daily dose of dogs (aka cats with your coffee)

Quinn

I’ve written more than once about the situation that confronts me now.  For years and years, Winnie’s Wish was a rescue/shelter.  I continued to take in cats and kittens that I rescued from homeless situations and gave them “shelter” until I could place them into loving homes.  Then a while back, I had to reassess.  Over the years, there were always “adoptable” kitties being rescued who could eventually move on to permanent homes.  But what was also happening, continuously, was that cats were accumulating here who were feral or semi-feral and who were not being chosen for adoption.   In addition, I had to consider my age.  Rescuing is physically hard work.   I finally made the decision to stop rescuing and transition Winnie’s Wish from rescue/shelter to sanctuary for the 30+ cats who call this place home.

At least a couple of times, I’ve written about one of the emotionally difficult parts of my new role.  I am now caretaker for over thirty cats who will live out their lives here.   I am now dedicated to seeing this large group through to the ends of their lives.   It means that I will go through the deaths of each and every one of these Wishers, in addition to the deaths of our own furry family members.   My goal is to provide the best possible life for these “semi-feral” cats, and then the easiest possible transition for them into the next life.

This past weekend I said goodbye to Winnie’s Wisher Quinn.   

 

 

Quinn was one of the Florida abandoned hotel cats.  I won’t retell the story of our vacations to Florida and how we got caught up in a feral colony at an abandoned hotel there.   But briefly, the angel Cheryl who managed that feral cat colony is the person who got Quinn (and Peter Pan and Tinkerbell) on a transport and ultimately to me.  I had room for three at that time and even though it didn’t put a dent in the colony, life for those three cats changed forever – thanks to Cheryl.  That happened in April 2013.  But VERY strangely, I had seen Quinn the previous year when we were in Florida.  Of course, I couldn’t get close to him, but I commented about how handsome he was from a distance.  Then lo and behold, he was one of the cats who showed up at my transport pick-up spot nearly a year later.

 

 

Quinn was an adult when he came to Winnie’s Wish.  And he was already an adult in the spring of 2012.  When he arrived here, we guessed him at maybe 3 or 4 years old.  So we could say that maybe he was born in 2010.  He could be a 12-year-old cat or he could be a 17-year old cat.  I’ve never known. 

Besides being VERY handsome, Quinn had a great personality.  As is true of all of the current Wisher family, Quinn had a feral start in life.  It took a while for him to warm up to new surroundings and to me.  But he attached himself to a gorgeous little calico girl (named Isis, for her eyes) and he and she have remained bonded for all of these years.  I’ve written about the two of them several times.  In addition to being attached to each other, both of these two were also really great with new cats brought in, especially young ones.   We talked about this pair as the Patriarch and Matriarch of Winnie’s Wish.

 

 

Quinn started showing signs of IBD nearly two years ago.  I tried everything the vets suggested as far as prescription medications.  I also tried everything natural I could find in my research.  He went on special dry and canned food.  There were certain things that seemed to help for a while, but the IBD always came rolling back.  Over the last year or so, Quinn lost a lot of weight.  He still had a healthy appetite and he always seemed to feel great.  This was quite a relief for me.  I knew he wasn’t consistently absorbing the nutrition he needed, but he sure seemed to feel good.  Then a couple of weeks ago, something just seemed a little off about him.  I couldn’t really put my finger on it.  I watched him for a few days thinking his IBD might finally be catching up with him.  But he still seemed happy and he was still eating well for me.  Then one evening he didn’t want his canned food.  That was very much out of character for Quinn.   Last Thursday evening, Quinn refused to eat anything at all.

Allow me a tangent here.  The biggest reason I transitioned Winnie’s Wish from rescue/shelter to sanctuary is because the 30+ cats here now are semi-feral.  They are all very attached to me, but they are terrified of new people and of new situations.  I came to the conclusion that these ones needed to be able to live out their lives here without ever having to adjust to a new home or new people.  THIS would be their home.  These are not cats you can just coax into a carrier.  One of my goals as I take each of these cats through the ends of their lives is to have them die at home if at all possible.  When they are at the end, the last thing I want for them is to force them into a carrier, put them in a car, and subject them to a half-hour drive and then into a veterinary office.  I deeply wish that each Winnie’s Wisher could die peacefully here.  Of course, that just isn’t very likely.  When Momma Monday came to the end of her life, it was because of a rapid onset kidney failure.  I couldn’t allow her to suffer until she died.  And then Rocky, who moved on in April, was suffering from something neurological.   I couldn’t allow him to suffer.

But Quinn died in one of the most peaceful ways I’ve ever experienced.  He slept almost all day on Friday.  I sat with him multiple times throughout that day.  I worried a little that he might pass in the night.  He was still alive on Saturday morning and he slept again all day.  He never seemed to be in pain.  He never struggled.  I visited him multiple times again on Saturday.  And then sometime between 6pm and 8pm, he simply slipped away.  For that – I am deeply grateful.

 

Quinn - Farewell

 

Before I close I want to thank a dear friend for sending a financial gift to Winnie's Wish in memory of his dog, Spike, whom he lost recently.

 

             

JT - THANK YOU.

 

Wildlife Wednesday - Injured Momma Opossum

This post starts off sad but things are improving.  Last week, Older Daughter received a mom opossum with babies in the pouch.  This poor opossum was found sitting in the middle of the road in a pool a blood.  When Older received her, she could see that the injuries were to her face, especially her mouth.  Of course, this adult opossum did not want to be examined by Older Daughter.  Older did the best she could to try to diagnose the problem.  The tongue was cut in several places.  And the opossum held her mouth open.  (Older hoped there wasn’t a broken jaw.)  There appeared to be some minor trauma to one eye and the sinus cavity on that side of her head.   Older also tried to examine the babies.  She thinks there are six total.   They were puny and Older hoped that mom hadn’t been without food for a considerable amount of time.

 

 

 

Older Daughter has been force-feeding this mom, and she did not like it.  But a few days ago, she seemed to change her mind.  She started letting Older Daughter feed her without a struggle.  Then the following day, she let Older pet her and rub her face.  In this picture (below), she still doesn’t look great, but she has definitely improved.  The swelling in the jaw is better and the tongue lacerations are starting to heal. 

With the force-feeding (now being accepted), mom is feeling stronger and the babies are doing better as well. 

 

 

THEN, just before I finished this post, I received some pictures from Older Daughter.  Momma opossum has been living in a very large box with no top on it.  She literally did not move and was certainly not going to climb out because she barely had the strength to hold herself up.  But Momma O is getting stronger and Older found her in the animal room sitting on top of one of the cages in that room.

 

 

Momma O and babies are now settled in a roomy cage with four sides and a top . . .

 

 

And now hear this!!  Momma O has started looking forward to being fed.  She can't manage licking from a bowl yet, but look what she did when offered some yogurt from the feeding syringe.

 

Things are definitely looking up!

 

While on the topic of opossums – there have been two little opossums at Wild Angels since April.  This is what they looked like when they arrived at Wild Angels.  Their body condition was very poor.

 

 

This is what they looked like a couple of weeks ago.

 

 

And here is the female (smaller of the two), out and about in their enclosure. 

 

 

Lookin’ good!

 

Wildlife Wednesday – Successful Release

The work of a wildlife rehabber is something I know I can’t do.  Of course, it’s just plain hard work.  That part I would take on.   (Not so much the up all night feeding part . . .)  But it’s the emotional toll this work takes on the rehabber that is really rough.  Older Daughter takes on all of these babies –  too young to be without a mom.  And some don’t make it.  That’s hard enough.  Then, after investing so much of herself into the survival of each and every baby that comes to Wild Angels, the very goal is to let them go.  She works and works to keep them alive.  She works to move them slowly and carefully through each stage from arrival to release.  And in the course of doing so, she learns about each little individual.  It’s impossible to be oblivious to personality differences and cute characteristics.  It’s impossible to keep yourself from wanting desperately for each tiny furry soul to live.  Even when they’ve moved to outdoor enclosures and Older Daughter is no longer getting up in the night with them to feed and carrying them to and from work with her, there is still an attachment that is impossible to completely shed.  She watches them through the stages of learning.  And then one day – it’s time to be released.  This is such a bittersweet success.  The entire goal is to get these wildlife babies to the place where they can survive on their own.   Yet letting them go means there’s no way to know what happens to them after this. 

Older will definitely tell you that seeing them healthy and prepared for life in the wild outweighs the worry over what will happen to them as they go forward.  And of course, occasionally, one will return with a message to Older Daughter that things are going well.  Those are really nice moments.  (For example, Ms. Wobbly Raccoon has returned year after year.)

This was the year of the baby raccoon.  There were so many babies at Wild Angels that I lost track of who came in when.  But the very first babies to come to Wild Angels last Spring have now been released.  They always hang around for a while.  And there’s always food available for any alumnus that wishes to return for a meal.  These first releases of 2022 are climbing the trees and coming to the community water bowl.  They are rushing over to eat when Older dishes out food each evening.  As so many before them, these ones will slowly move on.  They will move off into the woods and all along the riverbank and find homes of their own.  Success!

 

 

 

 

 

While Older was picking blackberries, she was joined by one of the newly released.

 

 

The two opossums are not ready to be released yet.  They come out and move around in their enclosure during the evening and night.  During the day they stay in their little doghouse.

 

 

And there are still a handful of baby raccoons in Older Daughter’s house.  The youngest ones are still inside (I think that number might be 6) including the last two she received who didn’t even have their eyes open yet.  It will be a while before these two will venture out into an enclosure.

 

 

 

 

Loss

Older Daughter and I spoke daily last week about little Lincoln.  He never had a “great” day; he was mostly up and down.  But mid-week, Older noticed a slight change in him.  He seemed to show a little motivation, talked to Older a little at feeding times, and even batted and played a little with Older’s finger.  I said that maybe we could be cautiously hopeful.  Older said she wouldn’t let her guard down yet – that she’d seen far too many struggling kittens end up not making it.    I thought about all of the kittens who’ve come through my hands over the years.  And all of the kittens (hundreds) who’ve gone through my daughters’ hands at the humane society.  SO many of them survive.  I don’t know the percentages, but the vast majority DO make it.  They get the chance to grow into adult cats and have a good life.  But it’s those that don’t survive that you remember.   

Late Thursday night I texted one last time to Older Daughter, inquiring about Lincoln.  She said he was having a bad evening.  She hoped he would do better the next day.  But then early the next morning, I received a text from Older Daughter that Lincoln was dying.  He hadn’t seemed to feel good in the middle of the night when she saw him, but he’d done this so many times before.  Then on Friday morning, he made a sudden downhill turn.  Older texted that she was going to rush him straight to the vet as soon as she got to work.  But he took his last breaths shortly thereafter.

Lincoln had a really bad start in life.  He had multiple physical malformations.  It’s possible he had internal malformations as well.  I can only say that I am extremely glad that he spent the last days of his very short life in the care of Older Daughter.  Like little Bean who was with Younger Daughter in his last days, Lincoln had love poured onto him.  And that is so much better than what would have happened to either of these kittens if they had not been brought in to the shelter.

On this same morning (Friday morning), I received a text from a very dear friend of mine.  His beloved dog had passed away suddenly that morning.  He has yet to tell me what happened (can’t talk about it quite yet), but we certainly shared our feelings about loss.  He didn’t get to say goodbye.  And the passing was so sudden.  I could absolutely relate.  It’s always extremely difficult to lose a furry family member, but (for me, at least) it’s even harder when you don’t know it’s coming.  My heart broke for my friend.  My heart is still broken over losing Little Roo.

I’m still hoping, in this lifetime, to learn to let go without feeling so devastated.  Animals come into this world; animals go out of this world.  Intellectually, I realize that I am privileged to be a part of each and every one of these animals’ lives.  It is a privilege to get to love, and be loved by, each one.  Death is inevitable.  All we can do is love them while they’re here – no matter if that time is long or short. 

In honor of and in memory of my friend’s dog, Little Roo, Bean, and Lincoln – May I continue to love whole-heartedly and yet learn to let them go freely when their time here is done.   Precious ones who fill our hearts and our lives.   Little sparks of light in fur. 

 

 

 

Two More Kittens in Need

Last week I told you about the two little black kittens that Younger Daughter took home in an attempt to save their lives.  One little kitten (Bean) suffered from Failure to Thrive.  In spite of all of that Younger Daughter did, that one didn’t make it.  But the other tiny kitten (Eden) continues to do well.  As I said last week, it’s usually Older Daughter who fosters the felines and Younger Daughter is there for the canines.   Younger stepped in for this kitten pair for a couple of reasons, the primary one being that her sister is in the middle of wildlife baby season right now.  But just as Younger Daughter took on the round-the-clock feeding of the two little black kittens, another situation presented itself. 

A mother cat was brought in to the shelter with her three kittens, eyes not yet open.  The mom and the kittens were in pretty rough shape upon arrival.  That is not terribly unusual.   There was not really anything else noticeable at first.  But about the time the kittens’ eyes were opening and they started to move around a little on their own, it became clear that this litter had problems that went beyond starvation.  For one thing, the babies were sick.  They were put on the tiniest doses of medication, but they did not respond well, and because they felt so bad, two of the three weren’t nursing enough.  That was what made the decision for Older Daughter to take those two home.  They would need to be syringe fed to assure that they were getting enough nutrition.  But in addition to being sick, all three kittens suffered from malformations of one sort or another.  The strongest one (orange-and-white female who did not go home with Older) has some type of hip displacement.  She is now walking and seems to be doing fine with the issue but will be monitored as she grows.  The vet (who believes each of these kittens might need corrections in the future) has said they are not old enough or strong enough to work on at this point.  A second kitten (also an orange-and-white female) has an eyelid condition such that the lids are turned inward and so the eyelashes rub the eye.  Sometimes a kitten will outgrow this, but sometimes it requires surgery later on.    Finally, the third kitten (an orange male) ended up with several issues.  Like one of his sisters, he has something wrong with his hips.  He has a severe overbite.  One of his ears is partially missing (it’s not terribly noticeable, it just looks like it didn’t finish growing).  He also has the eyelid problem but not as severe as his sister; however, he also has one eye that ruptured at some point and he will never see out of it.  It might have to be removed in the future.  Poor dear.

 

 

So when the two weren’t nursing enough to keep up their strength, Older took them home.  It’s been about a week, and a couple of days ago, the little female went back to the shelter.  She was definitely stronger and definitely growing.  So far that decision has been a success – she is now nursing right beside her sister and it looks like she’s going to make it.  (Of course, with the caveat that we all know – a kitten can turn on a dime and go downhill fast.  But we’re keeping our fingers crossed.)

 

(The little girl looks even better now and is back with mom.)

 

 

As Older Daughter syringe fed these two kittens over the days and nights, she got to know them.  She could tell the little girl was stronger and she knew this one might make it.  But the little boy had SO many issues.  He was also very difficult to syringe feed.  The overbite seemed to make the feedings very difficult for him.  Older struggled and struggled to keep this little guy fed, but it wasn’t going well.  After a few days, when the sister seemed to be improving, this guy would just lie around.  He wasn’t interested in much and he seemed to feel bad all the time.

 

Older bathed his eyes daily, but with the eye issues they continued to look bad.

 

 

Older Daughter texted me more than once to say how much she wished this little guy would make it.  She said – I’m completely in love with him.  He has so many issues and he feels bad all the time.  I want him to make it so bad.  I want him to get stronger and feel good and play.   She decided to name him since he’d been with her so many days with no end in sight.  His name is Lincoln.

In the past couple of days, Lincoln seems to be doing a TINY bit better.  We’re all afraid to get our hopes up, especially Older Daughter.

 

 

If Lincoln survives, he has many challenges awaiting him.  He may always have trouble eating.  He will only have one seeing eye.  His eyelid malformation will need surgery unless he outgrows this condition.  And we have no idea about his hips.  We are all hoping that little Lincoln will survive; and not just survive, but begin to feel better to the point of wanting to play.  Wouldn’t that be a celebration!

 

napping with Older Daughter

 

Fingers crossed.