A Thanksgiving Present

The Saturday before Thanksgiving I took our dog Duke for his usual walk and when we got back home, an eight to ten week old black and white kitten appeared on our front porch. He was trying to rub on our eighteen year old cat Chloe, who was on the front porch waiting for our return. Chloe of course, didn't want anything to do with this kitten. My husband and I were scratching our heads wondering where this lone tiny kitten came from. 


The kitten came fairly close because it was very hungry. My husband fed it some can food right away and it devoured the food. Once his belly was full, he wasn't willing to come so close to us again. We noticed he was holding up his right front paw and not using that leg at all. Within half an hour we made a cat house out of a cardboard box complete with soft bedding and set it on the front porch with food and water in front of it. At least for the night he can sleep in a safe place and keep warm, which is what he did. We will have to earn his trust enough to catch him.

The following day the kitten disappeared for awhile but came back to eat and eventually settled in another large cardboard box we had sitting in the driveway, up against the garage. We set up the large cat condo cage that we had stored in the shed. The same one we used when we rescued our cat Emma (who has since passed away) and then Dusty (who is now eight) as well as the foster cats we had for a few months several years ago. This cat condo has come in handy!

Once everything was set up and ready, we held the box closed while the kitten was still inside and carried it in the house and proceeded to transfer him into the cat condo, but he escaped out a hole and ran into another room, ending up in the corner under a piece of furniture. We managed to gently get him into a box again and then delivered him to his new condo. We were trying to be extra gentle as we could tell he was injured and we weren't sure how serious it was.

It only took a day to litter box train him and not much longer for him to accept our pets so we could handle him enough to pick him up. Then off to the vet we went! My husband and I decided we would take care of and keep the kitten.

Weighing in at just a kilogram, it was discovered that he had a puncture wound on his right shoulder and it had become abscessed. He had a fever. An x-ray revealed his right front leg was broken in half, below his shoulder. He was also anemic from all the fleas. This little boy was in bad shape. The good news was he tested negative for feline leukemia and FIV. Everything else can be fixed.

Before he could have surgery, we had to clear up the infection and the fever he had from the abscess. So the vet cleaned up his abscess and then wrapped his leg so it was bound to his body and not just hanging there lose and I took him home with antibiotics and pain medicine. We had to make a decision about his leg and we had to make it pretty fast.

We had a choice; we could take him to the veterinary specialists who could do surgery on his leg which would require a pin to put it back together and would cost several thousands of dollars, or we could have the limb amputated by one of our veterinarians for under a thousand (which included neutering too).

I was assured that three-legged cats (and dogs) do just fine and adapt remarkably well -- of which I am well aware. I walk a three-legged dog five days a week and have cared for several three-legged dogs and cats over the years. I know how amazing animals are; how resilient and adaptable they are. It's still a very difficult position to be in -- to have to make such a serious decision about this little kitten who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, right in front of us on our front porch. Especially considering that we already currently have a dog (13) and two cats (18 and 8); and all that we went through with four of our other pets (3 dogs, 1 cat) who all passed away just two years ago in 2013.

Of course the cost and what the kitten would have to endure either way played a big contributing factor in our decision; a decision we thought about carefully. We decided to have his leg removed. He had surgery today and I'm happy to report that all went well and he is doing so good, he tried taking out his stitches already so he has to wear an e-collar. He will be able to come home this evening.

Yesterday was the first day he felt well enough to actually play, since his fever and infection had cleared up. He has not felt good for some time so it was nice to see him acting like a playful kitten for a change. He had been managing well using only three legs, even jumping up on the shelf in his condo. Even though he has been taking pain medication since we got him to the vet, having a broken leg has got to be painful. We don't know how long he had been in this condition when we discovered him or how he was injured. We just know we had to help him. He is so sweet and just loves affection. Now with the surgeries behind us we are glad to begin the healing process so he can be the happy, healthy kitty he was created to be. 

We named our little Thanksgiving present Kilo (key-low). He only weighed a kilogram when we found him. Click here for an update on his progress.

Life is as dear to a mute creature as it is to man. Just as one wants happiness and fears pain, just as one wants to live and not die, so do other creatures.

~His Holiness The Dali Lama

Neighborhood Lost and Found Pets

More and more neighborhoods here in the Houston area are starting their own websites and rescue groups in order to take loose, lost or abandoned dogs and cats off their streets and place them in foster homes until they are returned to their guardians or found new homes. These neighborhood rescue groups are run by animal loving volunteers -- your neighbors. I think this is a great idea. If each neighborhood had it's own website and/or contact list and group of volunteers when it came to lost or found pets, and everyone was made aware of one central place to look for or report lost or found pets in their area, pets could be found and returned quicker or kept from wandering the streets. Neighborhoods could also check with the surrounding neighborhood contacts (if in place) as well. Neighbors helping neighbors, helping the pets. That's what it's all about..

For those of you in the Westbury  and Willowbend (Houston) neighborhoods, there is a rescue organization called CARE (Compassionate Animal Rescue Endeavor), which posts information of their activities on https://westbury.nextdoor.com, a private social network for neighbors in Westbury and Willowbend. 

CARE is a new nonprofit, but the organizer is doing a great job of taking strays (mostly dogs) off the street and getting them into foster homes. The animals' veterinary care and food are usually covered by donations from neighbors or from organizations like Homeless Pet Placement League. CARE also works with RPM (Rescued Pet Movement) based in Houston to transport some of the dogs to Colorado, where reputable nonprofits take in the animals and get them adopted. The other dogs are adopted through local adoption events and online profiles. 

CARE is in great need of foster homes for these dogs. One of my clients is currently holding two dogs, a beautiful male black lab and his sister, a 25-lb. mix, that were abandoned by their owners (they need a foster or a permanent home).  Animals like these need help and I am hoping that dog-loving people in the Westbury or Willowbend areas will step forward and volunteer to foster, either short term or long term. Interested individuals can contact Kerry Adams, the CARE organizer, at kerryadamsart@yahoo.com. She would be grateful for any assistance people can offer. She is providing a tremendous service for dogs in need in these areas.

For those of you in the Braeswood Place neighborhood, BPAL (Braeswood Place Animal Lovers) have a website at http://braeswoodpets.com/ . They are a group of volunteers who are willing to display Lost/Found signs in their yards. What a great idea! They help neighbors find lost pets and find the homes of found animals. They will find a safe, loving home for found pets whose guardians cannot be located. Their Lost/Found page will feature pets who are currently lost or have been found in the Braeswood Place neighborhood. If you would like to join in this worthy endeavor please check out their website, give them a call, email or sign up on their email list. Membership is free, all you need is a caring heart.

The City of West University Place provides information and photos of pets that are picked up by Animal Control, picked up by other residents, and reported lost by their owners on their website at www.westutx.gov/index.aspx?page=148. Residents are encouraged to report both lost and found pets by posting on the city's website using their online form.

For those who live in Bellaire, you can check to see if your lost dog is in the Bellaire Animal Shelter by going to www.ci.bellaire.tx.us/index.aspx?nid=1039. Then click on "dogs currently in our shelter" to see photos of the animals. Dogs are kept for only 72 hours. They do not pick up cats. You can also do an internet search for lost and found pets in Bellaire and there are various websites that list lost and found pets for a number of areas.

Cozy Critters to the Rescue!

I rescued another dog today. An 11 month old male Maltese named Snowball. He was running down Stella Link right in front of me as I was driving. Thank goodness he had a tag. I called & went to his address but no one was home. I dropped him off at my house while I finished my pet sitting rounds. They called a short time later & he was returned safe & sound. His family was very happy that I rescued & returned him! They had gone somewhere & it started thundering & he got scared & jumped through the wrought iron fence in his yard. He had gone quite a distance for such a little bitty thing. I was just happy to get him out of the street & back home! I love happy endings!

Dog Days

I like the early mornings on weekends because they are quiet and there's not much traffic out. It makes getting around to our morning visits much quicker. I was making such good time this morning, I decided to change my visits around a little and ended up going a different route than I originally planned.

There were no other cars around as I was driving down S. Braeswood, on the way to my third visit this morning when I saw a little Pomeranian in the middle of the street. He was looking around as if lost and I noticed he had a collar and tags on. Thank goodness for the tags!! I pulled over, grabbed a leash out of my pet sitter's survival bag & quickly got the dog out of the street. He was very friendly and came to me easily. He knew I was trying to help him. He had a microchip tag, a rabies tag and a Pomeranian Rescue tag, all from out of town. I called the Rescue number and a nice lady took the tag number and my information and said someone would call me back very shortly. Within a few minutes the owners called me and came to pick up their dog. They thanked me and said they had just adopted him yesterday and he got out of their gate. I was so glad he had tags and I was able to return him safely home in just a short time! I hope they dog proof their yard now.

After they left, I went on to my third visit. I wasn't there very long before I got a call from my husband who was doing his round of morning visits. A puppy was at a client's house, laying up against their garage door. (This client only has cats and we had been pet sitting since Friday.) He was emaciated, very lethargic and did not want to eat or drink anything. He appeared to be around 6 months old and very cute. (No collar, no tags.) Where did he come from? Did he wander here from somewhere near, somewhere far? Did someone just dump him off? How is it, animals just show up where ever we go? I finished up my visit, drove home to get a carrier, and then to the client's house to pick up the puppy. Poor thing could hardly move, it was so sick and weak. He was growling in the beginning because he was scared. Now he seemed to know we were trying to help him. He just laid there & looked at us with those cute brown eyes. I took him back home in the carrier and set him on the front porch with food and water until we could get back from doing the other visits we needed to do. (These things always happen when you are really busy and on the weekend!) I took him to a vet as soon as I got home. I didn't realize how sick he was. He had a high temperature and now had bloody diarrhea. He was on death's door and most likely had Parvo. The best thing we could do for this sweet little boy was to euthanize him. It was very sad. I stayed with him, petting him until he crossed over the Rainbow Bridge. At least he got some love at the end of his very short life. If only in the end, he knew someone did care about him. At least now he is not suffering any more and can run and play with all the other animals in heaven.

Today we rescued two dogs, both within an hour of each other. One had a happy ending, the other a sad ending. I can't tell you how many dogs we have found/rescued in the 7 years we've been pet sitting. I lost count. We find them a lot because we're driving or walking around all day. Usually, we are able to locate the owners within a few days, if not hours. On occasion, I've had to find a new home for one. That's because we've already kept as many as we can! (All of our eight pets were rescued or adopted from shelters.) If only we could find Roux, a client's dog who escaped out of her yard on April 2nd while we were pet sitting. (see April blog). That would really make my day!