Buddy's Story - Episode III

In the fall of 2018, Buddy was doing well, and adjusting to life as a spoiled kitty. I had earned his trust enough that I could pet him for short periods! I was also able to get a quick flea treatment on him, known by cats everywhere as "the squidge" (liquid med that goes on the back of the neck).

In early November, I was dealing with the news that my Grandmother was sick again. She was in the hospital due to a fall. I couldn't get over to visit her, but I was getting updates from my Dad. At the same time, I was starting to worry about Buddy. His eating was slowing down, and he started to appear more lethargic. It bothered me so much, I called the vet's office to see if I could bring him in that day. 

Buddy enjoyed his cozy bed. He started sleeping in the open more.

The vet was able to get me an appointment that afternoon. I pulled out the carrier and Buddy DID have life left in him....he retreated to the larger closet, hissing and spitting at me the whole time. Apologetically, I managed to get him into the carrier. I told the vet that he would need to be sedated since he was still not handleable. They took him and said they would let me know what was wrong.

Later, I received a call that was both good and bad news. Good news: Buddy wasn't deaf! Bad news, he had SEVERE infections in BOTH ears AND most of his teeth were broken or infected. He would need dental surgery asap. They were able to put a heavy, waxy medication in both ears (called an Oto-pack) to treat the ear infections. They also gave him an antibiotic injection to help with the oral infections. No wonder he'd stopped eating! It hurt! They also had to give him subcutaneous fluids.

Buddy was slowing down and was eating less. I was very worried!

I brought Buddy home later that day, and he was happy to be back in safe surroundings. It took another day or so before his full appetite returned. His interactions also became more agreeable. His dental surgery was set for the following week. I wasn't looking forward to it, but I knew it would help Buddy in the long run. 

In the next episode, I'll describe how Buddy decided to explore the house, but he wedged himself in the basement, under the stairs. His dental appointment was the next day so I had to get creative to get him to come out!

Buddy's Story - Episode II

In this episode, I'll continue the story of how Buddy was learning what it meant to be an indoor, loved kitty. 

July of 2018 and Buddy is doing well. He is adjusting to me coming into the room and not hissing every time he sees me. But if I get too close, he lets me know it. He is happily eating and using the litter boxes. 

Buddy was happy to see every meal

As the weeks wore on, Buddy would start to venture into the main bedroom and the second bedroom too. He would nap out in the open rather than seeking the safety of the dressers or the closet. One day, I came up to check on him and found him sleeping in the bedroom closet, all 4 feet up in the air, but relaxed. I called to him but he didn't stir. A little panicked, I called louder because I was afraid he had passed! He woke up, saw me, hissed loudly, and retreated to the closet corner. Oops, so sorry my dear! 

I finally donated the rest of the dressers and other furniture I didn't need. This gave Buddy even more room to move around, but removed his hiding spots. It did allow me to sit closer to him and talk to him to establish some trust. I had to move slowly and carefully so I didn't scare him. He didn't want to play quite yet; he didn't understand what I was doing so he would hiss at the toys. However, there were times I'd hear him batting around some of the mice that had bells on them. He was learning!

Snacks were a mystery to Buddy at first. I would leave various treats on his placemat near his food bowls. It took a few weeks, but he finally tried one. From there on out, he would eat them, but didn't want to accept them from my hand yet. He did, however, give me an amazing sign one day. I came up to put his wet food down, and he came from the other bedroom and stopped. But he looked at me and his tail went up! A friendly greeting! I was very touched.

The back corner of the closet was a favorite hiding spot

In the fall of 2018, Buddy started to get out more. I had been leaving his doors open, but the baby gates up so he would get used to the noises of the household. However, a lot of the time I wasn't sure if he could hear well (I "snuck up" on him by accident more than a few times). I was wondering if he had become deaf over the years of neglect. The truth would be both good and bad news.

Stay tuned for the next episode of Buddy's story. It is filled with more excitement than I needed at the time!

Buddy's Story - Episode I

Over the next few weeks, I will write the story of Buddy. He had a rough existence before I took a chance on him. I made a promise to him from the very beginning that no matter how scared he was, and even if he never let me pet him, I’d give him a loving home for the rest of his life. The small chance I took on a forgotten, injured cat has given me a kitty buddy beyond my wildest hopes. Over the past two years, he has transformed from scared, unsure kitty to a feline who wants to know where I am, and enjoys interacting with me. This is our story together.

Poor Buddy would hiss when you set down food

Buddy is like so many homeless adult cats whose origins are shrouded in mystery and neighborhood lore. But he was a special kind of homeless cat - badly injured.

There are many stories published about rescued animals. Many are harrowing tales of how the animal was left for dead or so neglected they were barely clinging to life. I have worked at two different horse rescues and two cat rescues; I’ve seen this sort of thing first hand. I’ve seen how grateful animals can be when someone shows them kindness and love after they’ve been tossed aside. However, I’ve never witnessed an animal's "re-birth" after being rescued from a forgotten existence. I didn't know it at the time, but one day, Buddy would fully learn what it meant to be a pampered house cat, and he would enjoy every minute of it.

In March and April of 2018, I saw a large, black cat coming and going in and around my yard. One day in late April, he showed up in my yard and had horrible damage to one of his eyes. I started feeding him. He was very protective of his food and hissed as it was handed to him. I had no idea how old he was, but he looked about 100 in cat years. His ears were beat up and crooked. His fur was ragged. His eye was bad. He was a hot mess. As the days wore on, and he visited more often, my dear friend had named him “Buddy” because our resident cats seemed to rally around him, as if to indicate, "hey mom, this guy needs help!"

Poor Buddy had an injured eye and was generally in rough shape

I sent word out via digital means to see if anyone knew about Buddy, or if anyone was missing a cat. Pretty soon neighbors were coming forward claiming they’d been feeding him for 7 years, 10 years, etc. When they saw he was hurt and needed help (and I made an offer to pay for all medical care), a team of us came together. One neighbor provided a trap. Another neighbor managed to trap him. One lady came forward to claim it was her cat, only to realize it wasn’t (her cat had disappeared years prior, but was already neutered; Buddy was NOT neutered). She took him to the vet anyway to get the neutering and enucleation done. I covered the eye removal surgery and two other neighbors covered his neutering costs. Two additional neighbors came forward and gave me money to help cover the cost of the eye surgery. I met my neighbor at the vet’s office and took over Buddy’s care and ownership. One person even sent me a 12 pack of cat food via a large online retailer. What awesome neighbors!!

As I was driving home with this feral cat in my back seat in the "Have a Heart" trap, I was wondering “what am I doing!?” Then Buddy started to growl as his anesthetic was wearing off. “Oh my…what have I gotten myself into!!??” But we made it home, and I took him straight upstairs. He had the run of two bedrooms and a shared bathroom. My two close friends had moved out a few weeks prior, so very little furniture remained. Buddy had room to move around, but hiding spots too.

One of the remaining dressers. It gave Buddy cover.

I was concerned about making sure my new family member had food and water, and as much peace and quiet as he needed. I wasn't sure what to expect from him the first few days. I was also concerned that he was healing properly from the neutering and enucleation surgeries. I would check on him every few hours, and usually find him hiding under one of the dressers, or in the larger closet. He would hiss as he saw me, but he didn't run away. I was very respectful of his personal space, so I kept my visits brief enough to check food, water, and litter box use. To my pleasant surprise, he was polite about using the litter boxes, and he was eating and drinking. One evening, he was even sleeping peacefully on a little pillow I'd made for him. I was very hopeful.

In the next episode, I'll go into more details about how Buddy started to figure out this whole "indoor cat" living arrangement, but he still had a long way to go.