sousonne wrote on Dec 9, ’10

I’d like to think it is my little friend, in a better place

He is, Souc…he is. Remember…it is only his ailing body that died….the spirit is an energy, and energy never dies. It wouldn’t surprise me if he’s still around….just not in a physical form. You did an amazing job helping him fulfill his life experience in this physical realm, and I know that he appreciated it. If he was as ill as he appeared to be, my guess is, he wouldn’t have made it through this harsh winter we’ll have…and he would have died, probably starving, and cold in an alley somewhere…he didn’t. You made his last years much nicer than they would have been if you hadn’t been in his life. You treated him with love, dignity and respect.

sanssouciblogs wrote on Dec 9, ’10

Thanks, Sous, I am remebering, I am remebering, and I still see him in the corner of my eye.
Now those two orange boys are starving and coming two or more times a day, poor things. These guys are really frightened of people, ferals for sure.
At least Arnold help the Vet change some policies and hopefully this won’t happen again. I still like to think he comes by for his breakfast and is sitting on the welcome mat in the sun.

nomadtraveller wrote on Dec 9, ’10

I’d like to think it is my little friend, in a better place.

Certainly looks like it! Good to hear that he was looked after though at the end.

jadedruid wrote on Dec 9, ’10

It definately looks like him. I think he sent you a sign that he was ok.

pestep55 wrote on Dec 9, ’10

I think he sent you a sign that he was ok

I would take it the same way. Cats are very sensitive and though he must have been very frightened, he loved and trusted you. Little Arnold is letting you know he is alright now.

sanssouciblogs wrote on Dec 9, ’10

Hi, Neil. well, he wasn’t totally neglected, thankfully, that’s some consolation.

sanssouciblogs wrote on Dec 9, ’10

Pat and Shar, isn’t that an amazing sign? Warm and safe, he was so sweet. Thanks for coming over.

lauritasita wrote on Dec 9, ’10

That is pretty amazing. I bet he was also traumatized from being trapped and then travelling to a strange place.

lunarechoes wrote on Dec 10, ’10

I’m so glad the policies are being changed and that he was given antibiotics. BUT–I don’t believe they couldn’t move him; they were able to medicate him, and they have gloves if their hands and arms need protection. And you can give animals low doses of Benadryl instead of tranquilizers.More to the point: If the assistant thought he needed to be evaluated by a vet, WHY WAS NO VET TOLD?

I can see why that catalog had the effect it did. It doesn’t just look like him, it looks one of your photos of him. He IS at peace, and he made a difference. And so did you, on his behalf. You deserve to be at peace over this, too. You did everything you could, everything *anyone* could have–and way more than most people would have. And because of you and Arnold, no animal will be left in a cage there again, and all sick animals will be seen by a vet. Someone will someday take home a healthy and well-loved pet that would otherwise have died. Because of you.

They won’t know it’s because of you, so they won’t be able to thank you. But as someone whose pets are part of the family, I want to thank you for caring so much and doing so much.

shoppingdreams wrote on Dec 10, ’10

I believe that catalog is a sign. No doubt.Sue, when this all started, I said that I believed Arnold would not have survived either way, and that it would have happened outside, where he was cold, alone, and scared. I still believe that.

I don’t remotely condone what happened at the vet’s. But cats don’t die from spending time in traps either. I have friends who trap cats all the time, really wild cats, not cats as acclimated to humans as he was, and it’s not at all uncommon for them to spend a considerable amount of time in the trap before they can be transferred, because it is difficult and potentially dangerous to remove an agitated cat from one of those traps. Usually, they let the cat wait there to calm down a bit. It’s not a fatal situation, even though those cats are considerably more agitated than what you are describing with Arnold.

He was given antibiotics, and he was fed and warm. I doubt, even if they had had him examined, that there was any obvious sign that something more was happening. If he died, I have to guess his little heart was weak, and that may have been the primary problem all along, and it’s highly unlikely that would have been obvious on an initial exam, or, if it was, if anything could have been done about that. That is not unusual in cats, especially cats weakened by life outside. It happened to a friend of mine with a stray she took in. The cat was fine one minute, and literally just looked at her, and fell over, dead.

I say all this because, while I am angry at the vet, and I think they bungled things, I truly don’t believe that this caused what happened with Arnold. He was sick and weak, and you were describing behavior before you took him in that went well beyond the conduct of a cat with a sore eye. Arnold was not doing well, and I don’t believe that taking him in earlier, or not taking him in, would have changed the outcome. Cats mask their suffering. My cat, when she died, was full of cancer, and I didn’t know, because she showed no obvious sign of pain or illness until the very end. Arnold was showing obvious signs that something was wrong, which suggests to me that he was nearing the end.

From all you have said, I believe this end was inevitable. And, while he may have been scared in the trap, I’m not sure, from a cat’s perspective, that was as terrifying as one might assume. You had that trap covered with something, a towel, I think, so it probably felt safe and enclosed to him, which is probably why he became agitated when they tried to remove him. Cats feel safer in more enclosed places.

That little cat lived as long as he did, in relative safety, because of the kindness of you and your neighbors.

I’m not religious, but I am spiritual. There are elements of religion that I find beautiful, even if it’s not my belief system. One is a passage from the Bible, believe it or not, in which people are being judged by their conduct in their lives, and they are told that the way they treated others was the same as treating God that way. This passage somehow makes me think of you and your neighbors:

“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”

That is what you did for Arnold my dear. And, in the end, when he was sick, and suffering and alone, you went to great lengths to get him help, to be sure he was safe, to be sure he was warm, and to be sure he was not alone. Just as you eased his life, you eased his ending too. Don’t ever doubt that.

That is an amazing gift, and if I didn’t know before how wonderful you are, I know it now. OK, I knew it before too, but this is a beautiful story, and I’m so touched by what you did for him.

Arnold had a quality of life because of you. His end was eased by you. I’m sad that he’s gone, and I can’t even imagine how you feel. I hope, one day, though, that realizing what you did for that charming little cat will help.

Love you. And yes, I believe, on every possible level, that Arnold is safe now, and happy, and trying to tell you that. I don’t believe the catalog is a coincidence.

shoppingdreams wrote on Dec 10, ’10

Sorry for the long message!

gileson wrote on Dec 10, ’10

If Arnold was feral, the process of removing him from the cage required some thought on the part of those in the place. #1. He isn’t going to come out without a fight, #2. How do you control him once he is out?
Seems to me the “un-capture” should be the reverse of the capture. Something is placed in a permanent holding cage that motivates him to come out of the capture cage. A light sedative in his food or drink would have calmed him down to the point where he could be handled safely.We used a similar method to capture and transport farm animals. Some farmers used those electric shock sticks to get them to move, but my Dad was not into any inhumane treatment. He always said, “When I get to the point where I can’t outsmart an animal, I will have to retire.”It seems like the people at your vet should have retired.Are you feeding Sorbet and Gormet since you have the feeding station all built and a supply of cat food? My mother used to say, “Do for one, do for all.” That is probably the reason why the cats were not allowed in the house. Mom felt that if they got used to a hand out, they would lose interest in keeping the barn free of mice.Maybe the same thing applies to the ferals in your area. If they don’t have a guaranteed meal every day, it might motivate them to hone up on their predatory skilss and go hunt something down.

skeezicks1957 wrote on Dec 10, ’10

Antibiotics were administered, he was fed and he was warm

I am betting on an allergic reaction to the antibiotic. Anaphylactic shock can be fatal and can be quick. Just my thoughts.

greenwytch wrote on Dec 10, ’10, edited on Dec 10, ’10

i know you are relieved to at least know you were heard and now you have some answers. i honestly do not believe that you are exactly right; Arnold ‘just let go’ of his physical self.like you, i also believe that catalog is an affirmation.

and of course, you do know that Arnold sent those two newbies, to you, don’t you?

i had been meaning to tell you, i did see *something* somewhere……a little book, magazine? last week or the week before, though i cannot remember what it was of. anyhoo, the thing was written by someone with the last name Scwartzkatze. maybe i got the spelling wrong, i am not entirely sure.

i immediately thought of your Arnold and you.

♥

sanssouciblogs wrote on Dec 10, ’10

Thank you! I needed that pep talk and you made a difference too.
I think the Vet is actually a very compassionate man, was lovely on the phone and Arnold will make a difference.

sanssouciblogs wrote on Dec 10, ’10

Thanks, this really moved me!
The vet said the letter with the pictures moved him and it was on his desk. I’m so glad I sent it.

sanssouciblogs wrote on Dec 10, ’10

Hi, Mary Ellen, I think his little heart gave out like Shopping said. He was probably weak and suffering as they do in silence. Well, whatever, he will have office policies changed because of him.

sanssouciblogs wrote on Dec 10, ’10

They do hunt, they starve in the winter, and by eating birds they are guaranteed worms. I am feeding the orange boys, Sorbet and Sorbetto, and I think my neighbor put something out too.

sanssouciblogs wrote on Dec 10, ’10

Actually I had him trapped and taken to the ASPCA where they neutered him and vaccinated him. He hadn’t been to this vet before, but my three were neutered and vaccinated at this vet in 05. And yes he was found curled up in sleeping position. When you think of it, is there a better way to go?

sanssouciblogs wrote on Dec 10, ’10

Ha! a schwartz katz eh? Funny. I am thinking about writing articles for cat magazines, maybe I should.

greenwytch wrote on Dec 10, ’10

yeah, with an ‘e’ on the end! go figure, eh?yes, i do believe you should write for the cat magazines. ; D

pestep55 wrote on Dec 10, ’10

Anaphylactic shock

Very possible — mine was healthy, minor abscess, had a “reaction” to an anesthetic

shoppingdreams wrote on Dec 11, ’10

Actually I had him trapped and taken to the ASPCA where they neutered him and vaccinated him. He hadn’t been to this vet before, but my three were neutered and vaccinated at this vet in 05. And yes he was found curled up in sleeping position. When you think of it, is there a better way to go?

Thanks for clarifying that. I was just taken aback at the insensitivity of some of the comments. People should think before they write.

velvet3000 wrote on Dec 14, ’10

Dear Sue … I just want to say, again, that I’m really sorry for his loss and your grief – again, Little Arnold (and the sensitivity of your writing) brings me to tears – but, also, at least he died warm and safe, even there – and he DID know that he was loved – by you. You made a very positive and important and beautiful difference to his life, and that continues to matter forever … <3

knightstar wrote on Dec 15, ’10

Sue–I’m am so sad to hear about Arnold. I read about your interaction with the veterinary clinic–I would have been seething and they never would have heard the end of it from me.

Anyway, I don’t know if you remember me telling you, but I took care of feral cats at work for years, up until the time the business closed. They came and went–mostly, I never knew what happened to them. Just before I left work, a few weeks before the shop finally closed, I managed to relocate two of the last holdouts. The two holdouts were Big Tom, the longest-time resident and patriarch of the ongoing colony and another partially grown feral named Spooks.

Although big Tom would comfortably interact with me and Spooks would shyly come up to me, it took me the longest time to coax them into the pet carriers–which I did after having withheld food from them for a day and a half. I had to get them into the carriers in a certain order, too–the little Spooks first, and then Big Tom. Otherwise, without Big Tom there as his security blanket, I could never have gotten the younger cat inside the carrier.

I relocated both to my friends’ home in another county, fifty miles away. There they soon became acclimatized to their new lifestyle, despite having to “share” their new benefactors with two large dogs and a couple of house cats. Spooks has disappeared, no doubt to take his place with the myriad of other ferals in the area, but Big Tom is still at the house and is doing fine. He has found himself several other friends with which to share his heated “doghouse” this winter.

I don’t have a picture of Spooks, but here are several of big Tom, at his new haunts:

http://knightstar.multiply.com/photos/photo/82/149

http://knightstar.multiply.com/photos/photo/82/146

Once again, Sue, I’m very sorry to hear about Arnold, but thank you for coming by and telling me, all the same.

–M