Month: March 2015

I’m sure many are thinking, “What a silly anniversary!” An important milestone in this house, though.

You may recall, in an earlier blog post, I mentioned that Steve was doing well on the GI front (or behind hardy har har). So, I went back and actually looked to see just how well. I dug through Facebook posts and vet records. March 24, 2014 was the last time Steve was at the vet to be deobstipated (unclogged in medical terms)! Knock on wood, it has been a full year of successful pooping! Well…maybe not successful. It took her body a few months to regulate to the new food and the new medication; and there were several days spent locked in the bathroom while she sorted it out. We experimented with grooming wipes vs. baths vs. baby wipes. But it has been a full year without constipation!

I suppose we’ll never know if her GI issues were caused by the same thing that caused her leg malformation/injury, which led to her amputation. Or if her amputation led to trouble getting a good stance in the litter box. Or if nothing was related to anything and she just got unlucky enough to have an injury followed by an amputation followed by severe constipation.

Regardless, I couldn’t imagine life without Steve. I’m happy to celebrate poop! Especially when it isn’t in liquid form and all over my bathroom!!

If you’re interested in or struggling with this topic, here is a great article I read on it :

http://veterinarymedicine.dvm360.com/all-bunged-unclogging-constipated-cat

For some, it’s TMI. For others, it is a matter of life and death. We are so lucky that the former supervising veterinarian at the humane society got a job at our regular vet’s office. She was familiar with Steve and was able to help me during a financially rough time. I am eternally grateful to her!

 

No rest for the wicked amazing foster parent, that is!

Yesterday, the newest list of foster kitties in need went out. It was all moms with kittens, and we can’t take moms with kittens as we have nowhere to separate them when weaning time comes. HOWEVER!!!! One of the moms has a severely injured leg that may require amputation. I offered to foster that mom post-op if the foster who takes her and her baby for the initial foster period is not comfortable with doing so.

I’ll probably know in about 4-6 weeks if I’m going to be rehabbing another amputee!

For now, it’s just Nebula. She’s made it out into gen pop, but she’s still super skittish. As usual, Steve was the first to reach out to her, and is the first one that Nebula is really taking to.

I got an email from Esteban’s new mom today that said he slept with his new brother on the bed all day today! She said they were even touching paws at one point!! AWWWWW!!!!

Here’s the “answer key” to the “hidden objects” picture I posted of all 6 furry kids

Spyder is hiding there in the back! He was the tough one, huh? 🙂

Cross your fingers and paws for the best possible outcome for that mama cat!

 

Esteban was adopted today!! His new mom is the epitome of the perfect adopter! She asked all of the right questions and she’s an orange cat lover! She was also very excited to learn about the Tripawds community and I think she’s going to join! We’ll all have to keep an eye out for Jenny and Esteban!! Yup! She said she’s keeping his name 🙂 This is the best I’ve ever felt after sending one of my fosters off for adoption! I’m not sad at all. It’s like he went to an extension of myself!

No more amputee fosters…for now. I can finally take down all of the plastic jugs I had up as a barrier to keep Esteban off of the counter and top of the fridge! What a troublemaker he was!! The constant food struggles will hopefully stop now, too. Everyone was eating everyone else’s food and some cats were getting double meals and some cats were getting half meals…

Last night all 6 furry kids were all in the same room together, as if they knew it was the last chance they had!

 

Can you spot all 6?

I’m definitely glad I got to have another post op experience with a Tripawd, especially since Esteban’s was so different than Steve’s. Maybe when Jay and I have a bigger place, we can foster a canine Tripawd….then foster fail! 🙂

Even if Esteban doesn’t go to his furever home tomorrow, I wanted to share these:

 

 

If only you guys could feel him. His coat was so rough and in such poor shape when he first came to live with us. He’s so soft now! I think I’ve curbed his over-grooming a little too. Hopefully, he continues on this path!

 

Sorry! I know I’ve been absent for a while! I’ve been busy at work as my own boss 🙂

As you may have seen on the Tripawds Facebook page or on Steve’s Facebook page, I received two emails about adopting Esteban last week!! One was from three guys who live together and have one cat who they rescued when their neighbor let her go after moving. The other was from a girl who lives with her cat, Watson, who is blind in one eye.

The three guys seemed to be a little intimidated by Esteban’s Tripawd-ness after I got a little into it. The girl, Jenny, still seemed interested. She really understands how special differently abled pets are! She has a lot of love to give. Esteban and I are meeting her on Friday. If all goes well, Esteban will go home with her that night!!

I’ll be sure to let Jenny know all about the Tripawds community. Hopefully, she’ll sign up and we’ll all be able to follow Esteban’s continuing adventures!

How about a Steve update?!

You may recall Steve had GI troubles that were mostly resolved with a change in diet and a little bit of laxative. I don’t want to jinx anything, but Steve has been doing really well lately. I used to say that no matter what happened, as long as she pooped, I was happy. Even if it was diarrhea and it was all stuck in her fur and she got all gross, at least she pooped! For several weeks now, Steve has been having totally normal poops! What a weird thing to celebrate! I’m sure she’s happy because she doesn’t have to get locked in the bathroom for hours and hours and hours while her stomach settles!