Barney is an Angel Now.

[Catty1]

I hope Scrawny does ok...thank goodness his ears are cleaner. I wonder if he can hear now?

Prayers are all I can give right now...still in a really tight spot. But there are people here who are donating some money, so I hope that diminishes or wipes out the charges on your credit card.

I pray he will bloom a bit now and enjoy love and better health! THANK YOU - and Angela - for helping this boy.

[Medusa]

The ear polyp concerns me. Yodie had one and unless the polyp is removed at the root, it grows back. The only way that's done is surgery; Yodie's was lasered out. Poor little guy. He must have been neglected for so long. He's probably like a sponge right now soaking it all up. If they can get the diabetes and thyroid under control, lasering the polyp is not a bad surgery unless they wait too long. Yodie's was growing down into her throat. Do you know if the vet said whether or not the polyp was limited to just Scrawny's ear? Gosh, I'm sure your head is spinning. Sorry for so many questions. I just think that he has a good chance but, unfortunately, it takes money. If possible, PM me w/the estimated total and I'll do my best to help, even if just a little. Maybe the vet will discount some since the poor boy has so many things wrong w/him? I'll wait to hear from you, Lara. Thank you so much for helping him. You're a sweetheart.

[Emeraldgreen]

Hi guys, Angela's ferry got here just as I was getting off work and she stopped by on her way home. She had Scrawny (who Angela told me is now Barney ) in the car. He was in a small carrier so I couldn't see him but she said he is absolutely exhausted. She said he fell asleep at the clinic!

'ANGEL-a' is AWESOME! The bill came to 330.84 and she said that she just didn't feel comfortable letting it all be billed to me so she put 250.00 on her own credit card!! She said she wanted to do it and part of the reason the bill was this high is because she brought home 24 cans of Diabetic wet food for him.

I asked her if she was leaving tomorrow and she said "how can I with all this going on?" I was thrilled! I don't know how long she is staying but each 24 hours is a chance to get him into better condition so that my coworker and her guy can take over.

I'm going to see Barney tomorrow after work and will drop off some dry Taste of the Wild for him. I'll try and grab a few pics of him then.

p.s. I think one of the things that didn't help was that Barney didn't have a litterbox. I guess up until a few days ago, he was strictly outdoors but as mentioned earlier Angela has been sneaking him in at night. He didn't have a box to go in so I can sure understand why he peed on his blanket. But I guess it's good that he did because it prompted them to to do the urinalysis which I think is how they found the diabetes?
So I bought him a large disposable turkery roaster today at our local store after work and a bag of litter and gave that to Angela. She said she was just about to do the same thing so she was happy about that.

I'm hoping that the vet will leave the balance on my account so some donations can go towards it or they may charge my card for the remainder and might reverse a portion of it. Anyway, it will all work out. I'm just so grateful that so many people care about this little guy who seemed to fall through the cracks for who knows how many years. I pray that we can keep him going for some months, maybe a year, maybe some years? so that he can know what love feels like, a warm bed and a family. He will obviously be my coworkers responsibility once we can get him on the mend but he just needed this headstart.
Thank you guys for any help. I completely understand that it's a hard time right now so if you're not able to, then prayers are a wonderful contribution.
Once again, I'm so thankful for PT, for everything. It is a special place.

p.s. Moesha, the vet didn't mention to me how old she thought he was, I should have asked but she was giving me so much information and I had customers standing there waiting for me to help them at work. lol I was writing down all the stuff Robin, the vet was telling me. When I first got on the phone with Robin, I said "have you ever seen such a sad looking case??" and she said "he really is in rough shape, poor guy". We didn't talk about age but she referred to him as a senior.

p.p.s. I put the cat under the name Scrawny when I called them today but then Angela was telling them on the way out that his name is Barney but when she was on the ferry, she looked at the invoice and they put Bailey. Yikes. Anyway, if anyone calls there, they should know who Scrawny is. I will call them and have them change it from Bailey to Barney. lol

p.s. I had the website for the clinic posted here but I realized I didn't have their permission and have sinced removed it.

[kittykatharine]

Oh sweet Scrawny/Barney/Bailey , Poor sweet little guy. He is so lucky to have found such wonderful people to look out for him. Even though he looked like he had lived a few hard years, he was still as sweet as ever. My favorite pic was of him eating while you blow dryed him . I really hope that your friend takes him in permently. Some stability would probably do him wonders. Some TLC can go along way! Keep us posted on his progress!

[Emeraldgreen]

Oh sweet Scrawny/Barney/Bailey

LOL!

[Moesha]

I called this afternoon and Erin answered. I asked if I could make a donation to help a sick kitty that was brought in yesterday. She immediately said, "Oh yes you can! You must be talking about the kitty Lara brought in."

[Emeraldgreen]

I called this afternoon and Erin answered. I asked if I could make a donation to help a sick kitty that was brought in yesterday. She immediately said, "Oh yes you can! You must be talking about the kitty Lara brought in."

That's so great! Thank you Moe! I wasn't actually there when Barney was brought in but Erin may not have been there either and just assumed it was me when she heard about the 'case'.
I go there so often I don't even have to give my name, they just pull up my file when they see me walking in to buy foods or meds. But I bet it's that way for most of us here on PT. lol
Another of the receptionists (not sure of her name) told me that she fixed the file so now it reads 'Barney' (aka Scrawny). I was glad she left both names on just so there is no confusion.

I ran into Angela today in town and gave her some dry Taste of the Wild food that I had brought to work with me and then I stopped by to see him around 6:30 and took a few pics and a few more short clips. He is pretty wiped out from everything that happened yesterday. She said that he spent most of the time sleeping on his bed but did get up to eat, drink and use the litterbox. But he only used it when she saw him pawing at his bedding. She picked him up and placed him in the litterbox and then he did his business in there. But when I arrived, she picked him up off his bed and he had peed while he was laying there.

Does anyone know if this is a condition that is in fact associated with diabetes? We're really hoping that his diabetes will be reversable and hope that the peeing will stop. He's not a marker, he just seems to do it while he's resting.

I brought over some clippers and we trimmed his nails and then worked on some remaining mats in his fur and then gave him another bath. His feet are really dirty and we keep trying to clean them but they seem sensitive and he loses his patience and wants to give us a nip. But then 3 seconds later, he forgives us and lets us continue on as long as it's not in the same spot. He's so sweet.

Angela thinks she can stay for maybe 10 days but then Barney would be under my coworkers parter's care and he told her today that he would not be providing the same care that Barney's been getting. He would have to stay outside. It's frustrating but I guess not everyone is inclined to help lots of animals. He did rescue Jack, the gorgeous long haired black cat that I will post a picture of below. And he said that Jack was in pretty rough shape when he showed up a few years ago as well, all matted and skinny. So, I'm happy for Jack but it seems that they want to remain a one cat household.

Right now, we're going to try and get him on his feet again. He is so weak and hopefully the Tapazole will help him gain some weight and feel less starved. And I'm sure the infection he is battling has had a real effect on him. The Convenia injection should help with that.

Angela told me that when the vet weighed him yesterday he was 4.15 pounds. So small. She also told me that the vet said that Barney might not be as old as we first thought. She said to me that he 'could' be a senior so I just took that to mean that he was but she said to Angela that it's hard to tell sometimes when cats are in this bad of shape for so long. I guess it can make them appear very old.

The vet suggested to Angela that she get some Polysporin antibiotic drops for inside his ears and she is going to pick those up tomorrow. We used some hydrogen peroxide around the edges tonight.

Angela also told me that the vet said that Barney's enlarged thyroid is the worst she has ever seen/felt.

Well, here's some more pics of the little man:

(and a picture of Jack below that, lounging on the couch by the fire).

[Taz_Zoee]

You and Angela and the other friend too, are the most amazing people.
And I love his new name too. It reminds me of the character played by Neil Patrick Harris on How I Met Your Mother.

I keep checking in on his progress and will be hoping he makes a full recovery.

[Medusa]

That boy is just breaking my heart. He looks so sick, Lara. You two gals are doing such a great job of taking care of him, though. He must be soaking up the love like a sponge. I've never had a diabetic cat but I do know someone who has and I'll ask him. Prayers are always continuing for Barney. I just love him.

[Moesha]

Morgan is diabetic. Along with excessive drinking there is excessive urination. Morgan never didn't use the litterbox, but he would urinate so often that it was like cleaning cement out of it. Those were the signs my vet had told me to watch for because Morgan is such a big kitty. They tend to have a higher likelyhood of being diabetic. Morgan's diabetes is controlled by his low carb food. Hopefully Barney will start looking and feeling better soon with all the love he's receiving from you wonderful people!

[Medusa]

I just got an email from my friend whose RB cat had diabetes. He said that peeing is all part of it but peeing in the bed turned out to be bladder cancer. He suggests an x-ray. I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news but an x-ray would be well worth finding out.

[Catty1]

Lara, I am guessing here -yes, the peeing could be part of the diabetes, but he is so worn out and thin, I wonder if just an improvement in his health will assist this situation. The vet did say the diabetes could be due to the low nutrition. He may get just strong enough to be able to get to the box on his own.

I know Angela is there for only 10 days - but with the meds and food, Barney can turn around before then, or at least improve a lot.

What about your friends who have the kitty with the (former) bad eye? Do they have a room where he could be taken care of?

If nothing else - I looked at all the love he is soaking up! That makes such a difference when kitty OR human is sick. You both are angels making him happier and feeding his tummy!

PT Prayers for Barney!

[Emeraldgreen]

It could be bladder cancer, but I sure hope not. Jenn also had the same thought as you Candace that it might be that he is just too weak to make it to the box each time and just pees where he is laying. We'll see if that changes over the next week or so. Here's hoping!
I'm at work so I'd better go! LOL
Thanks for all the prayers for Mr. Barney.

[Medusa]

I sure hope it isn't bladder cancer, too. I just felt obligated to pass along the info since that was my friend's experience. I hope that Jen and Candace are right. This poor boy has been through enough.

[Emeraldgreen]

I sure hope it isn't bladder cancer, too. I just felt obligated to pass along the info since that was my friend's experience. I hope that Jen and Candace are right. This poor boy has been through enough.

Thanks for asking your friend about it. I think all info is important, good and possibly bad. Better to be informed. I'm sorry to hear about her kitty's cancer and his passing.

Some good news though! Angela stopped in to my work and I said "I forgot to give you the kitty litter scooper that I bought yesterday" and she said "good! I need it!" She said that Barney is now using the litterbox for everything and hasn't 'wet the bed' since yesterday. We were extra happy because not only were we concerned about why he was peeing his bedding but we also weren't entirely sure if he knew what to do with a box because the only time he used it, Angela placed him in it and then he went. But she said she has found all kinds of treasures in there, pee and poop! YAHOO! I asked her what his poop was like and she said "oh, they're beautiful" LOL!! We were laughing our heads off because my boss was there and I'm sure she thinks we've lost our minds.

She said that he has quite a bit more energy today which is great. She picked up the Polysporin Antibiotic ear/eye drops today and asked if I could come over this evening to help administer them. I'm heading over there in about 30 minutes.

So, Barney is hanging in there. The best part is that he seems to have stopped peeing inappropriately which will make him more adoptable should that become necessary.

Angela did mention that there seems to be some swelling right around where he got the Convenia injection and that it feels hard. I'm going to check it out when I go there and will give the vet a call tomorrow to let them know about it. Barney will be scheduled for a re-check at the 2 week marker.

Oh!! And some more potential good news! Angela thinks his hearing could be returning, just as Mary said it might. She has been making some noises and his ears have been twitching when she makes the sounds. It's so encouraging!