Less Adoptable: Tigger the Tripod

Today's blog is written by guest blogger, Jeane Ann Baumgartner. This is Tigger's story. This is her story, too. Enjoy...and have a tissue handy!

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This post is #12 in a series. You can read post #1 at Sebastian's blog, www.seabasscat.com.

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Two weeks had gone by since we had lost our cat Junior. The house was sad and empty and I couldn't stand being home. We started our search for a new male kitten less than 48 hours after our loss. My husband patiently took me from shelter to shelter but I wasn't making that connection. I wasn't ready.

My Dad called me one evening to let me know there was a kitten in the Kansas City Star that needed adoption. My Mom had been worrying about his chances all day because he only had three legs. I immediately felt an obligation to this cat. How could I not rescue the crippled cat?

Baby Tigger
(photo: Jeane Ann Baumgartner)

I looked up the shelter's website and was instantly disappointed because the first cat I pulled up was the one I wanted. I had found our next family member and I couldn't have him because I needed to save the kitty with the missing leg. I looked closer at the sweet face and saw some black stitches where a front leg should be.

This WAS the crippled kitty. I read that he was a Manx. A Manx is a wonderful breed and that meant that he was missing more than a leg, he was missing a tail as well.


My husband and I went into planning mode before we went to meet him the next day. We prepared our guest bathroom where we would keep him the first few nights. We devised a plan for ramps to be built along the wall of our stairs. My husband would have built anything on those steps to make me smile again. I was taking the loss of Junior hard.  


I look back on that night now and laugh. One of the first things Tigger did when we brought him home was hop down those stairs. Ramps not included. Tigger pretty much hops wherever he likes. As a younger cat he would get himself in trouble by getting up where he couldn't get down. 

Tigger in his new home
(photo: Jeane Ann Baumgartner)

  

We've installed our "Save the Leg" Campaign all over our home. Losing a front leg is the hardest for a four legged animal to overcome because it affects their balance. Our campaign generally consists of some doggy stairs and foot rests placed throughout the house so he can get down from places without a crash landing.

Tigger prefers a food bowl where he can rest his stump while he eats. When we put him down we place back feet first. He needs a little extra help bathing. His feline brother and sister help him with the right side of his face and some personal areas that need extra attention. Pet wipes handle the rest. 

Tripods have to keep their weight in check so we offered up a baby brother to help him exercise and I keep an eye on his food intake. What strikes me most often is that I forget his disability unless he is hamming up his Tiny Tim impression.

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Adopting Tigger has shown me that good can come from bad. We have a deal. He doesn't have to be glad he lost his leg, and I don't have to be glad we lost Junior. Without both events we wouldn't have found each other. I can't imagine my life now without this joyful creature.

I hope you can offer an animal with special needs a home. My wish is that you forget their disability as well and focus on what they add to your life, not what they have lost.

Less Adoptable: Pets with Chronic Ailments

This post is #10 in a series. You can read post #9 at Sebastian's blog, www.seabasscat.com.

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Licorice (photo courtesy Catherine L. Sherman)

Meet Licorice. 

Isn't she adorable? You wouldn't know it by looking at her but she has two strikes against her. 

One, she's a black cat.

Two, she currently has tummy issues.  

Ryker would have called them "magnificent barfisodes." And he would know.

You see, Ryker suffered from Inflammatory Bowel Disease.  On good days, he'd vomit only once. On bad days, he could have as many as nine. Sometimes he'd have a run of 2 to 3 barf-free days in a row (woo!). We joked about how he'd raised it to an art, Feng Shui-ing his barfisodes so they were displayed in the most artistic manner: on the (white) bedroom pillow…in the center of the (white) sofa…at the entrance to the (white carpeted) family room....

IBD is a chronic disease for which there is no cure, and no known cause.  There are few things more frustrating to a pet owner than a chronically ill animal. And if this is known about the animal at the rescue shelter, well…that can certainly make the animal less adoptable.

This was why Ryker's breeder was going to euthanize him, on the advice of her veterinarian.  Ryker was a purebred Tonkinese, but he was also my rescue!

The good news about chronic illnesses such as IBD is that they are manageable. In the case of IBD, it meant trying out various hypo-allergenic or limited ingredient diets,  giving each one a full 2-week stint before moving on to our next candidate until we found one that worked.

It meant managing flare-ups with medical therapy, such as corticosteroids (prednisone) and the occasional antibiotic. We did this only when needed, and the medication was fairly inexpensive. Ryker and I even got into a "pilling" rhythm (though he hated the antibiotic – nasty tasting stuff!).

Cats with chronic disease aren't for every adopter. But they don't necessarily have to be the money pit or time-draining exercise that many may fear. Did we visit the vet more frequently than the average cat? Yes. But Ryker had pet insurance, and that helped out a lot. And my vet and I had those "flare-ups" down to a science:  a quick once-over, a bottle of pills and we were out the door…often with only a minimal fee.  And how often does it take to change a pillowcase or swipe up a mess with some carpet cleaner?

I can tell you I'd give anything to have a few more years of that. Ryker's been gone ten months now, struck down suddenly – not by anything related to his chronic IBD, but of all things, a blood clot –  and there's not a day that goes by that I don't miss him with all my heart.

I can't fathom what life would have been like without him. If you or someone you know is considering adopting a chronically ill pet, I can tell you this: look past the illness to the heart of the animal…please! If your souls connect, then that makes it all worthwhile

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Licorice has not been diagnosed with IBD or any other chronic disease. She's just currently suffering from a bout of upset tummy. This adorable little girl is currently available at Wayside Waifs.