those years in nursing school learning how to change bedding
the the patient still in the bed....

Mary

    That little brat.  He snubbed his nose at Sheba.  He snubbed his nose
    at baby food.  He's now eating tuna like it's going out of style.
    At least I got something in him.....
    
    Nurse Mary

    Sounds like blue wants TO LIVE ... Yes!
    
    You're giving him lots of care (nursing) but what I believe will 
    pull him through is your love for him.  We're praying for a full 
    recovery.
    
    Marilyn & Otis
    

    Sounds like Blue is too stubborn to let his injuries beat him!  I think
    it's fantastic that he's in a warm home with someone who loves him!
    
    Best wishes still coming your way,
    Michelle

    mary, a bit off the topic but purity has canned tuna for a mere .39
    cents this week.  at that price, it's cheaper than catfood and the
    store is only 2 miles from where you work.  i'm watching out for you
    and big blue.  gee, maybe you could call him ibm?  :^)

    Re; maybe you could call him ibm
    
    I'm reporting you to the SPCA :-)
    

    
    Mary, something else that you may want to try is the new A/D food from
    Hill's Science Diet.  The vet started Bailey out on that and he liked
    it.  It tastes alot like the Gerbers chicken (yes i did stick my finger
    in and taste it) but it is more of "gruel" constistency and contains
    alot of the things that they need nutritionally.  I found that in the 
    beginning Bailey would not eat if it was put in front of him, but if
    I sat there and fed it to him off of my finger he would eat it.  I'd
    think about giving the A/D a try...
    
    

    Hi all...Blue continues to lie around and eat just a little.  He is
    responding to pets and kisses....and he gets plenty of them!  Poor
    little dear is spending the day at the vets tomorrow for an x-ray and
    some time of flea control.  He's so loaded with flea dirt, he looks
    like someone dusted him with dirt.  Poor littl guy....
    
    While Blue loves tuna, my vet asked me to see if I could find the low
    sodium type--the extra salt ain't good for his heart.  I also found
    some canned food with fish and no added salt.  Right now, it's just
    important for him to eat something and have a bowel movement.  If he
    doesn't tonight, my vet will force feed him and see if he can move his
    bowels by himself.  He also hasn't had much water today.  Gee, I feel
    like a Mother Hen!!
    
    Marlene, I'll ask my vet about A/D tomorrow.  I hope Bales is doing
    well!  Tell him Blue said hi!
    
    Mary

    I wonder if you could rinse some of the salt out of chunk tuna, without
    turning it into a soggy mess.
    

    I'M SO EXCITED!!  BLUE POOPED!!  Now, THIS is progress!!!!  He hadn't
    had a BM since I got him home, but he just passed 2 reasonable stools.
    "So what?" you say?  So this means Blue will not need surgery to fix
    his pelvis!!!  YIPEEEEEEEEE!!!
    
    As for the tuna front, I found low sodium tuna at the grocery store.
    He has to eat lying down, for the most part, so I mush it up with extra
    spring water, which he needs, and a little tiny bit of cat food, and
    he's taking it well.
    
    His vitals are good and he's looking better all the time!!!!!!
    
    Happy Thursday everyone!!
    Mary!!

    Way to go!!!!!
    
    L

    I'm proud of you, Mary!  Here's hoping Blue continues to progress at a
    rapid rate.
    
    :^) !!!
    
    -Roe
    

    Mary that is excellant news!!  It is a great feeling when you nurse a
    cat back to health. It's like the two of you worked together and
    struggled through a great battle and you won!!  Hooray!
    Karen

    Yay!  I'm so glad Blue is doing so well, Mary!
    
    I move that we nominate Mary as the patron saint of kittys.
    
    :-)
    
    NAnci

    Me is sick just popped in and cannot read all 73 replies. Mods feel
    free to remove my note here, I know it's inappropriate, but I AM MAD
    too and MUST say it here:
    
    Mary is a brave animal, I am an animal, and thinking of the rockthrowing
    boys I state again: I HATE HUMANS!!!!!!!
    
    Nat }-8  &  )))))))):   !!!!!

    Great news Mary....and beware...once you get Blue back to total
    health...it is my guess that you won't be able to give him up
    for adoption.   The same thing happen to me and Van Gogh...and
    we are bonded forever and I couldn't even imagine trying to find
    him a home!!!
    
    Keep up the great work..
    
    Sandy

    Mary, first thing each morning I check on Blue's progress.  When I
    think fo what you did for that cat my eyes just fill up.  You are a
    super person and I would love to meet you some day.  You should be 
    getting a check from me today.  God bless you AND Blue!!!!
    
    Pat Beaudet

	I'm still giggling over your note, Mary.  Only a true cat lover
	could get so excited about POOP! :^}  I'm glad to hear the news,
	though.  Give Blue a gentle hug from me.

	Sandy

    Mary,
    
    Each note I read about Blue makes me smile more and I am so excited
    at the prospect that he will fully recover.
    
    You are a special special lady!  Blue knows he was saved and that he
    is loved.  His gift to you is beating all the odds and surviving his
    tragic ordeal.  I think he will repay you by being one of the most
    loveable and devoted pets you will see in your lifetime.
    
    A match made in heaven.  
    
    Marilyn & Otis
    
    
    

    Mary-
    
    Another noter and I had an offline e-mail celebration when
    her cat finally pooped! 
    
    Right, Sandy?  (-8 (-;  
    
    When Rusty was ill, it was cause for celebration when his butt
    worked!
    
    L

    Lynne...your absolutely right.  I remember those poopy days very well.
    
    The problem with VG was he would go one day...and then would stop.
    I remember all my notes...he pooped...he didn't poop...he
    pooped and so on!!!   BTW...he poops all the time now...and is
    considered the big poophead!!
    
    Keep up the great work Mary.....Blue will be such a special kitty...
    just like Beth!!
    
    Sandy

    Mary,
    
    It is so nice to read good news first thing in the morning.  I'm
    thrilled that Blue pooped.  That means his innards are working.  Give
    him kisses and gentle hugs for me, too.  Hugs for his wonderful nurse,
    too.
    
    Steffi

You guys just amaze me!!  You're all so wonderful!  If Blue only knew what
a fan club he has!!!!!

It was one week ago this morning that Blue was hit.  We've had some terrible,
terrible moments in the past week.  The bottom was probably when Roberta and
I left him at Tufts.  He looked so awful.  Today, he's at my vets for an
xray and a much needed grooming.  Della with try to bathe him to get rid of
his flea problem.  If they decide it's too much for him, they'll just groom
him as well as they can without causing him discomfort.  He's really dirty.
And personal hygiene isn't tops on his list of favourite things either!
Last night, after he ate (and wore) lots of tuna, I got a warm wash cloth
and washed his face.  He seemed to like it, so I washed his ears and the rest 
of his head and neck.  He purred and rubbed all thru it.

To all of you, THANKS SO MUCH!  What a great group you are--from Hungary
to the UK, to California and back again--you're wonderful!

Mary

    Wow!  I just logged in and have read most of this note and can't
    believe what happened to Blue.  You're really an angel for taking care
    of him Mary.  
    
    My best wishes go out to you and Blue.  Sweetie sends her best wishes
    too and she knows that Blue is in great hands.  Actually, she wanted to
    send him the lizzard she caught last night but I told her that was
    completely inappropriate!
    
    Jeanne (Cali, Sweetie, Sam)
    
    P.S.  When I was very little I told my mom that I liked animals more
          than people and to this day, mean spirited people continue to
          reinforce this feeling.    I am glad to know that there are
          people out there (like all of you folks in feline notes) that
          balance this feeling.  Its the kindness of people like Mary that
          give hope and meaning to the future of humanity.
    

    Kisses to Blue.  One thing I've been doing in my Great Flea War is combing
    my cats gently with a fine tooth comb.  It gets out fleas plus a lot of the
    flea dirt.  It might help on the areas of Blue that are okay to touch
    without causing him pain.
    

    
    Mary, I can share your enthusiasm with a BM.  I was ECSTATIC to hit
    that milestone in Bailey's recovery process!  I am so happy to hear
    that he is on track...
    
    
    

    
    
    	Yippee!!!  yahoo!!  =)
    
    	Way to go Blue and Mary, patron saint of kitties!  =)
    

    Can't believe its only been a week!  So much has happened!  Glad
    to hear he is doing so well.  The BM is a major step for a cat with a
    fractured pelvis.
    
    Tell BLue he has a gang of fellow kitties rootin' for him!
    Denise and the gang of 10
    

    Hi all!  Well, Blue smells real nice and his fleas are gone.  Most of
    his mats are gone as well.  He wasn't too thrilled about having his
    tummy and hind quarter tended to, so there's still a little dirt down
    there, but no fleas!  Karen, I'll try to comb him whenever I can get
    near his tummy.  Otherwise, I'm trying to keep up with his grooming on
    the places I can reach.  I'm using a fairly wide tooth comb cause I'm
    afraid to hurt him.
    
    His mouth is still sore from the accident.  He had alot of caked blood
    on his lips (do cats have lips?) and Della cleaned that all up.  He's
    real sensitive and he was not too pleased when I gave him his meds at
    7:00 tonight.  I'm getting ready to give him one more before bed and
    I'll try to be more gentle.  He's eating rather gingerly but drinking
    OK.  And get this...in spite of all the time he spent outside, his
    stool test was negative!!  Amazing!!  Jeanne, Blue wants Sweetie to
    send that lizard as he's got no clue as to how to hunt prey!!  We'll
    keep an eye out for tapeworm, which is passed by fleas.  Sometimes, it
    doesn't show up in the stool.
    
    So, that's it from here!  I'm hoping for more poops in the
    morning--yes, it is amazing, Marlene!  We sit and wait for our boys to
    poop.  And who says I ain't got a life!!
    
    Mary

    Poor baby.  Lips heal quickly, I think because of the blood
    circulation to that area being very good.  give him a soft kiss on the
    top of his head for me.
    

    You might consider shaving him down for the duration of his recovery. 
    He won't be taking care of his own grooming, and with the pelvis injury
    the combing might be painful for him.  Also, fleas would be easier to
    treat if he didn't have too much coat.
    
    Jo

    Hi Jo,
    
    Tufts shaved down his chest for all his tests, and Della severely
    clipped back his 'bloomers'.  The rest of him is in pretty good
    shape.  He seems to be getting better about having his face washed...he
    thinks it's a treat!  He's got patches of fur missing all over--
    he looks like a patchwork kitty!!
    
    Right now, we're having a stand off on whether or not he'll eat the cat
    food I've left for him.  Seems he wants to hold out for more tuna....
    
    Mary

    re .83:        
    
    I once asked an old chinese wise:
    "Why are the human beings so cruel?" And he said:
    "Human beings are not cruel. There is but only a few human beings
    living around..."
    
    I am very sorry if I accidentally hurt any feelings calling Mary a
    'brave animal' - I meant only that I count her to the 'better side',
    not to the twoleggeds around. I also count animals to the 'better
    half', and not the humans. But as the old chinese wise said, not all the
    humanoids here ARE humans. So I do not hate humans, I hate the others of
    course. But I got SO MAD as I read the note, that I (again) could not
    control my words... forgive me.

Hi all,

Blue is doing pretty good for himself!  This morning, he eat an entire 3.5 oz
can of food in about 3 minutes.  He didn't like the food I left for him last
night (Sheba - salmon in aspic....excuse me!), so he was particularly hungry
when I fed him this morning.  He's starting to hold his body up, just the
front half, when he eats so that's making things alot easier for him.

I spent hours Friday night grooming him.  In spite of the flea bath, he
was still covered with the little buggers.  It was gross....just awful.
He's pretty flea-free right now...there may be one or two on his tummy,
but I'll get them, too!!  I think he feels alot better after his bath
and grooming.  He lets me know when he's had enough (grrrrrwwwwwoooooowwwww)
and I respect that warning!!

So, he's eating, pooping, peeing, taking his meds, and is nearly flea free!
And I'm exhausted.........

Mary

    Mary,  what good news, and a great way to start a Monday morning.
    
    I admire you so!  Glad to hear Blue is doing so well and I hope his
    health continues to improve.  Can't wait to read (one day soon) that
    he is running all over the place and giving your other kitties a run
    for their money!  He sounds like a real love.
    
    M
    

Hi all,

I took Blue back to Tufts this morning for a checkup.  He had a kidney
profile, an xray and another ultrasound to see how his heart is doing.
I'll have the test results later this afternoon.....

But more importantly, it seems like one of the 4th year students is
madly in love with Blue and may adopt him.  She's supposed to call me
this afternoon.  So, Blue's new Mom might be a vet who will be able to
give him the special care he'll need to continue his recovery and hopefully
long life......this would be the answer to my prayers....

Mary

    
    
    Oh, Mary, wouldn't that be wonderful.  We'll keep our fingers/paws
    crossed that this comes true for Blue.  What an ideal situation that
    would be.  You would still be Blue's Auntie Mary with visiting
    privileges, right?
    
    Pat & Clan
    

    Blue has to be one of the luckiest cats alive.  Imagine being rescued,
    brought back from near death - loved and cared for by you Mary, and
    now wanted by a veterinarian ... to be adopted and loved!  
    
    I will miss hearing about him on a daily basis, but I hope that you 
    stay in touch with Blue's new Mom and keep us posted of his progress.
    
    Thanks Mary for your devotion and commmitment to caring for those
    beautiful animals known as the "cat".
    
    Regards,
    
    Marilyn & Otis
    

Blue's tests were NORMAL!  His kidneys are tolerating the medication well
and he's doing just great.

Now, all I gotta do is wait to hear from the potential adoptee.......

Mary

    
    Good news, Mary.  I think everyone in Feline is following Blue's story
    like a good soap opera.  You know, his story would also be a good one
    to submit to Cat Fancy some day, along with Beth's.  They would give
    readers who may have similar situations the courage and hope that you
    have had in helping these special babies.
    
    Pat & Clan
    

I think you have an excellant point. As Feliner's have demonstrated,
there are people who care about animals and who are committed to acting
on their feelings. I think there are many more people who care but are
surrounded by so much hard-heartedness, that they think their sensitivity
is abnormal. Articles such as you suggest would help to set a new
standard of behaviour. Today , cat fanciers, tomorrow, THE WORLD!!!!!
                   ^
               (too many British novels)


                                             Susan

Well, we had a little scare with Blue last night.  When I got home, I noticed
that his bedroom door was open, which means the other monsters had access to
his room.  Blue was in his cage but seemed to be in some distress.  Upon
closer examination, his tongue was sticking out a little--and this persisted.
He also seemed to be wheezing, although his lungs were clear.  And his temp
was 103.4 (high normal is 102.5).  So, I called Tufts....they suggested that
I continue to monitor him closely and if his temp went up or if his breathing
was labored I was to rush him in.  He ate a little dinner for me and settled
in for a nap.  I made sure his cage was covered and closed the door so he 
could rest.  Two hours later, his temp was down and he seemed to be getting
back to normal.  I think the monsters just stressed him out too much.  I made
double sure his door was closed this morning!!

Usually, when I change his bedding, I try to do it with him still in the
cage, but this morning, I decided to put him on the floor while I cleaned
his cage. Well, the little monster stands right up and proceeds to try to
explore the entire room!!  He actually walked around without too much
trouble.  He's supposed to be severely restricted, but I think he enjoyed
his little foray.  Tomorrow, I'm moving his table and cage to be in front
of the window so he can at least look outside.  Poor little Blue!!

Mary

The tongue business might be directly related to the 'monsters'.
Cats have glands *everywhere* for detecting and leaving scent.
Glands on the end of their tongue help detect scents. Bumble Bea
does this when she gets 'frisky' (attack mode).

Maybe Blue was just giving the monsters the raspberries. 8^)



                                  Susan

    Mary,
    
    I'm glad he is doing better, and Ithink it is a grerat idea to let him
    look out the window, but since he will be in a cage, don't put him
    directly in the window as he could overheat (& dehydrate) in direct
    sunlight.
    
    Deb

I think I'm having a crisis.  Blue doesn't like me.  The poor guy is stuck
in a cage 24 hours a day--and has to be.  But, I'm not Mom to him....I'm
Nurse.  He just doesn't like me.  He doesn't purr for me any more and he
has started turning his back on me, particularly after I give him his
medication.  I feel just awful.  He also hates having the other cats in
his room and gets all worked up---tongue sticking out, wheezing....
I just don't know what to do.  And to make matters worse, his owner came
by to see him Saturday night and when she left, I went upstairs to check on
him and he was sitting up, meowing, and pawing at his cage.  He wanted his
REAL MOM, not me!!  I dunno.  I wish I could hold him and let him out and
all that, but I know I can't.  I don't know what to do......Maybe I'll
sleep in his room tonite...

Mary

Wow. That's hard to deal with. Sounds like he sees you as his imprisoner,
especially now that he knows his old Mom is still around. you'll have to
trust that you are doing the right thing and when he is able to get about
his attitude will change.

If he has his own room, does he have to be in the cage?


                                             Susan

    Mary,
    	Don't blame yourself!  Blue needs the care and attention you've 
    given him.  Otherwise he wouldn't even be alive!  It seems natural
    that he would resent being in the cage and having you give him
    medication, but eventually as he gets better he may come around to
    appreciating your love and affection.  Also, maybe it's better if
    you don't get too attached.  Is there still a possibility that the
    vet at Tufts will give him a home?  
    
    Hang in there.  Blue really needs you even tho' he doesn't show it.
    
    Barbara

    
    Don't feel bad, Mary. It's just hard for Blue to understand why he is
    being caged.  I'm sure he appreciates all you've done and are doing for
    him.  I don't think it's a good idea though for him to see his "real"
    mom any more as this is not helping him heal or adjust well to his new
    living conditions.
    
    Pat & Clan
    

    Mary,
    
    Barbara is right.  It's going to be difficult, but you know you are
    doing the right thing; Blue couldn't survive without the care you are
    giving him.  Take comfort in that.
    
    On another tack, sometimes an animal is extremely grateful when
    rescued, and becomes very loving and affectionate with the rescuer.  
    But I think with Blue, he wasn't lost or hungry or away from home, 
    and maybe he associates you with his pain (unfortunately).  Also, his
    loyalty to his previous owner is, I think, something we all would like
    to see in our cats.  Wouldn't we all like to think that, if our cat(s)
    were lost and rescued by someone else, they would still come running to
    us when we find them no matter how much time has passed?
    
    In any case, I think he will come around.  Even if he never realizes
    what you did for him, you know that you did something wonderful and
    definitely worthwhile - he would be dead if it wasn't for you!
    
    Best wishes,
    Michelle

    Hang in there Mary.  My own guys have done the "turned back" number
    sometimes when they've reached their medication limit.  I really feel for
    Blue, since obviously his female former owner and he love each other, but
    the fact is that he just isn't safe in that home because of the male
    owner.  His impatience with his cage s a sign that he's getting better.
    Is it possible to keep the other cats out of his room?  And how are
    things going with his potential new vet owner?
    

Gee, isn't this why I got out of nursing in the first place---little babies
that you knew you were doing the right thing for that just don't understand
that???  Geeeezzzzz.....

I try real hard to keep the other cats out of his room.  He's closed in
during the day, and actually, the only time he has company is when I'm
with him.  I think I need to spend more time with him.  Maybe tonight I'll
try holding him for a while.  Because of his injuries, I've been reluctant
to do that.  We'll see how he handles it.

I think it's best that the former owner not see him--maybe it's too confusing
for him.  I wonder if he associates me with pain and grief.  Maybe once he's
feeling better.  The Cardizem also makes him "dishraggy" as one of the vets
at Tufts put it.

I haven't heard from the vet at Tufts, so I'm not holding out much hope.  I'm
taking him back to see the cardiologist on the 17th, so I'll see what's up
then.  I think Blue needs a home with a full time Mom and no other mean
cats (like Biff and Julie) to scare or intimidate him.  Poor Blue.....

Mary

    I agree with both Pat and Karen.  Sometimes when a cat is feeling
    better they fight the medication and the situation more.  Once he is
    free of the cage and the medicine, he will probably bounce right back. 
    It is a hard case to call about the owner tho!  I understand that she
    may love the cat, but, if she truly loved him she wouldn't have let
    what happen happen.  I know, sometimes you can't be that strong. (as in
    battered women syndrome)  On the other hand, I would be really p****ed
    if she came to my house and got the cat upset while not living up to AT
    LEAST PART of the ownership responsibility.  Love the cat or not, she
    has left his care and bills up to you!  That in my estimation does not
    a worthy cat owner make.  flame off.  (didn't realize I turned it on!)
    Karen, with her own thousands in vet bills!

    mary, have you tried some positive type of conditioning?  when you give
    blue a pill, maybe give him a treat as well and say "good kitty".  if 
    he gets something bad and something good at the same time, he'll maybe
    focus on the good instead of the bad.
    bill's cat has never liked me from day one.  with some cats, you just
    can't win their love.  
    has anyone else been around blue?  maybe if he had some visitors he'd
    realize he was wanted and needed?  i can always stop by before or after
    work with a pounce treat for the boy.  :^)

    Good idea; I discovered a long time ago thatif kitty gets a little
    butter with the pill, they actually start looking forward to "pill
    time" (well almost).
    
    Deb

    Holly gets lots of cuddles when she gets her pills (morning and
    evening for the next two weeks, sigh).  You could cuddle Blue without
    actually picking him up, which might be more comfortable for him.
    
    The stray I've been feeding outside for months now still growls
    if I take too many liberties.  Sometimes virtue has to be its
    own reward :-)
    

    Re: butter
    
    How do you get the pill off your finger and down the cat's gullet if it
    has butter on it?
    

Re: butter...I don't know, but I'll try it tonight!

Neither Blue nor I get many visitors.  In fact, he doesn't get any.  I'm
always petting him and rubbing him and kissing him and telling him I love him,
but he seems unimpressed.  I visit him often when I'm home and talk to him
constantly.  I think he's just depressed.  Poor little guy!  I'll try to
spend more time with him when I'm home--with the other cats shut out.  I
might even spend the night on the sofa bed and see if he likes the company.
He's got a good month to go in the cage.  I'll see if Tufts will allow him
some excercise outside of the cage.

I just wish I could get a purr....

    Karen,
    
    my way of pilling a cat is to hold kitty's head up and mouth open with
    my right hand, and I sort of "aim and drop" the pill down the center 
    of kitty's mouth with my left hand. (Wrong handed people will do this
    with the hands reversed, but these directions should be perfect for
    Mary's use). The butter really won't cause the pill to
    stick to your fingers as it sort of melts. After I pill the cat, I'll
    usually take another pinch of butter and let the cat lick it off my
    fingers.
    
    Deb

    Well, turns out I am wrong handed!  Gee, talk about valuing
    differences....so I'm directionally challenged...
    
    I tried pilling Blue with butter tonight and Blue managed to get all
    the butter down and then pitooied the pill.  It's difficult to
    pill him cause I've got to get him at the right angle without hurting
    him and squeeze my upper body into the cage opening.  He often manages
    to get the pill up and over his tongue and then--PITOOI!!  Out it
    comes.  I found a couple on his blanket--now I'm real careful about
    pilling him.  He did love the butter however...
    
    I think the clue is to keep the butter cold cause it melts when it
    touches my fingers.  We'll keep trying...
    
    Mary, who like George Bush and Bill Clinton is left handed...

    Mary,
    
    There are those of us that are left handed, which makes the others
    wrong handed! (check out the directions; I'm left handed too!)
    
    Deb
    
    P.S. All three major candidates for president are left handed!

    ... and if I had a $1 for every time some excuse for an elementry educator
    tried to switch me, I'd have enuff $$$ to pay off the national debt!
    
    Deb

    Actually, I suspect that all of the FELINE moderators are southpaws.
    I seem to recall Jan saying that she is; SO, that leaves Jo; Is Jo left
    handed?
    
    Deb

    Jo is right handed.  The left-handedness settled on me and my younger
    sister Jaci and not Jo..
    
    Jan

    Mary,
    
    We tried the butter on the pill routine for Misha for a while.  But it
    was such a mess on the fingers, and Misha also managed to spit the pill
    out, and also foam at the mouth because it tasted so bad.  Bob got
    really good at pilling him.  He'd wrap Mish in a towel, so just his
    head was sticking out.  He held Mish's mouth open with one hand, drop
    the pill down the throat with the other, then hold Mish's mouth closed
    and stroke his throat to make him shallow.  That worked.  Then Bob
    would give him Cat Loves treats, (which Mish loves).  Good luck.  
    
    Steffi 

    Hi Mary,
    
    What a great story this string of notes was.  I haven't been in Feline
    in a while, so it took me a bit to catch up.  Hats off to you for
    taking care of this guy.
    
    As for pilling, I have a little trick that seems to work.  Grab the
    head, pry open the mouth, drop the pill far back at the base of the
    tongue, close the mouth and hold it shut, and while you are holding it
    shut, blow a little puff of air at Blue's face/nose.  That seems to
    surprise them into swallowing the pill.  I have pretty good success
    with this.
    
    Good luck,
    
    Sue B + Smokey (who is fat and eats a lot and snarfs any pill down if I
    just mix it with her food) + Spike & Trouble

    Don't worry Blue knows who is helping him...he's just being a
    little poophead and wants you to feel guilty.
    
    Reading your stories remind me so much of what I went through with
    Van Gogh....there were times I thought he hated me and would have
    prefered to go to kitty heaven.  BUT,..now that he feels great...
    he truly loves me and thinks I'm some kind of kitty god!!!
    
    Why don't you pill Blue...and then give him a bit of butter for his
    reward.      
    
    Sandy

    Deb,
    
     I must REALLY be wrong handed! I'm left handed, but when I pill, I do
    the reverse of what you do! No wonder I'm so bad at directions! ;-)
    
    Mary,
    
     Blue will come around to love you once he feels better, and is allowed
    to move around. I agree with Sandy. He's just being a poophead! 8-)
    
    Yonee

Oh!  Gee, Deb!  I must be wrong brained!!  Like many left handed people, I'm
slightly dyslexsic...I can't do b's and d's, which is why I never went to work
for the Rdb (or is it Rbd) group....

Some of my best friends are left handed.....I'm convinced Beth is.  She always
reaches out to feel around with her left paw.  Must take after her mom!!

Deb, it's just when I think of you, I think right---far right....;*)

Enough of that!  Blue purred for me last night while I was combing him!!
It was after I pilled him and before I fed him.  I'm going to try to make
pilling as pleasant as possible from now on.  Poor little guy.  I know
he feels cooped up, but there isn't any alternative.  He's to be severely
cage restricted till mid December.  Period.  I don't want him re-injuring
that pelvis!!

Oh, speaking of far right and far left, when I was in high school, our
debating coach was introducing the debators and when he came to me, he said
"And to my left....my far, far left....."...a budding bleeding heart liberal
even back then!!

Mary

    Interesting; I'm bad at directions, too. To me, straight ahead means "go
    toward the left"; if someone says "turn right", I have to stop and
    think which way is right (and if I don't have my watch on, which I wear
    on my right wrist, I some times guess wrong). In fact, I have a friend
    that gives me directions that say "turn to the driver side" and "turn
    to ward the passenger side"!
    
    Interesting that you folks pill the reverse way I do. Probably my
    athletic instincts taking over. My success in pilling cats is that
    I have the head almost straight up so that there is a direct path down
    the throat, and it is important to aim the pill accurately to get it down.  
    Since I'm sort of aiming and dropping/throwing, and since I throw
    lefty, I guess I'm approaching the task similar to how I would aim
    and throw a ball. (If I tried throwing righty for accuracy, I couldn't
    hit the broad side of a barn door). 
    
    Deb

    Mary,
    
    Does Blue like either Nutrocal or Petromalt?  If the pills are small,
    try hiding them in a blob and placing it on the roof of his mouth. 
    This works for Taja, who hates to be pilled, but loves both Nutrocal
    and Petromalt!  The Nutrocal will give Blue extra vitamins too.
    
    Good luck,
    
    -Roberta
     

    
    I use a "pill popper" on the Bales with no problem.  It is basically
    a tubular syringe-type of a gadget with a rubber tip on the end of
    it.  You stick the pills in the end, open the mouth, push the plunger
    and they go right down.  I couldn't find it the other day and had to
    use my hands.  I had forgotten what a pain that was...
    
    

Roberta, I did try the Nutracal method...the pill came out, the nutracal went
down.

Marlene, I'm gonna try that pill popper.  I've seen them advertised and will
see if I can find one locally.  It's just too bad he has to get 4 pills a day...

Mary

    Just a thought on the subject of pilling.  I have not been able to 
    successfully pill Nippa for years, she barfs them right back up, no
    matter what nice tasty things she gets immeadiatly after.
    
    Usually the vet has some form of liquid alternative for me, however if
    I was faced with prospect of no alternative, I might try the following
    (which works on pilling horses w/ out the large piller-stuffer-downer-
    thingy).
    
    crush the pill, mix w/ water, milk, tuna juice - something wet, and
    put into a dose syring and dose.
    
    Might work.
    
    Michele
    
    p.s.
    
    I'm glad to hear Blue is feeling better! 

    Mary, the vet probably stocks those pill poppers.
    

Bumble Bea says that raw liver makes anything bearable. But
there's no accounting for taste.

At the risk of driving the moderators crazy: One Christmas I
gave my lefthanded sister a lefty can opener that was sturdy
enough to be called a 'tool'. An other-handed friend of hers
tried to open a can with it and *broke it*.


                                     Other-handedly yours,

                                     Susan

    We've reached a MAJOR milestone.  The orthopedic surgeon told me that
    the first sign that Blue's pelvis was healing would be his sitting up
    often, then he'd eat standing up and be able to wash his own face.  
    This morning, Blue was sitting up when I came in to see him (looking 
    out his window), and when I fed him, he ate standing up and now
    lustfully washing his face with his paws and having a little drink of
    water to wash it all down.  Oh, God...he's cleaning his
    privates......YIPEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    
    Mary
    

    Mary, why don't you change the title to Blue's Rescue or something more
    appropriate or are you still damn mad?  :^)  

    
    Mary, Great news, you've done a wonderful job with blue, wish there
    were more poeple like you on this earth.
    
    Shaw

    
    Mary, this is the kind of news that I like to start my day with!
    I am excited for you!!!!
    
    
    

    I've been out sick for a few days, and had to immediately check on
    Blue's progress when I returned!
    
    Sounds like he's doing fantastic.  Congratulations, Mary!
    
    RE:  Pilling .. my method is to put the cat on my lap, with it's butt
    toword me.  Then grab the cat's head from the top with my right hand,
    move it slightly to the left and up and back.  Pill between my left
    index finger and thumb (Yes, I'm a lefty too!) I open the cat's mouth
    with my second finger and shove the pill down the cat's throat.  Finger
    goes slightly down as well, which makes the cat swallow.
    
    Works every time!
    
    Oh, and did you people realize that there's a lefty notes file???  It's
    on IOSG::LEFT_HANDERS.
    
    Holly
    

    Mary,
    
    Wonderful news!  First he purred and now he's standing and eating and
    washing himself!  I am so happy for you and Blue.  You are a super
    nurse.
    
    Steffi

You know, I'll bet he was wondering why I was so happy over him licking
himself.....

I'm getting better at pilling him.  Now that he's able to sit up better,
I try to get him up a little, then shove the pill down his throat.  I'm
a good little piller with the rest of the cats, it's just that it's
difficult to pill him in his cage and I don't want to move him around too
much cause I know it hurts him.

But, we're getting better (both of us!) and that's what counts!

    RE:. .135
    
    Great News. (I think that the fact that he is cleaning himself is proof
    that he is well on the read to a full recovery!)
    
    The FIRM and Deb  (they insist on getting first billing from now on)

    Yeah, Blue!
    

    Great work, Mary!  He has come a long way since that Sunday afternoon we
    spent sitting at Tufts waiting for a prognosis.  Hugs to both you and
    Blue!!
    
    -Roberta
    

    Great News!!  He must certainly be feeling better to  clean himself up. 
    This means he is caring about what he looks like!  Does he react any
    differently towards you now?
    Congrats,
    Karen

Hmmmmm....No, I think I'm still just NURSE.  Maybe that's why Mikey hates me,
too.  I spent some time with Blue last night and he seemed to enjoy it.

This morning, he seemed to be enjoying the sunshine and was sitting up
looking out the window at the falling leaves.  He's got to be bored out of
his mind.  Poor guy!!  And he's not too nuts about the other cats coming
into HIS room....

He's so pretty...

Mary

    Good work, Mary!  I've always thought that the best sign of a healthier
    cat is when their natural feline vanity takes over and they begin
    grooming.  :-)
    
    I'm so happy for both of you!
    
    Nanci

    Mary,
    
    every year about this time I bring in few leaves for the FIRM to play
    with/in. They especailly love the smell of them. Maybe you could bring
    in a few for Blue (and the other 7) to play with.
    
    Deb

That's a terrific idea!  With all this rain, leaves have been bringing
themselves in on my shoes!!  But I will gather some up to see if Blue
wants to play.

I'm gonna take some more pictures of Blue this weekend for everyone to see--
of course, he's got The FIRM handling his publicity these days.......

Mary

    Actually, Her Loveliness and Alexandra the Greatest are arguing over
    who gets to be lead publicist in Blue's publicity campaign.

    Deb

    I saw pictures of Blue yesterday, and he is absolutely beautiful!
    He has beautiful blue eyes and is very clean and fluffy, thanks to
    Mary's cleaning and grooming him.  He looks like he wants to be top
    cat, but it's hard to tell his personality while he's confined to
    the cage.  I sure hope he finds a home when he's healthy again.
    
    Barbara

A Blue update....

Blue continues to do well and is still washing his own face!  Last night,
after slurping down his c/d dinner, he did all the normal cat things, including
a real cat stretch (position 1 only, back arching....)!  He still HATES his
meds, but I'm bigger and more determined than he is!!

This morning, Blue had his tail in his water bowl, his foot in his food bowl,
and his head resting on his litter box.  Do you think he was trying to tell
me his cage is too small????  His cage is 2 feet by 3 feet, but since the
litter box takes up 1 of those three feet, he's really cramped for space.
Taylor Rental doesn't have bigger cages, so I was wondering if any of you
feliners know of where I could rent a bigger cage.  Blue needs some room to
stretch out and move around now that he's feeling better....

Blue says to say HI to everyone!

Mary

    How much longer is Blue's jail term? :-)
    

    Mary, how about a cage 26" X 44"??
    
    Holly
    

Karen, Blue will be caged until December 14....8 weeks from his accident.
He'll be staying at my vet's from Dec. 3 thru 14 as I'll be out of town, but
the orthopedic surgeon said 8 weeks so, that'll be it.

Holly, his cage now is 25" by 38", so it's only 6" longer than what he
has.  I'm looking for something about 36" x 60".  I'm gonna call a few
places and see what they've got.  Of course, I'm gonna check with Tufts
to make sure it's OK to give him that extra room.......  He's asking for
his kitty treadmill and weight lifting equipment to be put in with him....

Poor little guy...he barely has enough room to turn around!!!

Mary

    Hi Mary,
    
    I called a few places around here for you and NOBODY has any animal
    cages for rent!  I was amazed!  They all asked if I wanted a
    have-a-heart trap, or a carrier.
    
    One place suggested that I call a vet and ask them.  That might be an
    alternative as well.
    
    Holly
    

    Wow, I just saw pictures of Blue and what a hunk!!!!  He's a Richard
    Gere in cat clothing.  :^)  

    When I needed a big cage for Sweetie (too bad, Mary, it's in Calif.),
    I called the wildlife rescue annex to the local animal shelter and they
    pointed me at the place that they got their cages.  Another possibility
    is that the vet might know of a place.
    

    Well, the vet nixed the bigger cage theory.  So poor Blue gets to
    stay cooped up for a couple more weeks.  When he spends 10 days at the
    vets the beginning of December, he'll be in a double cage so he'll be
    able to move around and get some excersise while they can keep an eye
    on him.  
    
    Sorry, kiddo, I tried....
    
    Mary and Blue
    

    My poor little Blue.  On Saturday, I noticed he had a bump under his
    chin on the left side of his face.  Nothing terrible, I though...he
    didn't seem to mind it.  Being over-protective, I made an appointment
    for him for Wednesday to have my vet look at it.  Tonight, I came home
    and noticed he hadn't eaten much.  And he refused dinner.  I then
    noticed that there was something really wrong with his chin.  Oh, my,
    thinks The Good Nurse, this is an absess.  Yup, right.  It burst all
    over me.  I called my vet who, praise God, was still there, and I
    rushed Blue in.  He was leaking and bleeding all over.  Turns out that
    Blue fractured a tooth in the accident (and chipped several more) and
    it had become infected and then absessed.  Problem was that with his
    heart condition, he wouldn't have handled anesthesia to remove the
    tooth.  So, with two of us holding him down, out came the tooth (before
    you ask, Novacaine does not work in the presence of an absess).  Robin
    got it all, two pieces and the root.
    
    Blue is home resting comfortably, complete with a shaved chin and a
    missing tooth.  He's not too happy about taking two more pills a day,
    but we've got a new pill popper and it works great.  He never knew what
    hit him!!  
    
    As for some good news, Robin said his heart rate was much, much better 
    and she said it was normal, considering the pain poor Blue was in.  
    I told her about all you wonderful Feliners and how supportive
    you've been and she said you were all FOBs--Friends of Blue!!! 
    To explain this to our readers abroad, during our Presidential
    election, Bill Clinton's closest friends and advisors were called
    FOBs--Friend of Bill's--by his staff.  So, you're all FOBs, too!
    
    As for me, I'm gonna get Blue some Gerber's strained chicken and 
    tuck him in for the night......
    
    Mary

    Poor Blue.....just to know what he is already going through...and
    now to have to deal with an absess!  Poor baby....give him plenty
    of soft hugs.
    
    Mary...thank god you are a over protective MOM!!
    
    Sandy

    Gosh, what you two are going through!  Hats off to both of you - Blue
    for surviving it all, and Mary for surviving it all too!
    
    Best to both of you from me and my three,
    
    Sue B. + Smokey, Spike and Trouble

    Mary,
    
    When I first saw your title of "Poor Blue" my heart sunk, and I braced
    for the worst.  Thank God, he's OK.  The poor baby has been through so
    much, and poor Mary, so have you.  Mary, you're a great mom and
    terrific nurse.
    
    Steffi (who's proud to be a FOB)
    

    Gosh, poor baby.  I'm so glad it's turned out okay.
    

    
    
            OUCH!!  Knowing how much tooth pain can hurt, I really feel
    for him.  Just thinking about it makes my jaw ache.  Poor Blue!
    Give him a kiss.....
    
    Denise  FOB

Gee, I don't know who that cat was in Blue's cage this morning, but it
certainly wasn't the same cat who was at the vet's the night before!!  This
new cat was sitting up at 4:30 a.m. and when I opened the door to his room,
this new cat meowed at me and stuck a paw thru the cage.  That couldn't be
Blue!  He purred all over me and kept looking at Blue's empty food dish.
I filled it and he ate heartily.  He then rubbed all over me and purred like
crazy.  I went back to bed with a smile on my face...

When I went back in at 6:00, armed with medication, wash clothes, ointments,
and a few other things, the old Blue had returned and he gave me the evil eye.
But, all in all, it's good to see Blue, except for getting meds, becoming the
love-bug he always had the potential to be!!  He meows, purrs, and rubs, just
like a real kitty!!

He feels MUCH better!

Mary

Mary,


On wednesday evenings I sit in a healing circle. We use meditation
to get in touch with and direct the healing energy that is all
around us. I took the liberty of writing 'Blue and Mary' on our
healing list, and I like to think that this contributed to Blue's
behaviour this a.m.


                                      Susan

    Hugs to Blue!
    

    Mary, you must stop with these notes.  I'm getting the urge to come by
    and take Blue home with me.  Wonder what Lea would think of him?  :^)

    Cheryl,
    
     I personally think Lea, Chubs and zelda would all love to have Blue
    come live with them! ;-) Am I a trouble maker or what?
    
    Yonee

    Miss Colaianni, since you only have two cats and I have three, perhaps
    you should be the one to adopt Big Bucks Blue.  Then we'll be even and
    Mary will still have more cats than you and I combined.  :^)  Or, are
    you smuggling cats into your home and not telling the Feliners about
    them?  Fess up or I'm telling.  :^0

    What a great idea for his official name - "Big Bucks Blue".
    
    Mary, I'm so happy that he is purring for you now.  Was last night's
    vet visit just a check-up from his dental experience?  How is his poor
    mouth?
    
    Here's hoping you'll get lots more purrs and loving from Blue.
    
    Steffi

    
    	Guess I'll definitely have to stop by and introduce myself
    	to Mr. Blue....now that he's feeling more like his old
    	self.
    

Since everyone's been asking....Blue was wheezing yesterday afternoon--a 
warning that he wasn't handling the Amoxi very well.  We switched him to
a pediatric antibiotic--only $32.75 and while I was at it, we got his
Cardizem script filled...only $80.00...

So, why do we call him Big Bucks Blue????????

Mary

    Mary,

    As you know, it is time to make our health "benefit" choices. If you
    were to choose the "family plan", and you change your cat's names to
    human names (like most of the the members of THE FIRM have), you can
    get his proscriptions filled for only a $2-$8 co-payment.


    The FIRM and Deb

    Well, let's see....there's Hamilton Bates Farnsworth, Chauncey Coleman
    Farnsworth, Julie Barrett Hall, Robin Porter Hall, Michael J. Bunny,
    Biff von Biffster, Elizabeth Barrett Bunny, and Blue Bird of Happiness.
    I guess Biff and Blue need some work....I'll have THE FIRM deal with
    probate.........
    
    I think it was Sandy Merritt I told this to, but I said that having all
    these cat bills is the reason God made macaroni and cheese 4/$1....
    
    Mary

    
    	re: -1
    
    	So *that's* it!!!  =)  Makes sense.....
    

    
    Mary...as long as we don't catch you sharing the kitty food...you'll
    be all right.  But think about it...Macaronni and cheese is cheaper
    then cat food!!!
    
    Sandy

    I am proud of being a FOB, but I am proud being a FOM (friend of Mary),
    too! I really loveya for all that you've done.
    
    Nat

Nat, thanks so much for the kind words!!  It's nice having a friend in Hungary!

As for Blue, I think he's having a urinary problem.  He's going off to spend
the day at the vet right now....poor guy...

Mary

I'm just worried sick about Blue.  This morning he was trying to use his box,
but he just kept looking at me and meowing.  I had suspicions about this
for a couple days, so not wanting to take any chances, the vet asked that
I bring him in.  They're gonna express his bladder--if they can--and see
what happens.  Poor little Blue....he's gone thru so much!!!

Mary

    Poor baby.  I wouldn't go completely around the bend, though, Mary, since
    you've caught this in time.  Although you and Blue must have used up
    about all of your Moral Fortitude and then some by now.  Please
    let us know what the vet says.
    

    P.s.  Have you given him Pounce treats, by any chance?  They bring on
    FUS almost immediately in my cats.
    

No, he doesn't get any treats.  Actually, he doesn't like them so it's not
a problem!

The vet said his bladder was small, which means he probably isn't blocked.
It looks like I'll be taking him home tonight and sleeping in the room
with him so I can keep an eye and ear on him.  Maybe he just didn't like
me watching him this morning and was telling me to bug out!  Some cats
prefer their privacy....

By the way, Dr. Kaas is looking after Blue today instead of Dr. Porter.
He said that Blue is "just gorgeous"......:*)

Mary

    Don't rule out that he can't poop!  Pelvis injuries can sometimes
    cause injury to the bowel....

Oh, Lynne, he's pooping..........I noticed that he pinned a picture of
Seattle Slew (a famous race horse of years gone by) beside his litter box.
Blue can poop with the best of them.....

    I wish him another nine, poor guy has used his lives quite up...
    Paws crossed.

    Mary - can you please bring a picture of Blue with you this evening?
    Maybe you could leave it by Bill's dinner plate?  :^)

So, you should all stop feeling sorry for Blue.  He spent a fun day at the 
vet, getting his chin scratched and his ears rubbed (ya, and his bladder
felt...), but he got to come home last night.  The vet said he didn't
strain at all during his stay.  We discussed getting the clumping style
litter so I could monitor his "output", so on the way home, I ran into
the store, bought some and rushed home.  Picture me carrying a large kennel
with Blue in it, 14 lbs of litter and clutching a new litter box between
my lips as I'm walking up a flight of stairs, being trailed by Beth, who
insists on running under my feet, and Biff, who insists on tripping Beth.
When I got Blue out of his kennel and into his cage, I noticed that the
little brat had peed on his blankets in the kennel.  Great....more laundry.
This morning, I checked his box and he had peed and left me a very nice
clump which I weighed and had bronzed........

Darn that cat.....

He's doing just fine.........

    Mary,
    
    You're so funny. I got to the last sentence in your paragraph and just
    cracked up.  Glad to hear Blue's doing what he should.
    
    Give him some hugs and kisses for me.
    
    Steffi
    

Ah,  Cheryl,  Blue would like you to say how gorgeous he is......

    Geeze Mary, give me a chance.  :^)  Blue is a real cutie!!!
    Bill and I were able to hear his purring through a stethoscope.  brrr,
    brum, brrr, brum, BRRRR, BRUMMMM, brrr...  What a purrbox that cat
    has!!!!  I'm convinced Mary now has 8 cats.  There's no way she could
    part with Blue cause he's too handsome and cuddly!
    			      ---
    
    One more mudslide and I think Bill would have been more acceptable
    about bringing home Blue. :^)  Now, let's talk about Honey, Mary's
    first cat.  He's the ultimate lovebug who purrs, chirps and mirps all
    at the same time.  I'm going over to Mary's next time with a large
    empty pocketbook (but it won't be empty when I leave :^)  Blue and
    Honey are going to have to fight it out.  :^)

    Oh, and if anyone wants to hear all the details about Blue, he has
    these neat colored aqua eyes and incredibly long tufts of chocolate
    fuzzy hair sticking out of his ears.  His coat is all soft and puffy
    and his coloring is just so soothing....  He has this pose where he
    puts his chin out flat and rests against a towel and gazes out to Mary
    like he's lusting after her.  He's definitely found his home.  :^)
    
    I don't know Mary, Bill did like Blue although he's been threatening to
    trade me in ever since.  :^)

    Correction to the previous note - Blue has blue tufts sticking out of
    his ears, not chocolate.  Must have chocolate on the brain or
    something...

    RE: .194
    
    That's what you get for giving up chocolate!
    
    Sheesh!  I shutter at the thought! (-:
    
    Holly
    

    >That's what you get for giving up chocolate!
    
    
    Why on earth would anyone even consider doing that?
    
    Deb

    OK, enough of this chocolate talk.  There's some news about Blue....
    Poor little pumpkin and his "primary caregiver" (he has promoted me
    from nurse to caregiver....this means he kinda likes me) went to Tufts
    to get good news about his heart, and sure enough, he's doing well. 
    That's the good news.  The bad news is that they dragged in a
    veterinary dentist to look over his mouth and the news is not that
    good.  Blue will need surgery to pull at least 2 more teeth and
    to get a darn good cleaning.  The surgery will be done at Tufts so that
    his board certified veterinary dentist can work with a board certified
    anesthesiologist who will have Blue's board certified cardiologist near
    by in case he suffers congestive heart failure.  Geeezzzzz....his board
    certified nurse (me) is going certifiably nuts.....
    
    But back to good news...his lungs were clear on the xray they did today
    and everyone came to see him and see how good he was doing.  He
    marveled them by running down the hall and he insisted on purring thru
    most of the exam (the denist got NO PURRS!).  So, short of a little
    surgery, he's doing well!
    
    Mary
    

    Ooohhh, poor Blue - will he never get a break?  Bad news about the
    mouth, but it's great that he's doing better overall.
    
    Michelle

    Michelle, Blue got several breaks 5 weeks ago today!!!  And according
    to his attending vet at Tufts, the best break was having me find him!! 
    I'm still looking for light at the end of the tunnel...and I'm sure
    Blue wants to get back to being a cat instead of a patient!
    
    Mary
    

    I know that he got a great big break when you found him, Mary.  I just
    meant that he's been through enough already, and he deserves an easier
    road to recovery now.
    
    Best wishes for Blue,
    Michelle

    And I try to clarify!  I mean he got lots of broken parts--that's what
    I meant by breaks!  There are good breaks and bad breaks....those
    broken teeth, that poor pelvis in three pieces--you're right, Blue
    deserves a good break right now!!  He just wished I'd stop shoving
    pills down this throat!!
    
    Mary
    

    
    Well Mary, how's Blue doing this morning. I haven't had my daily 
    doze of Blue update.... 
    
    Shaw

Oh, let's see......I found a FLEA!!!! on Blue this weekend!!  ARGH!!!!  And
I thought I'd gotten all of them!!  Fortunately Blue LOVES to be groomed, so
it's easy to stay on top of his flea problem.

Blue got his first asprin dose on Saturday.  I bought baby asprin because
I figured it would be easier to give him than 1/4 of an adult asprin.  Wrong...
I had forgotten how large baby asprin is!  I still had to cut it in half but
he didn't mind too much.  I'm afraid it gave him diarrhea, though, so now
I'll try 1/4 of a buffered asprin to see if that works better.  Also, his
cardiologist suggested changing his food to a low sodium formula as C/D is
high in salt.  We tried w/d (c/d with less salt and fat)...ugh....we tried
h/d....semi ugh....he did like the Tender Vittles we used to stop the diarrhea
however!!  I'm running out of choices......

He really, really wants out of his cage.  He loves to roam around his room
when I'm changing his bedding and he looks so depressed when he's caged.
He's got another week to go, but then, he's going to my vets for 10 days
while I'm on a trip.  Then, the day I pick him up, 12/13, he goes back into the
cage cause he goes in for surgery on the 14th.  Then, back into the cage
for a day, then he'll be FREE!!!!! 

But, other than that, he's a gorgeous little love bug who can't wait to
be a cat again!!

Mary 

    Asprin?  I thought I read (in this file at one time) that Asprin could
    be toxic to cats?
    

    
    Thanks for the update Mary. I hope this dental sergurey would be the 
    last of the little guy's problems and he can be a free cat once again.
    
    Hope you are feeling better too:-)
    
    Shaw

Hi Pat,

Asprin, in human doses, can be very toxic to cats.  I asked his cardiologist
about asprin and he said that the warning stems from people who give their
cats an entire asprin!!  Blue gets 1/4 of an adult asprin twice a  week in
the hopes that, like in adults, asprin helps to thin the blood so he won't
form a blood clot that could kill him.

I'm sure Blue is looking forward to freedom just as much as me!!

Mary

    
    
    Thanks for the info. on asprin, Mary.  I knew it was toxic to cats in
    some form.  Glad to hear Blue is doing so much better too.
    
    Pat & Clan

    Just a note in case anyone out there is thinking about this,
     I believe the "pseudo-aspirins", like Tylenol, are very dangerous
    to cats also.

>    Just a note in case anyone out there is thinking about this,
>     I believe the "pseudo-aspirins", like Tylenol, are very dangerous
>    to cats also.


	I thought Tylenol was paracetamol, not asprin...........

	paracetamol in numbers - 8ish upwards - is very toxic to humans too...
	........it gets the liver.

	Heather

I think that's what was meant by 'pseudo-aspirin'. It is
*not* aspirin but used interchangeably with aspirin. Con-
sequently it si thought of as a kind of aspirin.


                                      Susan

>I think that's what was meant by 'pseudo-aspirin'. It is
>*not* aspirin but used interchangeably with aspirin. Con-
>sequently it si thought of as a kind of aspirin.


Aspirin and paracetamol are definately NOT interchangeable.

Aspirin thins the blood, it also can attack the stomach lining so should be 
taken with food if it needs to be taken regularly, and should not be
given to kids unless under doctor supervision.

Paracetamal does absolutely nothing to thin the blood, and can attack the liver.
It should never be taken in regular doeses like you can with asprin. It does not
attack the stomach.

Asprin can be bought over the counter in the UK, but Paracetamol needs Chemists
approval, and they won't sell it with other things like Lemsip etc.,

Heather

    Blue newsflash.....the Blue boy has his freedom!!  Blue's x-rays show
    that his pelvis is healed enough that he no longer needs to be confined
    to his cage!!  He's happy as can be!  He's also leukemia negative and
    is now up-to-date on his shots!!!
    
    YIPEEEEEE!!!!  It's been a long 6 1/2 weeks, but the little guy is
    doing just great!
    
    Mary
    

    That's great, Mary!

    And not a minute too soon; I hear that the FIRM was standing by with a
    court order demanding his release. I understand that they are reviewing
    on his kitty contract!
    
    Deb

	Super news, Mary!  I think we all need something like this to smile
	about this week :^}

	Sandy

    
    
    	Well I had the distinct privilege on meeting the infamous Blue
    	on his first day of freedom.  And boy was he a happy camper!  =)
    	He has such a beautiful face!  He walks a little odd but other 
    	than that you'd never know the poor baby was injured.  He 
    	*loves* catnip bags and uses two at a time!  =)
    
    	However, I wasn't able to hear him purr....maybe next time!  =)
    
    	JJ
    

Blue wasn't feeling too well when I got home last night....he was kinda mopey--
just like me!  I think it's the asprin that he gets on Wednesdays and Saturdays..
Marlene, does Bales get "mopey" (sorry, Nat....mopey is when they just lie
around looking sad) after asprin??

But!  Here's a cute story....Beth is scared stiff of Blue.  She can smell him
but doesn't know what's going on.  Last night, Blue was lying on the rug by
my bed and Beth came bouncing into the room.  Those of you that have met Beth
can just see her--tail in the air, not a care in the world!  Well, she bounced
on Blue.  She froze in mid air!!!  Blue reacted by rolling on his side, like
he wanted to play.  Beth just slid away quietly.  This morning, Beth was
sleeping just a few inches from Blue, so I think they're gonna be friends.

Deb, Blue has decided to drop the false imprisonment charges against me
based on his personal physicians advise.....Whew......

    
    re: .219  Mary, I never have noticed if the Bales gets unusually mopey 
              on his aspirin days.  It would be difficult to differentiate 
              between a "mopey" day and his usual attitude that he has copped 
              from day 1 of his existence ;'D.  I was watching the Garfield
              Christmas Special last night (yes, i confess) and was chuckling 
              at the scene with all of them in the front seat of the car. It 
              could have been the Bales with his eyes in that "half mast" 
              position with the "you've got to be kidding look" on his face....
    
    
    

    Mary, wonderful news about Blue.  I'm looking forward to more Blue and
    Beth stories. BTW, I'm still waiting for some promised pictures.
    
    Steffi

    Alright!  Yippeee for Blue!
    
    Michelle

    Yay Mary and Blue!  :-)
    
    Nanci 

    OK, enough of the bad news, here's a cute Beth and Blue story.  I'd
    mentioned before that Beth is very scared of Blue.  Last night, I was
    in the basement of my house doing laundry.  Beth just loves to be down
    there and so does Blue.  Things seemed OK until I heard what was the
    beginnings of a cat fight.  There was little Beth, all puffed out,
    chasing (and missing) a retreating Blue with all her paws flying.  Blue
    decided to swat back just as I arrived to break it up.  When Beth heard
    my voice, she turned and literally flew into my arms and she held on to
    me for dear life.  Her little heart was pounding and she was so scared! 
    Finally, she calmed down and was later seen sharing a food bowl with
    Blue and seemed content.
    
    So, what's cute about that???  Did you ever see a blind cat fight with
    a sighted cat twice her size???  It was funny to see her swat at boxes,
    the floor and everything that didn't move instead of Blue, who seemed
    very puzzled.  right now, they're both lying on my bed--obviously a
    "cease fire" is in effect!!
    
    Never a dull moment!!!!!
    Mary
    

    Sounds like Beth and Blue have a friendship in the making ....fellow 
    survivors. How lucky that you found them ..and now they've found each
    other.  :^)
    
    Linda

    Poor scared Beth... Pat her for me!
    Nat

    Hi all,
    
    Here's the last 'live' Blue update--I'll send mail via internet to keep
    you posted on his surgery on Monday.  Speaking of which...I just spoke
    to the dentist who'll be doing his surgery.  She estimates the cost at
    being between $500 and $700, but (and this is the best part), she
    thinks that it would be best to do root canals on both his canines and
    then cap the tooth with stainless steel.  I told her to do what's best
    for Blue and that's why God made macaroni and cheese 4 packages for
    $1...  I told her I'm jobless and she said that working out a payment
    plan would be no problem.   That aside, can you just see Blue smiling
    with two silver teeth in front.......
    
    Mary

    Mary asked me to let people know that Blue did not have his surgery
    today due to a power outage at Tufts.  He goes in next week - same
    time, same place.

    I just spoke with Mary on the phone, and she wanted me to let people
    know that Blue had his oral surgery today and is fine.  X-rays taken
    before the surgery showed that Blue has a fractured jaw, so it's no
    wonder he had so many problems with his teeth.  They were able to
    repair his canine teeth with fillings (the root canals were not
    necessary), but 3 other teeth were pulled.  He still may lose another
    tooth near where the fracture is in the jaw, but for now it is still
    healthy.  They said that jaw fractures typically take a long time
    to heal.
    
    Because of his heart condition he was but in an incubator after surgery
    just so that he could get extra oxygen while recovering.  They closely
    monitored his heart throughout surgery (which lasted 1:40), and he was
    fine.
    
    Mary sounded so relieved that the surgery was over (one more milestone
    passed) and that he will be coming home this evening.   The mail
    address I posted in another note really does work, and I'm sure she
    would like to hear from the FELINERs.  The address is 
    DECWRL::"TAMIR@DECUS.ORG"
            
    Barbara
           

    Another update from Mary:
    
    Blue is 9.4 lbs...he is mostly fur!  Every time I weigh either him or 
    Honey, everyone is surprised cause the fur makes them look so big!  Someone 
    told me they thought Honey was atleast 18 lbs; he's 10.4....which is 
    exactly the same as he weighed when he was 2.
    
    Oh, a Blue update from yesterday....he's all recovered and is doing very 
    well.  He needs to go back in three months to check the broken jaw, but the 
    vet thinks he'll be just fine.  I'm going to have to brush his teeth every 
    day, but I think Blue has other ideas about that!!
    

I am very interested to know if Blue goes out, and if so, has
he tried returning to his former 'caretaker' or does he always
go home to Mary?

Even if he stays in, it would be very gratifying to hear that
Blue consistently considers Mary his 'Mom'.


                                  Susan

    None of Mary's cats goes outside at all, including Blue.  To hear Mary
    talk about Blue, it sounds like he does consider her to be his new Mom.
    I think he is much more affectionate now that he is out of the cage and
    had made his own place in the hierarchy of 7 other cats.
    
    No wonder he hated getting pills with that broken jaw!
    
    Barbara

    
    
    	Talking to Mary now.....seems poor Blue abcessed where he had
    	his teeth removed.  They're guessing that some of the jawbone 
    	had 'shed' and was coming up through his gums.  That happened
    	Christmas Eve of all times.  But Mary says he's doing much better
    	today!
    
    	

    That poor baby.  Is he on antibiotics?
    

    Mary sent me a christmas card with a picture of Blue.... just incase
    anyone had any doubts, let me confirm that Blue is absolutely
    beautiful!  
    
    I have the card hanging in my kitchen with the other season cards and
    everyone who sees it says how beautiful he is....  how lucky he is he
    found Mary!

    I have that card/pic too, Janet.  He is a really beautiful kitty!  I
    had the pleasure of meeting him in person too, at Tufts, and what a
    nice job Mary has done in cleaning up his act!!  :^)
    
    -Roberta
    

    
    	re: Karen
    
    	She didn't say directly.  But I think so.
    

    Mary sez:
    
    Blue is doing great--in fact, he's decided he's about had enough of Biff 
    and has started chasing him around the house!  He's getting very bold and 
    comes downstairs to explore and get a few kisses from me.  Beth is still 
    VERY scared of Blue and poor Blue just can't figure out what's wrong with 
    Beth.  He looks at her very intently to see what's wrong and just comes 
    away puzzled.  She still "carpet surfs" around him!  Never a dull moment...
    

    Mary said that Blue has been spraying her house cause he and Biff have
    been having territorial problems.  Biff just spent a few weeks at the
    kennel, or as Mary calls it, prison.  Mary is trying to find a
    one-cat-household for Biff so headcount at the Tamir residence will
    soon be back to 7!

    appreciate the update...-seh

    Biff found a new home but Mary is still having a serious problem with
    Blue peeing on everything in sight.  He just doesn't get along well
    with any of the other cats.  
    
    Mary went out and bought Blue a large cage to spend some quiet time in
    but he's not thrilled with it.  The next step is to try stud pants on
    him.

    For the longest time I continued to read the story of "Blue" with 
    great interest but got busy and lost track.  Now that I have had some 
    time to catch up on the story, I was wondering if anyone had a further 
    update of how he is doing.
    
    I can only imagine how much he has been through.  The miraculous thing
    is that he keeps surviving so many devastating medical problems ...
    hope he has survived the "spraying" issue as well.  It's hardly life 
    threatening but is extremely bothersome and frustrating.
    
    If you anyone speaks with Mary, please give her my best and I hope 
    all is well with Blue.
    
    Marilyn
    

    Marilyn,
    
    Funny you should mention this.  I was on break with Sandy today and she
    mentioned that Blue is still spraying up a storm, but the cardio is in
    remission.  Spraying tends to relieve all that extra stress on the
    heart.  :^)
    
    I sure hope Mary is doing okay though...1
    
    -Roberta
    

    Roberta,
    
    I wonder if Mary has tried the drug Ovaban?  I remember when I had 
    Sam and he terrorized Tiffany, as well as he sprayed all over the place
    that Dr. Mulcahy put him on Ovaban.  It helped for awhile but she
    did later find a malignant tumor on his thyroid ... which when 
    removed ... changed his "attitude" 360 degrees.  He became their
    (Central Animal Hospital) housecat ... until he died of 
    cardiomyapathy about 13 months later.
    
    When I read of Blue - I think of Sam.  Two different scenario's
    (Blue's hit and run as opposed to Sam's physical abuse) ... it's
    just that they had such trauma in their lives.
    
    Marilyn
    

    The last time I talked to Mary (maybe 2 months ago) Blue had just
    had a check up at Tufts and he was doing great!!!!
    
    But..as Roberta stated...He is still spraying and driving poor Mary
    mad.   She is working very closely with her vet and they have
    attempted different things to try and stop him.   Blue spends
    MOST of his time in a big Toyko cage (which he does not spray)
    but as soon as he has a bit of freedom he sprays!!
    
    Of course little Beth is still the sweetest thing in the world...
    The next time I talk to Mary...I'll post an update in the file!!
    
    Sandy
    

    This may be a dumb question, but what the heck.
    
    Even though males are altered, I am assuming they can still spray.
    Is there any medication that they could give Blue (and other males)
    that would stifle that instinct (whatever)?
    
    Like I said, dumb question!
    
    Marilyn
    

    I know my sister has a male altered cat that sprays...and the
    only time he sprays in the house is when he has an attitude
    problem.  In the morning if he wants to go out and my sister
    isn't "quick enough" he will back up to the door or window
    and spray!!!
    
    I personally feel some spraying problems could be treated with
    medicine...but other spraying problems are just nasty habits or
    marking their territory when living with multiple cats.
    
    You figure Blue was an outdoor cat who is now confined to a house
    with multiple other cats.  I believe his is a territory issue....
    I do believe they have tried Ovaban and something else with
    Blue....
    
    Having a cat that sprays...is NO fun!  
    
    Sandy

    Right, Sandy.  Plus, Blue was an only cat prior to living with Mary,
    and now that he is not an only child anymore he is displaying his
    jealousy by spraying.  Sometimes medication isn't enough to completely
    stop it.
    
    My Taja is a bully and hyperactive.  My vet and I tried everything to
    calm him down, including an expensive medication.  Nothing worked. 
    When he isn't getting his way or feels I am not paying enough attention
    to him, he beats the crap out of Kelsey.  He knows Kelsey won't fight
    back.  I either douse him with the water sprayer or give him time out
    in another room, but he still goes after Kelsey once he thinks I've
    calmed down.
    
    The point I'm trying to make is that sometimes, nothing works, and the
    cat should thank his lucky stars that he's living with a person who 
    doesn't turn right around and beat the crap out of him instead!!
    
    I hope when Sandy speaks to Mary she has good news to post!
    

    ...I didn't realize it was such a battle of wits! And, learning to deal
    with such strong personalities - whew!
    
    Having adopted three - all atleast 8 weeks old - I didn't realize how
    confrontational they can be.  We did have a problem with Sam (and it
    broke my heart) but I truly thought he was an "unusual" case.  In
    listening to some of your stories, it is more common than I ever
    realized.
    
    Adopting an older cat takes on a whole new meaning for me now - as well
    as the appreciation for all of you who are willing to risk the
    difficult times - as well as the satisfying ones.
    
    Marilyn