Fluffy

 

Sad start to the morning.    At least three years ago I rescued this beauty off the street.  At the same time, the man on Second Street who used to allow me to feed and place shelters behind his house had called me telling me his beloved cat had died, and he would like another.  I didn't have a home for Fluffy so I delivered her to him and it was love at first sight.  About a year ago, this man had invited a homeless friend to move in temporarily into his home.  The friend wouldn't leave.  This man stayed with his girlfriend most times but would go back occasionally to check on Fluffy.  This man also has been trying to get this homeless friend evicted to no avail.  He won't budge.  A few days ago this man called to tell me Fluffy wasn't eating or drinking, for days.  I made a vet appointment and went to get her two mornings ago, Tuesday.  She looked terrible.  I walked into this dank dark small house and she walked right up to me crying.  I placed her in the carrier and drove her to the vet appointment.  $500 later, with tests and ultrasound, she was diagnosed with severe jaundice (her eyes, belly, ears - all were so yellow).  She surely had something going on with her liver.  Her belly was huge. She was matted terribly, and she was covered in fleas.  Rather than putting her to sleep right then, we decided to give meds a try, and appetite stimulant, and my cousin had offered to foster her to see if she would get better.  By yesterday evening, she still hadn't eaten or drunk anything and was urinating on the bed.  I decided to make another appointment for her.

I picked her up for her 9 am. appointment.  She was just laying on the floor, not moving.  My cousin said she hadn't moved all night, and kept checking on her to see if she was still breathing.

I know I made the right decision for her, she was suffering so much.  She lay on the exam table and just stared off into space.  She began to cry loudly for a few minutes, and then stopped.  The doctor came in very late and called her a different name. I was a little offended.  But he was gentle, and I said my goodbye.

This was purely a case of neglect.  I know this man didn't mean to neglect her - he checked on her occasionally - he loves cats but its most likely a case of ignorance as well - but the homeless man did nothing to help her.  I am sure he paid no attention to her declining health, nor even acknowledged her. 

We must all work together to protect animals from abuse and cruelty.

ADDENDUM: The FBI has reclassified animal abuse as a felony. This began in 2016, and it means that the worst cat abuse cases will be prosecuted the same as murder, burglary, and arson. This is a great step forward in the fight against cat abuse and, by extension, domestic violence. See this link for more information: ppnnow.com/fbi-makes-animal-abuse-a-f

Have a great day.