FEED A CAT FOR CHRISTMAS............ And Beyond! JANUARY 1st! MELISSA Z.!!!

MELISSA Z.!!!

Melissa and I go way back.  She began reading my blog years ago in the winter and knew I had tons of laundry to do with the large bath towels I replaced daily in the shelters (not the huts - the huts have straw) - its more for comfort for the kitties that were surrounded by ice and snow to eat over a nice dry towel than a hard cold board.  She offered to do the laundry weekly for me.  Sweet girl.  She has even come over with her saw horse and helped cut large boards into smaller pieces.  She also adopted two kittens for her daughter Julia, who I wrote about in an earlier post for Feed a Cat for Christmas.  Julia was out of town in college and wanted to wait until she was finished with college to get her babies from her mom. 

Here is what Melissa had to say about her donation to help Feed a Cat for Christmas - Melissa sent this hand typed note to me via USPS - can you imagine?  ha ha...  She had a picture of Kitty Whitty attached, but I couldn't duplicate it so here is a picture the closest to how she looked.

Melissa writes:

"Enclosed is a check for your Feed A Cat for Christmas campaign in celebration of our cats Clawdia, Milo, Talia, Isabella, Muffin, Sheldon, Murphy, Kitty Whitty, and Kelsie the dog who keeps them all in line.

He is the kitty that got out of my neighbor’s house June 2017 and when I told them he was in my garden their answer was, ‘he lives in the garage now.’ It was very apparent that he was not being fed so we had a twice a day ritual of patting the cat on the head, being hissed at and feeding the hungry boy.

In August he was limping and bloody so I took him to the Animal Urgent Care where he got a rabies shot and an antibiotic for the infected toe. It took a while before I could regain his trust and touch him again but he always came back to eat as I walked away. I built a shelter for him with a pallet, boards and polyester fleece on Styrofoam boards to keep him of the cold ground, out of the wind and dry as it got colder. He was very afraid of being closed in and would not enter a cozier shelter I left for him.

We had our daily meetings for many months until just after Christmas 2017 when he disappeared. He had not shown up for meals on occasions before but he always returned within 24 hours or so. This time it was for days with no sight of him or evidence of footprints in the yard or near the shelter. I prayed he had gone home or found another safer place. On New Year’s day something told me to check the shelter. My husband and I pulled it apart and there he was, covered in urine, nearly frozen to the ground and too weak to move.

He gave us time to get a carrier from the house before he bolted. Due to the deep snow and his condition I was able to grab for him and catch him but not before he sunk his teeth into my hand. (Yes, those bites require immediate attention.) We brought him into the house and he just laid there, barely breathing and showing no signs of his feisty self. So you know where this story goes – off to the Emergency Vet.

He had terrible ulcers in his mouth from the Calicivirus, hypothermia, dehydration and an infected toe – not the same one as August. They patched him up and I brought him home.

What do you do with a cat you can’t handle? He’s terrified of you and your other pets in the house and its winter. Out comes the large wire cage we used to corral the puppy that is now a 60lb dog and you set up a home on a basement table with a litter box, cardboard box condo with 2 levels, blankets, food and water and a comforter to surrounding it to keep out the draft.

A radio played WXXI softly during the day so he could hear human voices and classical music. He didn’t try to escape it and did well with eating a special diet I made with wet cat food and cooked cornstarch in the food processor so he could lap it up and not have to chew too much.when warmed and mixed with a bit of water.

Some day he would hide in his condo; other days he would hang out on top of it. The washer and the dryer didn’t seem t bother him. Some of the other cats would go down and ‘visit’ him. Then one day he stopped eating, lying on top of the condo not really much but he stretched out his hind foot toward me. I cannot begin to describe the horribly swollen infected foot I saw. He must have known I wanted to help him because I had to half climb into the cage to get a hold of him to put him in the carrier. Off to the Vet and he did not freak out at all. The infection had gone into the bone which lead to having a toe amputated. He came home in a few days and convalesced in his condo. Frequent trips to the Vet to change the dressing were required. He had never shown any indication he wanted out of the cage until early March. This saga had started on New Year’s day.

I had no idea if I let him out of the cage if he would freak out and try to go through a window or hide or just what would happen. So on March 3^rd I opened the cage and prayed.  He just moved to the right and acted like he had been always been there.

The other cats accepted him without a problem. He is the only cat I have ever had that comes when called without having to pop the top of a cat food can. Periodically you will hear a noise under the dining room table. There he is happily chasing a cat toy or playing with an apron string. Occasionally he will stretch out and let you rub his tummy even though he is still wary of being picked up and cuddled. I believe he is the brother of my Muffin who the same neighbors tossed out as a kitten with a prolapsed rectum.

So Kitty Whitty is the reason I have not been able to contribute to your efforts as often as I would like this year. $3,500 reasons. My sister-in-law was very generous in helping with his expenses but $3,500 is a serious chunk of change in my world.

I read your blog each day and pray for your safety and health as well as for the kitties you tend to."

Melissa, you are a hero in my eyes, and thank you for doing your part to save a needy animal.  

Have a great day!