Tri, Willow, Blackie

Tri is making progress! No longer is she in the far corner under the cabinet, she's close to the front and in full view. I haven't seen her venture out but am sure she does. Hoping to take her collar off sometime next week. She loves to watch as we play with the cats in close proximity to where she stays. Who wouldn't love to watch as the cats jump, do sommersalts and grab at the stick toys - they're a riot. Willow is about the same. Gaining weight, loving her lovin' time. Her feet continue to improve. Blackie What a lover. He's due for his second dental surgery on Jan 5 (along with Daisy, an inside outside cat of one of our sponsored colonies). He's more than ready for a new forever home. His favorite thing in the world, after eating, is sitting in someone's lap, purring contendedly. He's come such a long way. It didn't take long for him to learn his manners. He had such a rough start. He was almost dead from malnutrition and dehydration and now, he's getting healthier and more comfortable every day. If you're looking for a lap cat who will do nothing but appreciate your love (and eat!), he's your guy. We'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support and your interest in our cats. May 2011 bring you peace and a heart filled with love.

Blackie

Blackie Is learning manners. The boy gets into everything. At least he's usually graceful about it. When he's on the only square inch of a table or cabinet or on the top of the fridge and I 'spritz' him off, he usually doesn't knock things off in his flight. Other than that, he's incorporating well. Still looking for a foster home for him! And, even better, a new forever home! He's going to be a big boy when he has his weight. He has a very long body and tail.

Tri

Tri is still hiding. She came out enough to eat and went right back to her hiding place. We're intentionally putting her food out from the hiding place to get her use to coming out - not too far, just far enough to get her out from under. Kalli was across the room when she did it working on a project so that was a little progress. Poor girl, she's taking a while to adjust. She doesn't seem to have problems on the three legs. Her incision looks good. She gets along well with all the cats who venture into her hiding spot. Little Zoe was laying in the blue bed earlier today.

Blackie

Blackie Is still exploring and getting acquainted. I've got to take a photo with an aerial view. He's so skinny, his stomach is shrunken. He's going to be a very handsome cat. His tail is almost as long as his body!

Willow

Willow This is the way she looks as she stands in the doorway in her 'feed me' position, right before she turns around and goes to where her plate of food is laid. Each time she gets fed, she gets a small amount of food with her digestive enzymes, then, 20 minutes later, her larger portion (always canned, she doesn't eat dry unless she's eating from the community bowls) with her pro-biotics.

Tri

Tri When I went out to give her her meds and evening meal, she was out from her hiding place (lower right - under the chest) and on the second level of the cat tree. You can barely see her. I didn't want to use a flash and startle her. Little Tri is adjusting to a lot. Prior to her injury, she lived in a yard. She's use to one person - her caretaker, who's known and cared for her since birth and she's use to being with the cats she was raised with. Seems to me, adjusting to 3 legs is her easiest adjustment. When she was in the crate or in her hiding place (cornered), I was able to pet her. She'd tense a bit but we were able to pet her. Once she's at large, it's going to interesting to see how responsive she is.

Tri, Willow & Blackie

Willow

Blackie

Tri has moved from under one cabinet to the other.... just checking things out and getting comfortable. I called her former caretaker to see if she'd come over to say hi to her... of course she'll have to lay on the floor to do it. We'll see.

Willow is doing her thing - not much changed.

Blackie is exploring, incorporating into the household and eating. We'll be taking him to the vet next week for his dental check.

We'd like to wish you all a

Merry Christmas

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Feliz Navidad

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and

Happy Holiday

We wish you Love!

Blackie

Blackie - again, blog won't let me down load photo. Sorry Has been out of the crate since about 9am - our foster home fell through and he's been in there long enough. He was crated for 10 days prior to arriving here for an antibiotic treatment for the poor baby's oozing gums. He's a beautiful cat. Skinny as a rail. Until I tried to see his gums, he was very affectionate, now he runs from me. Poor baby, his gums are still very sore. We were told he only has his eye teeth but upon a very brief inspection, we saw white where it shouldn't be. We were going to take him to our vet but he was no where to be found so had to just take Lilly. He will have to go in soon. However, he is incorporating in the house very well. He's been at 'cat' level for 8 days so they've all had a chance to smell and see. Even Twinkle, the house b _ _ _ _ , and I say that with love, doesn't howl at him. He's a gentle one, no threat. He's skinny as a rail. When he came, we thought his dental expense had been paid for - he arrived after being treated at another vet. We were just doing meds and holding until adoption or foster. However, now it looks like he's going to cost money other than maintenance too. ok - next on the list after Tri and Willow.

Willow

Willow - for some reason the blog won't let me download a photo. Sorry Is still doing great. She did spend most of today in the bathroom but her coat is getting more lush and she continues to put on weight. I negected to mention that her heart rate has slowed. She's responding well to all treatment. Her feet continue to need treatment for a fungal infection but they're much better. At one point, we couldn't even touch her back toes. She still needs dental surgery but we're waiting until she's healthier - could be in a week or two. Her abdomenal mass continues to change. Where at one point, there was a large mass then a rounder small one, attached but behind the larger one. Now, they seem to be smaller, but joining and more of it is attached to the abdomenal wall. If it is mammary gland cancer, we don't want to operate. After consulting with our vet, it seems an unnecessary trauma. She's very sweet. She's comfortable here but we'd love to find her another good home. As soon as we get Tri's fund taken care of, the next monies will go to her vetting and care.

Tri

Tri

Is out of the crate! The five steps she ran from my arms to under the chest she mastered with ease, amazingly enough, no stumbling or loosing balance. And, under the chest she's been since about 8:30am. She's got food and water and she's about 4' from the litter box. I suspect she'll be out in a day or two. She's doing fine with the cats, as they are with her. I'd hoped to get some of her walking today but she needs to ease in before she ventures out........... silly me. At about 9pm, I tried taking her out so I could give her an extra feeding but she would have no part of it - hiss hiss. We've almost got her surgery and hospitalization for her. Now, she needs an adoptor, either armchair or in home.

Blackie

Blackie

Is ready to leave the cage! Today, when I opened the cage to take his photo, he was on his way out which is why the photo is blurred. We think we have a foster home for him. I hope so. He's a nice, gentle cat who had a very rough beginning. He's from the house of a hoarder with lots of sick cats. The fact that he only needed all his teeth pulled is amazing. We'll be taking him to our next adoption event and listing him on petfinder soon. A few more pounds and he'll be a poster cat for long haired luxurious black cats. He's going to the vet for his follow up tomorrow.

Willow

Willow

Is doing great. She's more beautiful, healthy and relaxed every day. We got her blood test results back. Her thyroid values are in the normal range so the Tapazole, digestive enzymes and pro-biotics are working. Her kidney values are increased but no more than before she started taking the Tapazole and that's a good thing. She does have chronic kidney disease but it's not full blown. Just in the last day or so, she's eating less frequently. She is roaming around the house more and has found a few resting places other than her bathroom bed. Her food is right beyond the pictured door - this is how she looks just moments before her next meal. More on her abdomenal mass later. She'll be ready for her new home soon. She's a wonderful cat, she's affectionate, and she has a very calm presence.

Tri

I'm posting Tri, Willow & Blackie separately for photo purposes....

Tri

Well, the pumpkin is working. She had a good well formed but not rock hard BM. She's not always eating well. Sometimes, I have to start her off with food on a spoon. Sometimes not even spoon feeding helps and I have to spoon feed her her entire meal. I think she's just sick of being crated. Tomorrow morning, she's going to be out for the first time. I'll post the video. She's not bothered by the house cats. When I was spoon feeding her, Buster, one of the kittens, climbed the crate and tried poking at the food - Tri just glanced and kept on eating.

wow! we've got followers all over!

I just checked the stats for the first time. Tri, Willow & Blackie have followers from: United States, Netherlands, Germany, South Korea, Canada, Malaysia, Romania, Russia and Slovania!!!!!!! Love all you cat lovers!

Tri, Willow, Blackie

Another quickie! Tri did great yesterday. I'd never picked her up so getting her into the carrier was a concern but no need for concern. I was able to slide her into the carrier on the bed, then slide her out at the vet. At that point, I was able to pick her up and she was fine with it. She's not crazy about being held but there's no sign of agression - just a ting of a struggle when she wants to be put down. The angel in the crate makes it awkward and difficult to pick her up for the first time. Now it will be easier. Dr. Singleton checked her out, showed her to the surgeon and she was given a star of approval for her progress. Leane, her vet tech while at the clinic came in to see her and give her some lovin'. One of the other techs said she's Leane's favorite all time clinic cat. It's really too bad she can't foster her or even adopt her. Tri is a bit constipated because of her pain meds so we started her on pureed pumpkin. I syringe it into her mouth but amazingly enough, she likes it! Her next vet visit is scheduled in two weeks. Willow is getting spunkier. She was at the vet yesterday too. In the past any blood work has been a breeze. This time, she put up a bit of a struggle - poor baby, she's sick of being poked! We'll find out the results of her blood work today. Interesting note about her eyes. They've been changing. Initially, her iris was divided into two by a fine zig zag line. The line is gone. Her iris is still a beautiful deep green and the pearlesence is still there, close to the pupil but it's more blended with the outer iris. - any iridologists out there? It would be interesting to know why? Blackie is getting spunkier too. Yesterday he interacted with the house cats through the cage, in the past, they've been checking him out but he's ignored them. He's up out of bed and around the cage more. Looking much more relaxed. Those flower essences do wonders! He's going to be ready for a home in days.

Tri, Willow and Blackie

No time for photos today - had an issue with one of the cats we adopted out and ended up spending most of the day trying to determine her whereabouts, calling and emailing the adopter (with no response) and all the area shelters.... she's find and is coming back to CatVando tomorrow. Tri We did get to see her flip from one side to the other with relative ease. She continues to eat more each day, now that she's on the gravy food. Her wound is healing nicely. She's going to need to get out her cage soon. WE NEED A FOSTER HOME FOR HER!!!!!!!!!!! We still don't know her true temperament - she's still on a lot of pain meds. She did his at me tonight when I administered her antibiotics but it was my fault. I approached her from an angle that she might not have been able to see. But then she took the oral meds just fine. She's going to have to start using her legs and there isn't enough room in her crate. We got another $100 donation today! That brings us up to $520! With matching funds, that's $1,040! Thank You - we're almost there! She's going to the vet tomorrow for her check up Willow I did get a shot of her at the bathroom threshold, in her 'I'm ready for more food now', stance. I'll post tomorrow. She slept most of the day with little wandering throughout the house. I've yet to see her play. To the vet tomorrow for her kidney values. Blackie His appetite continues to improve. I've been adding water to his food. He doesn't drink much on his own and he has a tendency towards dehydration. He drinks it up as long as it's flavored with canned food. I haven't attempted to open his mouth to see how things are healing. He just has his canines, everything else was removed. Still haven't attempted to pet him. He was the friendliest cat in the house he came out of but continues to look at me with a touch of fear. Am just talking to him, moving slowly, providing food and cleaning the cage so he'll get more comfortable. That's it - should have quite a bit to report tomorrow after the vet. Been a long day.

Tri, Willow, Blackie

Tri Willow Blackie Tri Didn't eat well this morning. At about 11am, we syringed a bit of colostrum water into her to provide her with some nutrition and to 'prime the pump' - sometimes just a bit of food gets them started - and it did. She ate a bit. It wasn't until we brought in some canned with gravy that she really perked up and ate. She ventured into the litter box today. Laid there for a bit then made it back to her bed. We still haven't seen her in motion. Her surgical site looks good. Prior to her amputation, she lay on the side with the damaged leg. I always thought that odd, thinking it would hurt, but maybe it was her form of 'traction' or protecting it. She now lays with the wound up. We're still a long way from paying for her care.

Willow Is doing her thing. Hanging in bed in the bathroom, only to venture out on occasion. She ate well as usual and has been eating smaller portions since starting the meds and supplements. She's looking good. She's such a sweet heart, happy for anything she gets, food or lovin'. Vet visit Monday will tell us more about her kidneys. Blackie Is a bit more relaxed and eating better. He's closest to the floor and even tho he didn't live in a house with a dog, he's very relaxed with our resident canine, Bella, who is loved by all. He too ventured out of his bed to the other side of the crate but mostly stays in bed and looks around and naps.

Tri, Willow, Blackie

Blackie Willow

Tri

I am NOT technologically inclined. Our wonderful tech magician Fatenah, still has to teach me how to make a beautiful blog. Excuse the layout. Here's the update on Tri, Willow & Blackie

Tri

We picked her up at the clinic today and brought her back to CatVando. Her primary vet tech, Leana, gave us a lot of insites into her behavior and likes and dislikes. She'd hoped to foster Tri but her roommate was against it. Unless everyone on the household is on board, fostering or adopting usually doesn't work so she's here with us. But, she's going to come visit her during her recovery. Her wound looks good. Dr. Mosley performed a clean surgery. She'll be in a crate for a while while she recovers. She's got a nice warm bed with a blankie to cover her and a heating pad to keep her warm. Her appetite is pretty good and she's taking her pain meds and antibiotic. We added pro-biotics and a touch of colostrum and grapeseed extract to her food for digestion, nutrition and to help strengthen her connective tissue.

She's amazingly strong. She doesn't like to be held. We had to get her out of the carrier into the crate and didn't want to hurt her so used the blanket she was laying on to help move her. The carrier was right in front of the crate. After she was about half way out of the carrier, she lept for the crate and layed down on her bed. She's got spunk! She's due back at Elmhurst on Monday for a check We're looking for people to help care for her during her recovery. The more humans she comes in contact with, the more she'll learn to embrase human touch and companionship. She responds well to touch and hasn't shown any sign of agression or fear - it's a great time to work with her. She's still on pain meds and a bit out of it.

Willow

As you can tell, Willow 's home is in the bathroom. She can roam around the house but prefers the privacy of the bathroom. It works, when she's getting her extra feedings, we can close the door to keep all the other's from eating her extra helpings of food. She's doing great. She does like it when she has company during her meals. Sometimes she eats on her own, sometimes, she cries for food but when left alone with it, it goes untouched, then, as soon as we go into the room, she goes to her food.

Willow is accompanying Tri to the vet on Monday. She has to get her kidney enzymes checked. She'll be on her hyper thyroid meds for 3 weeks and it's time to see where her levels are to see if her meds need to be modified. In addition to her Tapazole, she gets digestive enzymes, essential fatty acids and probiotics. Her abdominal mass is changing. It's gone from 2 distinct masses to one joined larger mass. As mentioned, after consulting with the vet, we've opted to forgo her surgery. If it's mammary cancer, there's no point and the surgery would only stress her out.

She needs someone to soak her feet in warm water and apply her anti-fungal medication to her toes and nails daily.

Blackie

Is a bit freaked out. He's getting his pain meds and Clavamox and is eating well but he's scared. We started him on flower essences to help during the stress. A stressed cat takes longer to heal, not to mention, their discomfort.

He hasn't shown any sign of agression or wanting to bolt, on the contrary, the crate door came open and he just stayed in there.

He too needs someone to comfort him, to talk to him and to pet him in the cage.

All three of these cats need homes. They will be ready for adoption in the near future.

So far, our generous supporters have donated $420 towards Tri's hospitalization and surgery. With our matching fund that means $840 - we're only about $500 short of our goal!!! Amazing for such a short time. We're appreciative and so is Tri.

Tri, the tri colored, tri legged cat

Tri

Is waiting for her surgery.

Tri became a CatVando cat last Thursday. We met her for the first time today. She is a sweet sweet soul.

Her story and more photos are posted on our FaceBook account. CatVandoTNR

Elvis Extravaganza FUN d Raiser

Tri, the Hillside Calico

Tri is a sweet calico who's front leg was mangled in an engine. She's a friendly but lives outside with a colony being fed by a wonderful elderly woman. To make matters more complicated, when she went to the vet, in fear, she bit a vet tech so she's on rabies isolation for the next 8 days. We are hoping to raise enough funds to have her leg amputated when she's out of iso. She's young and cats (as well as dogs) are resiliant and do just fine on 3 legs. Of course, she can't be outside so we'll be looking for someone to adopt this little sweetie. One of the vet techs at the the clinic may foster her after surgery. Her caretaker has visited her at the clinic and loves her but has too many house cats already and can't take her in. If you can contribute to her care, please click the donate button and indicate it's for Tri. We need to raise about $1,000 - we have a matching funds grant by one of our benefactors. I've yet to find out if there is any significance to her unusual name but will. I'll keep you posted.

Jake's found a home!

Jake found himself a new home!

Those of you who visit CatVando are familiar with Jake's ways and charms. He was an indoor cat who became an indoor outdoor cat then became primarily an outdoor cat, living on the enclosed back or front porches with access to the yard area. He had quite the beginning, coming to us initially for therapy for his 'bite' behavior. He was doing great. We always had to exercise caution but he quit the intensity of his behavior and became more the charmer he really was. Jake is an alpha cat and even tho he was neutered, whenever there was a new cat on the premises, the boy would spray his little heart out - and, because of the influx of cats coming and going for TNR aftercare, ............... let's just say, there use to be a great leather couch here - use to be. Jake helped redecorate. We now have all wicker furniture. Anyway, Jake disappeared. He was in the habit of getting into cars and we thought maybe he took a ride somewhere and was trying to find his way home. 4 weeks to the day that he disappeared, we got a call from a local vet. Jake found a new home in Forest Park. We've worked out the arrangements, warning of his behavior and habits and are thrilled that he has a home where he's the only cat, where he can cuddle in bed for his night's rest, which he loves. Don't you just love the white heart on his abdomen