Barney is an Angel Now.

[Emeraldgreen]

I had basically written all of the replies to everyone's posts a few days ago and right when I was about to hit 'submit reply' we lost power! I had just finished PM'ing MoonandBean and wrote in my PM that the wind was really kicking up and we might lose power. 5 minutes later, lights out!
I want to respond to everybody's posts first and then add an update at the end. Barney hasn't been doing all that great these past few days and I have to make a decision.

Slick wrote:

OK, I'm supposed to be working but you could shoot a cannon through here so I decided to catch up on this thread and read the last couple of weeks worth of posts.
I'm at a loss for words. LES.....major LES...the videos put me over the edge. I have tears streaming down my face. How do you do it??? I don't think I could ever be as strong as you. You have done so much for this little guy....no little kitty could ever ask for more. Thanks to you he's warm and dry with a full tummy, getting the vet care he needs and giving and receiving as much love as his little heart can handle.

Thanks Slick. I appreciate that but I'm sure if Barney showed up at your house, we'd be watching your home videos of him. He has a way about him and you just can't say no.

Awww...how sweet! That's a lot of snow! I'm glad we got to see your puppies! As always it is so nice to see Barney! I noticed what you had been saying about his legs while he was eating. I love seeing him follow you from room to room. THANKS for all you've done and for sharing him with us!

The dogs love the snow but we don't leave them out in it for more than 45 minutes because Muddy is getting to be an old guy and the cold is kind of hard on him and his legs. We take them out about 10 times a day though, it's a revolving door!

kb2yjx wrote:

Lara!! I do not think that you convinced Barney that the dogs mean no harm!!! Barney seems very happy and content!!! GREAT JOB!!!

No, I don't think there is any convincing him! Angela told me that he was often chased by the large dog that lives at the property where Barney used to hang out.

3catcondo wrote:

Lara,
I think he's looks good! I did see his poor leg going out from under him when he was eating or drinking, but I think he's still getting around great. I hope you, Scott and all of your furbabies had a great Christmas!

Yes, his legs slide out from under him in the bathroom. I've got it mostly covered in little carpets but he does slide on a bit of it.

Purr_Tender wrote:

That was very enjoyable. It's nice you had a white Christmas, that always makes it a little more special. Smart dogs, they know where it's nice and warm. Barney looked wonderful wandering around. That was a great Christmas present for me.
A very merry Christmas to you and Scott and all your fur babies, especially Barney! Mary

I know! Those rascal dogs, they were like "see ya later, we're going inside, YOU can play in the snow if you want, we've already been out here from 40+ minutes!!"

Catty1 wrote:

Barney looks happy and comfy - can just go to his food dish and EAT, which is something he didn't do for a very very long time.
In that one part of the video - can he HEAR the dogs? Maybe he senses a vibration?
Great to see dear Barney...please give him gentle hugs for me.
You're still giving him the immune stuff that Angela had? I do hope for a miracle...but as I said before, right now is a miracle for him to be inside, loved, warm and fed - not necessarily in that order!

I don't think he can hear the dogs but as you said, I'm sure he feels the vibrations because just on the other side of the door, Finnie is doing his regular prancy gazelle jumps. He jumps 4-5 feet in the air, kind of like a jack russell. I think it's his basenji side that allows him to do this.
And Barney can also see the dogs. That door has smoked glass and around the edges it's clear. If you watch the video again and look at the door, you'll see Finnigan looking at Barney. That is what had Barney frozen in his tracks. They are very good with cats though and LOVE them. They would be very gentle with Barney but I don't think Barney would like it much so I won't try.

I do give Barney the Immunocal stuff but he is no longer very fond of the food when I mix it in and he's been losing quite a bit of weight so I've been backing off it to make sure he eats. I should weigh him, I think he must be less than 4 pounds now.

KittyKatharine wrote:

Merry Christmas to all your family, and of course Barney!!! He looked so comfortable in your house. What a beautiful little guy. It just fills my heart with warmth to know how much you have helped him and how much of a difference you have made in his life!

Thanks Katharine.

Momtomany wrote:

Thank you Lara and Scott for taking such good care of Barney and giving him a warm wonderful Christmas. I loved watching him follow you around. You can tell how much he loves you. One of my prayers for the coming year is that you two will be blessed from God above for the love, care and compassion you have given Barney. I hope your Christmas was wonderful and the coming New Year Blessed.

Thank you so much for making such a kind prayer. Maybe Barney is the blessing!

Medusa wrote:

As Barney walked around your lovely home I could almost hear his thoughts "Wow, I went from a pauper to a king! Look at this palace! Am I lucky or what?" So much snow outside, Lara! I can imagine how glad you must be that he's indoors now, safe and warm and soaking up so much love from you and Scott. Again, thank you. You made my Christmas.

Thanks Mary, I wish I could let him walk around all the time but each time that I let him out, I have to make sure no other cats are around. He's funny though, he tends to head back to 'his room' after 10 minutes or so. I think he feels like it is his den. It's also really warm there and the rest of the house is quite drafty unless you're right next to the fire.


Pomtzu wrote:

Loved the video of "The Barn" (if Trump can be "The Donald", then Barney can be "The Barn"!) wandering around FREE!!! He's found heaven on earth and is "the cat loved round the world"! I couldn't help but wonder what caught his attention when he was looking so intently at the door. Maybe he was thinking "I'm NEVER going to have to be on the other side of that again. Happy-happy-joy-joy!"

The Barn! I love it. Well, the Barn was intently looking at Finnigan who was on the other side of the door which leads to the dog's room. It's hard to see Finnigan but he is looking through the glass of the door at Barney and Barney is looking right back at him. lol

Randi wrote:

My Christmas is SO much better, knowing that Barney is inside his new found Palace. He really seem to enjoy being able to move around a bit and the warmth must be heaven for him.
You really got a lot of snow, didn't you! It looks wonderful, and I'm glad the dogs are enjoying it. Lots of kisses to Barney and hugs to you!

Yes, he is a much happier boy to be inside. I had to go out to the shop today to grab something and I just shuddered when I went in there. So cold and depressing. His cage is still in there and I just couldn't imagine him in there again. He needs to be warm and cozy at the very least.

Jenn_Librarian wrote:

Holy cow that is a lot of snow!! Glad I'm not the one shoveling it, lol! The puppers looked like they were enjoying playing in it, lol. Muddy had snow all over the top of his fur, silly boy!

Barney looked like he really enjoyed being able to just wander around and follow you. He could go to his room if he wanted, he followed you through the house. His little face just warms the heart!

I saw that little leg slide out from under him while he was eating. Does it do that all the time, or only on tile where it's more smooth? My Calloway has a back leg that was injured and he will sit on a window sill and let the one leg hang down while he's there instead of sitting with both of them up on the sill. Not sure if there's less control there, but maybe that's part of Barney's problem as well? Maybe he had been injured at some point in the past, and that's a weak spot for him?

I know, Muddy was covered in so much snow!! He looked liked like a sled dog! But we had just had a bunch of snow fall before I filmed and actually while I was filming but for some reason you can't really see the flakes falling. My camera was getting all wet though!
Both of Barney's legs seem to slip out from under him when he's on that floor but it might also be due to some prior injuries. He might have been hit by a car in the past because he had that broken rib too.

krazyaboutkatz wrote:

You sure did get some snow and it looks so cold outside. I'm so glad that Barney is now warm and safe in your home. I hope he'll continue to do well. Merry Christmas Barney, Lara, and Scott.

He's definitely warm and safe but I do wish he was doing well. The last couple of days he has changed. The tumor behind his right ear that joins up with the tumor on his neck has grown ALOT! I took some pictures of it and it's really changed. It's now about the size of a third of a golf ball and it is causing him some real discomfort. His other ear is really bugging him too and the antibiotics are not doing much to help.

He spends alot of time now in this position that is not sitting up but not laying down either. It's somewhere in between and it is clear that he is in pain. When he gets into this position, he'll stay there for 10 minutes at a time. I don't know how he does it because it looks like it would be harder to do than just laying down. He holds his elbows up. It's hard to explain so I video taped him doing it this evening and will post it along with some pics below.

His right eye often has a bit of the third eye coming up and I think it is because the tumor is pressing on his eye. His eyes aren't full of hope anymore, he looks depressed. And he just keeps losing weight, he is so skinny now, I can feel every vertebrae (spelling??) on his spine.
And he is peeing more and more on the floor and less in the box. I don't mind cleaning it up at all but what happens is, he gets in the box like a good boy but then sticks his bum over the side and pees on the floor. Then with litter stuck to his feet, he steps in the pee and it becomes like glue on his pads. Every day I try to clean his feet and he hates it and gets so angry with me because I think it hurts. So today, I gave him a bath and gently washed his feet and then removed all the litter from his box. I know he's going to be confused by this but I'm hoping he still goes in there and does his poops (which he does manage to keep in the box) and if he pees over the edge, he won't have any litter on his feet when he steps out. I clean up after him about 5 times a day so the box will always be clean for him.
But, this is no way to live. I wouldn't say that if he were alert and eager the way he was before but now he is living like this and is depressed and in pain and I can't let it go on for too much longer.
I was trying to figure out tonight if I should take him to the vet tomorrow to let him go but I do want to have a few more days with him. My worry though is that I have to work all day on Wednesday and then the vet will be closed on Thursday and then I work all day Friday and Saturday and the vet is closed on Sunday. But I do know that my boss will let me leave a few hours early on Friday afternoon if I needed to take him in so that is what I am thinking. And if for some reason he rallies and seems to be doing okay again and isn't in pain, then maybe I can wait.

I have always said that I'll let him tell me when it's time and it does seem that he is telling me. But I want to be sure so I will wait until Friday and see how he is.

I'm sorry this post isn't a happy one but in the end, Barney is what is important and if he is hurting, then I have to help him. But I promise, I will make sure that is what is going on with him before I do anything. And I will make every moment as good as I can for him until then.

p.s. All the pics of him are in the following post because I had too many pics, vids and emicons in this one post.