Barney is an Angel Now.

Barney Boy you have my heart. I just am so in love with you. I am so glad that you have Angel Lara in you life. She is a god send just as you are a god send to us Pet Talkers. Thanks for my Barney fix. :love::)

I really look forward to your updates and videos of our boy! I think that this is the best that he has looked since you and Angela first took him in. The bear hot water bottle is adorable! I figured he snuggle right up to it. My kids are like that, I'll fix up something really special for them thinking they'll love it, and they totally ignore it! I fixed a really cozy blanket house for Wilson, a cat that adopted me earlier this year. How did he repay me? He left! He was gone for a week, came back yesterday morning for breakfast and was gone again. He slept in the original one every night. I tweaked it to make it more waterproof, guess he didn't approve. I don't know where he's staying and I just hate it. The weather here is very nasty and cold (freezing rain and very windy)and is suppose to be all week. When he was coming every day I tried to bring him inside to get warm but he couldn't get back outside fast enough. Anyway, you've got Barney all fixed up. He must be warm enough, like Mary said, if he gets cold enough, he'll go in there. Have you ever given him catnip? If his sniffer still works that might entice him.


More hugs,
Mary

Like several of the other posts have written, it is ALWAYS to see an update on Barney!!! he looks so much better, he fur looks silky, shiny, and smooth!!! You know, that our prayers for Barney continue, and for you, too. Your kindness will be greatly rewarded someday!!!!!!!!!!!

Barney looked sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo sweet in that video. He has quite the nice set-up going on. Looks very cozy and he has the tv to keep him happy. What a sweet little guy. I loved the water heater in the bear, that was such a great thing to have. I am sure he will snuggle right up to it once he gets a little chilled. He truly has the sweetest little face. I love checking this thread to see how the little guy is doing. I am still praying for him all the time, and he is always in my heart. Thanks for the updates Emeraldgreen!!!:love::love::love:

Thanks for your posts guys.
The past few days have been nothing short of awful. The weather has been much colder here than we are used to in this part of B.C. and right now, it is 12 below which is equivalent to 10 degrees and we have ALOT of snow and more is on the way. Our pipes are frozen for the second day in a row. My husband managed to get the water going again yesterday by crawling under the house and blow drying the pipes and putting a heater in the well pump house. That worked but even with the taps dripping last night, they froze again today.
I don't care so much about that but Barney has been miserable. Every time I went out there, he gave me a look as if to say 'please save me from this'. He was tucked up next to the heater and I had been putting the hot water bear and an empty milk jug filled with hot water, wrapped in a towel next to him. But it was still so cold in there that I could see my breath in the air. He was very uncomfortable and with no meat on his bones, I think it's just to much for such a little guy.
He was so cold that his little muscles weren't working very well and he was tumbling all over the place. When he'd get into his litter box, he would only step in close to the edge and would pee over the side. He was trying to make an effort but just wanted to hurry up and get back into his bed where it was the warmest spot in the shop. Then he'd step in the pee and his tail would drag in it and then he'd climb back into bed. The heater and the cold air basically made the moisture on his feet and tail mixed with litter into this hard coating. I was wary of trying to clean it up because I didn't want him to get pneumonia if I got him wet and couldn't dry him properly in the cold weather.
As well, he is bleeding from his nose I think. If it is not from his nose, then he is coughing it up. I found about a 1/4 teaspoon of blood in his wet food dish and his water dish had blood pooled at the bottom, about the same amount. He's been sneezing alot lately.
His right ear is now a bit infected and both are causing him problems. He is getting skinnier and I think the prednisilone is creating muscle wasting which might be why he seems skinnier.

Anyway, last night I just couldn't take it anymore and completely broke down. I realized that I was adding to his suffering and not helping him anymore. I came inside, totally defeated and decided to plead with my husband and ask if Barney could please, please come inside and stay in our downstairs bathroom. I prayed about it first because I knew this was going to be unlikely. I was so upset, I could barely get the words out but I said "if you don't let me bring him in, I will have to put him down. He is suffering a fate worse than death right now."
Scott didn't want him to come in and we argued a bit but he also didn't say no. I knew that it was best to just let him rest with the idea over night.
The 11:00 p.m. news came on and it was all about the deep freeze B.C. is in and how it is going to last for quite a bit longer. I was hoping that by the morning he would soften and let bring Barney inside.
I woke up and saw Scott with his arms full of stuff from the downstairs bathroom and he was bringing it to the upstairs bathroom. I asked him what he was doing and he said "getting the bathroom ready for Barney". I was so happy. :)
I honestly don't know how much longer Barney has left, he isn't doing well but what I do know is that however many days or weeks he has left, he will be warm and that is the biggest Christmas present I could have hoped for.
I set up the bathroom with a cozy bed, his litter box and his food and water. The heater in the bathroom is built into the wall and is a fan heater and is so awesome. It is connected to a thermostat so we can leave it on a setting and it will kick in and out to maintain a warm temperature. I put his bed about a foot and a half from the heater so he will get the wonderful warm blasts when it turns on. I will also be continuing to fill the milk jug with hot water and the water bottle so he is extra cozy.
When I had it all set up, I walked out to that leaky, musty, frozen shed and picked him and told him he was coming home. I carried him and set him down in his new room and he slowly began to thaw out. It really reminded me of that Campbell Soup commercial where the snowman comes inside and sits down and has some soup. All the snow starts to melt away and reveals a boy underneath who becomes cozy and warm. :)

I had the heat on high for the first hour so he could feel the warmth right away. Within minutes he was back to the old Barney. He was doing paddies with his paws and eating with gusto (which he hasn't been doing for days now) and he let me clean him up without attacking me once. He was truly grateful. I was too.
I trimmed off all the clumpy hair on his tail and took a cloth with warm water left over from his milk jug from the night before and washed his tail and his feet and put him in front of the heater. He was clearly a happy boy. He will not be returning to the workshop. :D
Here are some pics and vids of Barnacles in his new bedroom. He doesn't have the tv anymore but I don't think he really cares. Now that he is in the house, it is going to be so much easier for me to care for him and visit him every half hour instead of every couple of hours. It was kind of a pain to have to put on my hat, coat, mittens and boots, over my 'Barney robe' that I wear when I visit with him (though, he was worth all the trouble plus some!) But now all I will need to put on is my 'Barney robe' to be sure I don't transfer anything to my other cats if he does have FIP (which I don't think has). :)
He is now in the bathroom where I take my baths so it will be a neat time for me and Barney to have some quality time. ;)

So, this is a sad and happy update. Sad, because he is beginning to slip away, I can tell. His right eye is beginning to change shape a bit because of the tumor and he has blood either coming from his nose or he is coughing it up. Either way, it isn't good. And he is getting kind of skinny and his ears continue to give him trouble. But, the good news is GREAT and he is an indoor guy now and until he goes to Rainbow Bridge.:love:
p.s. Our water is back! YAY!! I'm off to have a bath with Barney! LOL


http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/d...h_168c6046.jpg

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/d...k/dec19001.jpg

LES.

I am happy to hear how warm and happy he is and eating well.

I am so sad that the tumour seems to be getting worse. :(

But he has lived a miracle already, so I can't feel bad.

But I just feel like a little kid - I want Barney to get ALL BETTER.

Can I ask for PT Prayers for Barney - they have worked miracles before.

HUGS to that dear dear boy, please love on him for me!:love::love::love::love:

I can't see that he looks worse, so he must do a good job of hiding it! He looks so much more alert and so happy!!! Those head butts and semi rolls, he just has so much love he wants to share and express.

Oh, Lara, he's such a heartbreaker!! I cry every time I see him! I wish I could see him before I go back to work full time Jan. 20th, but that's a bit of a stretch. Hopefully we'll still be seeing pics of him in summer, and I could visit then!! Positive thoughts and vibes only for Barn-Barn!!

Loves and kisses to Barney. Hugs and love to you too!! Thank you so much for bringing him in from the cold and giving him a nice toasty warm Christmas!! You area an angel!

Sweet little Barney. :love: Sometimes it takes your whole life to find the love you need, but once you do, all the time without doesn't count any more.

Love, Columbine

My heart is aching after reading your latest post:(. There cannot be anyone reading your post that doesn't have LES! I don't want to face the reality of his condition. I can see in the photo how bad his eye looks. I take enormous comfort that he is at least warm and cozy in the house with you now!! I know that you feel the exact same way. I want to think that he will, by some miracle, thrive being this close to you. You know, the steam from your bath may make him feel better, too.

Much love and gentle hugs to our boy!!

I could never thank you enough, Lara, for what you have done for Barney. I love what Columbine said! It was perfect. "Sometimes it takes your whole life to find the love you need, but once you do, all the time without doesn't count any more."

Very WARMLY,
Mary "One of Barney's MANY Angels"

Columbine expressed it so perfectly and it's so true. I'm so sad that Barney isn't improving but I can tell that he's so much more comfortable indoors. What a journey this has been for you, Lara, for all of us. We know how badly you want him to get better; we want that, too, of course, but I can only imagine how you must have felt when you saw how cold and miserable he was. Well, now he can spend his last days in relative peace and comfort. He's one lucky boy to have found you. Very gentle pets to Barney and (((HUGS))) to you and a bear hug to Scott for allowing Barney to come in from the cold. :love:

Lara and Scott-
Thank you so much for all the care you have provided Barney and making adjusts in your home for him. He looks comfortable, and that is all that matters now, no matter how long he has. He is finally getting the life he deserved to have all along thanks to you, and that's all we could've hoped for. Thank you from the bottom of my :love: for doing this, I wish there were more people that cared as much as you do for the well being of stray/feral cats. And, I wish I lived closer to visit Barney and you on a regular basis.

I had LES reading the post but it turned into SLES (Sniffling, LES) watching the video. Bean and I watched it together. I am so grateful for everything you have done and that Barney will be able to live out the rest of his life warm and cozy. Give Scott a thank you from me :)

I am just SLES!!! Prayers continue for Barney...

Oh Lara, I have LES also from reading your post. But I'm so happy that Barney will spend the rest of his time inside, warm and cosy. :)

I'm sad to see his eye is getting worse and to hear he is bleeding again, but hopefully the warmth will help him feel better. He is an old boy, and he definately would not have survived outside. Thank you so much for making his life better, it's wonderful what you do. Now you can keep an eye on him and better judge how he's feeling. When it's time to go, I'm sure he'll let you know.

Please give him some kisses and scritchies from me. :love:

(((((hugs))))

I'm trying to see to post, in spite of having a case of SLES along with everyone else. It is sad that he's going down hill, but I'm just so happy for him that he is now part of the "in crowd"! :love: I'm sure he's loving it - he certainly appeared to be in the video. Lara - you are an angel for sure, and as for Scott - well I really think you have quite a gem there!! Bless you both for making Barney's days warm and full of love.