Hi!

[catcrazylady]

WoW! I'm running way late in my welcome but here it is anyway!!

Welcome aboard Val!! It sounds like you do lots of good things for the kitties and that makes you wonderful in our book! They call me CCL for short and sometimes by my real name Lisa. I live in Kentucky and I am owned by 12 furballs (below) and nine outside ferals that I feed. It's nice to meet you and I hope you stick around.
Good luck on the camera!!

[RedHedd]

Welcome, Val! I'm Georgia, a native San Franciscan, owned by my two beautiful furballs.

I see you've already been warned that PT is addictive. It led me to buying a digicam too, although right now I can't download pictures to my PC - mainly because of laziness! I just have to crawl under the nest of wires and hook up my new USB hub .... soon! Soon! I promise! The HP Photosmart I bought (online from TigerDirect as I hate to shop too) is a basic, albeit very slow, point and shoot digital. The only thing I wish it did was videos. I might get a new one sometime this year, but for now it serves me very well.

Enjoy PT!

[val]

And hi to all the others that have welcomed me since earlier today. It's amazing how scattered we are all over the place!
For those of you in Illinois, I was actually born and raised in Chicago and left at 18 after high school. This was MANY years ago and have not been back since I was about 20. I was raised in the Rogers Park neighborhood (the last stop on the "el") and could actually walk to Evanston via the beaches or Howard St. If that makes sense to any Chicagoans out there! But now I enjoy the South, the warmth and such. I've lived in South Louisiana about 25 years now (y'all do the math and someone will guess my age!).

I'll start to tell about my animals but may not get to finish today. Most have come from the Denham Springs Animal Shelter (also an Animal Control facility) which is not like any other animal control facility in our local area. It used to be a high kill shelter with a low adoption rate, but with the help of a new more cooperative city govt and many wonderful volunteers it no longer is. Every cat and dog there is special.

Let me get started:
Adrian, the newest, a male tabby with the herpes virus with permanent corneal damage because the virus festered too long in his eyes untreated. He sees pretty darn well but I guess some might say he looks spooky. He is a huge love that loves to be cuddled cradled like a baby. He's about 8 months old. From AC and was a foster we couldn't give up. For any of you with herpes cats l-lysine is a great supplement that helps to reduce flare ups.

Chester, an orange tabby on white is about 10 months old. He was a young kitten at AC that had a severely broken pelvis. I brought him home for the cage rest that the vet recommended but he never healed properly. One leg is cockeyed and he walks weird. He cannot jump higher than the sofa or bed (which can have its upside- he doesn't get on counters unless things are placed strategically enough for him to climb). He has gotten too rambunctious (sp?) and wound up back on cage rest because he overuses the good side of his body to compensate for the bad and wound up not being able to walk for awhile. The vet said that as he gets older and less kitten-crazy he will do less harm to himself. He is also doing a good job of not dragging his bad leg so amputation is not a worry. He's very spunky and independent and loves to chew on noses and chins!

Felicia, a black and white tuxedo cat is my smallest size wise. She's almost 2 years old now and another from AC.
Someone drove up with her in the back of their SUV. Had found her in the street. She also had a broken pelvis. Fortunately she healed better than Chester and only because I know her well I can see that she walks uneven. She will limp occasionally if she gets a little too physical. She's a sweetheart with me and my husband Paul but hates all of the other cats. I have a cat door and mine go in and out as I'm surrounded by trees, woods, a creek and a pond. Felicia spends about all day outdoors but at night she has a bed in the kitchen cabinet that's hidden and small and she loves to tuck herself in there.

Oliver, a gray tabby is difficult to describe. He's at least 4 years old. He was an adult when he was brought to AC. We all first noticed his strange walk. He throws one front leg up with each step he takes. His back legs are very stiff but not atrophied. He cannot walk backwards and cannot jump higher than the sofa or bed. At the time he was brought in I was working at AC part time and it was not the same as it is now so I "snuck" him out and was going to get him adopted on my own. That's when we noticed that he has many "twitches" on one side of his face in particular. He is an unusual eater and kind of bobs his head into his food. This creates a mess sometimes. Oliver appears brain-damaged. Whether this was a birth defect, such as cerebellar hypoplasia or from an injury of some sort I don't know. He also has feline epilepsy. He has seizures about once a month so at this point he is not on phenobarbitol. When seizures occur more than once a month or last longer than 5 minutes then medication is required to stop the pattern. Getting the dosages right can be tough but can be done and kitties with epilepsy can live long happy lives. Oliver has probably the most endearing personality of all my kitties and never meets a stranger. He wears a harness with a leash when we visit the vet as cat carriers make him lose it. Of course I never could give him up and he's been mine since the day I brought him home.

Diana is a gray calico and my oldest at 17 1/2. She was diagnosed with chronic renal failure 13 months ago. She is doing well altho she only eats soft catfood and only small amounts at a time. She gets a Depo Medrol injection about once a month which keeps her appetite up. She has a good quality of life and I am grateful for every day I have with her. CRF is a reality for many elderly cats and everyone should learn about it so that the early signs will be recognized and treatment begun early so that these kitties can be comfortable and happy for as long as possible. Diana used to not put up with all these other "brats" but she's become much more tolerant and I've even witnessed her letting Adrian and Chester sleep in the same chair with her. Then other days she just cusses them out!

Roscoe is a huge black & white tuxedo cat that was trapped as a feral and brought to AC. I was volunteering at the time and he was in the kitty condo out at the dog kennels I guess waiting for the vet to put him to sleep. The vet did not come everyday, just when they called him.
I talked to him and the other ferals in the condo. He hissed and spit at me. A few days later when I went back, all the ferals were still there and I talked to him some more and got the same response. This actually went on for a couple of weeks. It is still a mystery to me why those ferals were there as long as they were which was uncommon at the time. Then on one of my visits as I was talking to him he rolled on his side and didn't hiss or spit. I got brave, put my hand in the cage and he let me scratch him and that was it. I went running inside the office to tell the workers. I visited him a long time that day. The next time I went he was inside in a regular cage with all the adoptable cats! Oh my gosh, I actually got to pet him and then picked him up and he just burrowed into me. Well, he had to be mine so I adopted him. He is now an 18 pounder. We try very hard to watch our weight but it's hard because he loves to eat and esp get into Diana's soft food. He is the biggest lug and gets along with every other cat in the household. I have no idea of his age.

Max is another black and white and the first I ever brought home from AC. He was about 5 years old. He was the first one at AC that got "under my skin" as he was always standing at the cage sticking his paws out. It was the end of kitten season and his cage mate got adopted and he was all alone. I guess I couldn't stand for him to be alone. Max is a healthy young man that only likes my husband and I people-wise. He is the sort of cat that comes barging into the house and slams into you with affection.
He gets along with some of the other cats but can be a bully at times.

Samantha is a brown tabby that was born on my sister-in-laws roof. Sam's mom abandoned the litter and my sister-in-law bottlefed the 3 kittens. Sam is 10 years old and I've had her since she was 6 wks old. She is kind of shy but can be a bully with some of the other cats. She also drools when she gets really affectionate. And I mean slobbery drooly yucky.

Griffin is a brown tabby on white. My husband brought him home after he wandered into his building at work and rode the elevator with one of the secretaries. Griffin was about 4 months old at the time. The secrerary called Paul and asked what to do so Paul called me and asked if we wanted another cat. And so Griffin came home with him that evening. He is 6 years old and would have been a semi-feral without intervention. He cannot stand to be petted much and barely tolerates me. I am the "food lady" to him. He'll sleep in bed with us but only if he's not touching us. I can pick him up and carry him around but he'll get angry pretty quick so I never force more attention on him than he can stand. He likes my husband better. He plays like he loves us when he wants a treat but it's all just a game and we all know it. But he's a happy guy and I just let Griffin be Griffin.

And that's my cats. I have 2 fosters at my house with problems but I will update y'all on that soon and I'll even tell you about my dogs. But I've written way more than anyone wants to read I'm sure but I have bragging rights and I took advantage of that this evening! Besides, y'all asked for it!

It's great meeting everyone and I'm glad I found you (with Laura's help of course!).

Val

[QueenScoopalot]

Your furfamily sounds delightful Val! Oliver sounds very much like a ch kitty from your description. When you have the time, you may want to read the stories members have posted on the ch kitty club...http://www.chkittyclub.com/pages/members.html
I have several cerebellar kitties, and the way you describe his goose-stepping type walk, is a very common thing with ch kitties, head tremors as well. Glad you joined up here, and as you've been warned, it will become addicting! Jan

[Laura's Babies]

Oooooo VAL!! This is creepy! I have a Chester and a Samantha too! Are those names a "southern" thing? I grew up in Virginia and transplanted to down here in the 60's..

I love how you word things and I got many a good chuckle out of your newest post introducing your babies.

"Then other days she just cusses them out!"

"She also drools when she gets really affectionate. And I mean slobbery drooly yucky. "

"I just let Griffin be Griffin."

(Just to mention a few that made me laugh....)

I loved your introduction, that is the kind of stuff we like here... The greatest thing is nobody thinks we are crazy for loving these babies like we do! No matter what the situation is... someone here has been there, done that and understands!

[krazyaboutkatz]

Welcome to PT Val!!! I'm sure you'll love it here. I enjoyed reading about your cats and I look forward to seeing their pictures some day too. I'm owned by four male cats which you can see in my signature picture and avatar. Storm is 9 years old, Sunny is 4 years old, Cirrus is 2 years old and Sky is also 2 years old.

[val]

Hey Jan! I'm already subscribed to chkitty and epi-feline yahoo groups. I think that's where we initially "met". Oliver does have some of the ch characteristics but as I've learned it really doesn't matter if he is or not as there is no "cure". It is comforting to have learned that he won't get any worse. My much bigger concern is his epilepsy. I keep close track of his seizures and hope they get no more frequent than they are so he will not have to go on pheno. I'm glad it's an option along with other medications for seizure control, but I definitely want to delay it as long as possible! To what degree do yours have ch? It's amazing how sweet these kitties can be altho Oliver can be VERY stubborn!

[QueenScoopalot]

Hi Val, I have a mixed bag of ch symptoms with the gang here. Eli my blue point Siamese boy is worst off, and isn't able to get around without really psyching himself up first, and then it's a rough and tumble affair from there. Poor guy, bless is heart tries very hard to keep up with everyone. Brandon is an overweight ,deaf, slate grey moderate ch boy who was born feral, but one would never know it now. He's quite cross eyed as well, so has trouble focusing on things. He's a big loving mush ball. Misty doesn't have the classic ch symptoms, and the consensus is she was stuck in the birth canal and suffered oxygen loss. She was one of 6 feral kittens born to a very small mama cat. Misty spends much of the day trying to walk a straight line, but spins in circles a lot. She has mild nystagmus as well (rapid side to side eye movement) which when she's scared for some reason gets really bad. Misty & Eli's stories and pictures are on the members page of the ch kitty club (along with Zeke who passed away last year). I have a M*A*S*H unit here, and things get hectic during kitten season as I trap a lot, and do fostering etc. when there's nobody else able to take them in. And you're right about Oliver...it shouldn't get worse unless there's an underlying condition unrelated to ch. Hope his seizures don't get worse...are they quite mild ones? Jan

[rg_girlca]

Sorry i'm a little late on the welcome wagon but, a big hearty Welcome to PT Val.
I loved reading about all your furbabies.

Hope you get your digital soon. I got one for Christmas from my dear sons and I love it.

You can see my furbabies in my signature.

[val]

Hey! Oliver's seizures run the gamut of petit mal to inbetween to grand mals which can be the most frightening to watch. But I don't want to scare anyone out there about feline epilepsy as it is controlable and every epi kitty deserves a home. Your ch kitties are so lucky to have you to care for them and it's a huge step forward that ch kittens are not being automatically pts anymore. I'll go to chkitty to read your profiles. I wish we had somewhere to relocate ferals in our area after TNR. The people in the city trap them and most certainly do not want them back even after spay/neuter. Our 'barn people' are full and just can't take anymore. There are not enough foster folks to take in healthy adoptable ones much less ferals (I mean ferals you can't touch). I've been predominately working with the ones with upper respiratory infections, herpes, coccidia, ringworm that are adoptable, but not until they're well. If they are treated outside of the shelter they get well so much quicker and it keeps so many others from getting sick and perpetuating the cycle.

[QueenScoopalot]

It sounds like you do a lot of what I do. Rescue/treat for illnesses etc. until well enough to be adopted out. I luckily have a small network of foster homes when the kittens start coming in by the truckload (or so it seems). I have managed to adopt out a few special needs kitties during the years doing this, but as we all know there's hardly enough homes for perfect ones. So they tend to stay with me...and I adore them. No epileptics yet, or diabetics, but have gone through ringworm, panleuk. outbreaks, the inevitable URIs etc. The ch kitty club has a second section (right above or below the members with ch kitties stories,is another button saying jump to kitties with other disabilities. Some of my other rescues are featured there (including my much missed Willy who left me last year for R.B ). Glad to have you onboard here, as special needs kitties need more voices speaking for them Jan

[val]

Dear Jan, So so sorry about Willy. He's in a happy place now tho and can play and run with all the others. I neither have experience with diabetes and I wish my Roscoe could lose some weight as it's always a threat with these tubby kitties. It's tough tho when you have so many and some are on special foods and you turn your back for one second and there goes fatso in the food he shouldn't be in.

I do have a special needs foster kitty here tho that I'm at a loss for what to do next. I think I mentioned her on the ch kitty site altho she's not ch (you know we wander off topic there quite alot). Rizzy has no control over bowels or bladder. She's a Persian mix about 6 months old. She's been on Baytril, Amoxi with Metronitizol, Clavamox, Prednisone and Proin. Her urine gets very concentrated from staying backed up. It basically leaks out when full. I try to express her bladder but am usually not very successful as she gets po'd at me for this. We've put her on Science Diet i/d to control the volume and consistency of her poop. This has improved the constant "dribbles" everywhere. It's going to be next to impossible to find her a home because no one is going to want to put up with her dropping poop anywhere and losing control of her bladder where she sleeps. She's VERY loving and I'd hate to see her as a barn cat (in addition to the long hair not being maintained). She also WANTS to be an inside cat. Any ideas on how I can encourage someone to adopt her? I'm about to the point where I want to go get her diapers!

[NoahsMommy]

Welcome to PT, Val! I really enjoyed reading about your kitties and hope something can help your sick foster. Are you familiar with the raw diet? (www.felinefuture.com) One of my cats has IBD and he's on it most of the time. The "claim to fame" of the raw diet is that it restores the body (back to natural/nature type thing) so the body can heal itself. Making the food is kind of gross, but it gets easier after a while. I can do it in about 20 minutes now.

I'm Kelly, by the way. I belong to the 9 cats you see in my signature (plus 2 parakeets and 2 fish). Micah, the Aby, has IBD and is the one on the raw diet. We rescued him from the shelter we were volunteering at a few years ago, he was so ill when we got him. He's done wonderfully on the diet.

Anyway, nice "meeting" you and your furkids. Enjoy PT!

[QueenScoopalot]

Val, Have you tried posting on the other Yahoo boards regarding Rizzy? There's [email protected]
(Which is a new one to me)...I'm on this one...http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Disabled-Cats-Rescue/join
and get the emails in digest form, so don't know how many other similar sites are out there. Also you may want to ask questions on this message board (great group, and very active) www.handicappedpets.com Many there are in the same boat, and may have ideas to try with Rizzy. I certainly wouldn't make her a barn cat. Persians are too delicate, and as you said, in need of that constnt brushing. There are many diapered cats out there, but you have to be be very careful about how you diaper, and urine scalding is a big problem too. I'll bet if you post in enough places, a good home will come through for her. Jan

[davidpizzica]

Hi, Val welcome to Pet Talk! I'm david p and I live in Pittsburgh, Pa. I'm a butler (and sometime referee) to Nikki, a 4 y.o. tuxedo kitty and Daisy, a 2 y.o. tortoiseshell kitty. I also volunteer with Cat Sense, a cat rescue organization based in Pittsburgh. Val, it seems like you have quite a furry crew living with you, and like every one elseI would like to see pictures. There's pics of my crew in my signature. To use a well worn phrase, this site is addictive!!!