Barney is an Angel Now.

[momtomany]

Is there anyway to find a temporary foster home for Barney until a permanent home can be found. It hurts my heart to think of him being back out and without the care he is being provided now.

[Emeraldgreen]

Is there anyway to find a temporary foster home for Barney until a permanent home can be found. It hurts my heart to think of him being back out and without the care he is being provided now.

I feel the same way and I'm trying to come up with a plan. I'm not sure exactly what right now but I'm praying alot.

[Catty1]

Maybe the PTrs on the mainland know someone?

[momtomany]

I will pray also for Barney to find a temporary foster home until a permanent one can be found.

[Emeraldgreen]

All prayers are needed, so thank you so much!

I went to see Barney tonight and he was a bit improved but not as much as I had hoped. I'm going to pick up an elizabethan collar for him on Thursday because we can't figure out if he is scratching his left ear or if it is just bleeding on it's own. There was alot of dried blood that needed to be removed. Angela said she doesn't see him scratch but he might be doing it through the night.
She said she came downstairs this morning and found him in the kitchen. The little sneaker had pushed his way through the barrier she put up to keep him in the small room he is allowed to be in. I guess that is a good sign! He did eat a bunch of Jack's cat chow though so that wasn't good. But hopefully it won't set him back too much.

We gave him another bath and trimmed some more mats and cleaned around his ears. He nipped a few times but only stayed angry for a short time. He really is so forgiving. He just gets frustrated with us and who could blame him.

I spoke with the vet today and she seemed a bit surprised that he was showing some improvement. I think she was a bit shocked as well by his condition when she examined him. We talked about his future bloodwork and I asked when the glucose levels should be checked so we could find out if the diabetes was reversing or not. She said that can take more time and with the infection he has and the thyroid issues, it might affect the numbers so the test should be done once the other things are stabilized. She did say that we should check his blood for the infection and thyroid at the two week marker so that is what we will do and all the donations will go towards that. I decided to just throw the 100.00 in and not worry about it. He is a special guy and he needs all the help he can get. Thank you guys again for the help you've given.

I will update the donation total when everything is in. I haven't asked the reception about it yet but will when I go in on Thursday to pick up the collar for Barneybear.

p.s. I have sent a long letter to a rescue organization that doesn't have a shelter but they foster cats until they are adopted. It is located in the town I used to live in and I sort of know the woman who runs it. I sent her Barney movies and asked her if there was any way someone in her org could foster him while he was up for adoption. I haven't heard back from her yet. PT prayers that she will open her heart to the Barneymeister.

[Medusa]

All prayers are needed, so thank you so much!

I went to see Barney tonight and he was a bit improved but not as much as I had hoped. I'm going to pick up an elizabethan collar for him on Thursday because we can't figure out if he is scratching his left ear or if it is just bleeding on it's own. There was alot of dried blood that needed to be removed. Angela said she doesn't see him scratch but he might be doing it through the night.
She said she came downstairs this morning and found him in the kitchen. The little sneaker had pushed his way through the barrier she put up to keep him in the small room he is allowed to be in. I guess that is a good sign! He did eat a bunch of Jack's cat chow though so that wasn't good. But hopefully it won't set him back too much.

We gave him another bath and trimmed some more mats and cleaned around his ears. He nipped a few times but only stayed angry for a short time. He really is so forgiving. He just gets frustrated with us and who could blame him.

I spoke with the vet today and she seemed a bit surprised that he was showing some improvement. I think she was a bit shocked as well by his condition when she examined him. We talked about his future bloodwork and I asked when the glucose levels should be checked so we could find out if the diabetes was reversing or not. She said that can take more time and with the infection he has and the thyroid issues, it might affect the numbers so the test should be done once the other things are stabilized. She did say that we should check his blood for the infection and thyroid at the two week marker so that is what we will do and all the donations will go towards that. I decided to just throw the 100.00 in and not worry about it. He is a special guy and he needs all the help he can get. Thank you guys again for the help you've given.

I will update the donation total when everything is in. I haven't asked the reception about it yet but will when I go in on Thursday to pick up the collar for Barneybear.

p.s. I have sent a long letter to a rescue organization that doesn't have a shelter but they foster cats until they are adopted. It is located in the town I used to live in and I sort of know the woman who runs it. I sent her Barney movies and asked her if there was any way someone in her org could foster him while he was up for adoption. I haven't heard back from her yet. PT prayers that she will open her heart to the Barneymeister.

Was the situation w/the ear polyp ever addressed? If left untreated, the ear will bleed because the polyp grows quickly. The one that Yodie had grew right out of her ear and down into her throat. Shrinking it is only very temporary; it has to be removed at the head, meaning at the root, or it will continue to grow back. Give that boy some belly rubs for me.

[Emeraldgreen]

Was the situation w/the ear polyp ever addressed? If left untreated, the ear will bleed because the polyp grows quickly. The one that Yodie had grew right out of her ear and down into her throat. Shrinking it is only very temporary; it has to be removed at the head, meaning at the root, or it will continue to grow back. Give that boy some belly rubs for me.

No, it's been put on the back burner because we wanted to see if we could keep him alive and then go from there. I know that sounds so brutal but it's all we can do right now. The vet said it's either a polyp or a tumour. She agrees with you, the polyp needs to be removed but we told her we just couldn't deal with that financially. That is when she said that steroids can help shrink it temporarily. But we can't do that either at this point because he can't have steroids in the condition he is in. We're kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place right now.

It must be the polyp bleeding because in two days, the amount of dried blood that built up was crazy. It was rock hard and about half an inch thick. It took me 20 minutes or more to cut through the build up to get it smaller so we could soften it up with some coconut butter (Angela's idea, she has some experience with holistic stuff so that has been great). The coconut butter/oil is only going on the external part of his ear where the dried blood is. We also put hydrogen peroxide again and it foamed like crazy.

I think this must be dealt with if he makes it. I just don't know how at this point. We're trying to get him to the two week marker for the retest of blood to check his thyroid and infection to see if there has been a change and then make a decision. Finding him shelter is number one on the list right now too. But the polyp must be dealt with if he makes it. Thanks for posting about Barnacles when I know you have so much going on with Pidgelet. I'm going to go check your thread now.

[Medusa]

Should the time come when you decide to have the polyp removed, PM me and I'll give you as much info as I can recall regarding what Yodie experienced, recuperative time, expense, etc.

[Emeraldgreen]

Maybe the PTrs on the mainland know someone?

I was thinking about this too and contacted a rescue organization where I used to live. I think I might have posted about this already. She got back to me last night and said that the organization cannot take cats outside of their area (the Sunshine Coast) but she did say that if I gave him to her peronally, she could take him in to her house. The organization has a board of directors and would not allow Barney in but she said she could take him privately. I'm just not sure if this is the right place for Barney but then again, there are not a whole bunch of options here. She is a dog trainer but she started this rescue org. She said in her email to me that she takes care of two feral cats outside and has two cats inside, one elderly and one amputee. She said that Barney would have to be 'fine' with a bunch of polite dogs. I have no idea how Barney is with dogs but Angela told me that the owners of the property where my coworker rents the cottage, have a dog that chases the cats (Barney and Jack) so he's probably not too fond of them.

I got an idea (actually it is an idea that Candace suggested to Katherine for Sydney and I thought it was a good one!) to put some cans together with the saddest picture of Barney I could find (which isn't tough since they are all pretty pathetic) and put them in all our local stores if they'll let me and see if we can raise some money for him to have surgery on his ear if he makes it. And maybe see if anyone might want to adopt him too.

I was so excited about it and got the pictures printed and was just leaving work tonight when Angela showed up. She said that she thought it might be time to put Barney to sleep! I was floored and asked her why and she said that last night and all day today he was acting strangely and was growling and when she tried to pet him he tried to bite her. He then tried to get comfortable in his bed but just wouldn't get himself all the way on it and laid half way on and half way off. Angela wanted to help him but was freaking out. I didn't visit him yesterday so I didn't see any of this. She asked if I would come over tonight to see for myself.

I was so sad because I really thought we could help him make it. I stopped at home and grabbed my camera thinking it might be the last time I'd film him and went over there. On the drive I prayed to God that he would make it clear to us if we shouldn't give up on him or if it was time, to not leave any question. When I pulled up a few minutes later she opened the door and was dishing up some food for him. She said she couldn't believe it, that he was doing better. He was not growling anymore and was hungry. He did seem different though, like he was in pain. He let us pet him but wasn't enjoying it. I took one picture of him because I didn't want to stress him out with too much flash and stuff.

We tried to think of everything that was different from the day before and today and the one thing that came to mind is the dry food that I brought over for him to eat. It is grain free and low carb and I asked the vet specifically about it and she thought it would be good. He didn't eat any of it until last night. We think it might have caused him stomach pain, we're not sure. Anyway, I'm praying that this is the cause because if if is, he should return to the condition he was in yesterday and the day before, which wasn't great but is better than now.

I'm picking up an elizabethan collar for him tomorrow at the vet hospital and will leave a message for the vet (she's doing surgeries all morning) to see if Barney might benefit from B-12. He is peeing soooooooooooooooo much. It's the diabetes I guess but Angela said she fills a white grocery bag with pee balls (scoopable litter) every day and he is so small for that much output. I'm wondering if he might be having a similar effect to cats on sub-q's who can get depleted of certain things getting washed out.

Here is the pic I took tonight. You can see all the blood drops on the door behind him when he shakes his head. I'm hoping for better news tomorrow.

[Medusa]

Oh the poor boy. I feel so bad for him. I sure hope that you can get to the bottom of why he's feeling so punk other than the obvious. According to my vets, the B 12 shot certainly won't hurt him and it isn't expensive so I'd give it a whirl because it just may help. Prayers continuing here.....

[Catty1]

Prayers for Barney. I hope the pain is something treatable. Have there been any more poops in the box? I wonder if his system wasn't used to quality kibble and he's a bit bound up.

He does look BETTER to me in that last pic because he is curled up. Apparently less healthy cats don't do that.

{{{hugs}}} and more prayers for that precious baby. I pray he can come around.

[Purr-tender]

My heart sunk when I read your post. I thought by now he would be showing improvement with all the TLC he has been receiving. He looks so darn pitiful. I called the hospital Tuesday and made a donation. I asked them if anyone else had donated yet and she said that they had received only $20 so far. I hated that. I want you to be able and get him the treatment that he needs to get well. I have my hands full here with my 18 fur kids or I would have donated more. I will continue to pray for Barney.

Mary

[Emeraldgreen]

My heart sunk when I read your post. I thought by now he would be showing improvement with all the TLC he has been receiving. He looks so darn pitiful. I called the hospital Tuesday and made a donation. I asked them if anyone else had donated yet and she said that they had received only $20 so far. I hated that. I want you to be able and get him the treatment that he needs to get well. I have my hands full here with my 18 fur kids or I would have donated more. I will continue to pray for Barney.

Mary

Thank you so much Mary. I hadn't asked the clinic yet how much had been donated but I'm headed in there this morning and was going to then. I think it's great. Any help is awesome and is more than we had available than before. I also know that some funds are coming by mail and should be arriving shortly. I'm almost wondering though if at this point if I shouldn't return the donations given so far because if he is put down in a few days if he continues to get worse, I would feel badly about that. The cheques will be easy to deal with as I can simply send them back. The credit card donations could potentially be reversed by the clinic and I will ask them about that this morning. If not, I can send funds back by mail to cover the c.c. payments. No matter what happens, everyone has been great with support (words, prayers and funds). Barney has been alone for a long time but not anymore.

p.s. Barney is getting all the care he can get right now, short of being hospitalized so don't worry. It isn't a lack of funds that is keeping him from being well. It might just be that so much is against him that he may not be able to pull through. We won't give up on him if there is a chance, that is for sure but if he is suffering and there isn't much for the vet to do, we may have to let him go. I'm feeling hopeful though.

p.p,s. Wow! 18 cats, you have your hands full. That is wonderful that you are able to care for so many cats.

[Moesha]

Don't worry about sending my donation back. Use it as you see fit. If it can help Barney, please use it for that. If not, then use it for one of your critters since you have spent a substantial amount for his care. I apologize that it wasn't more. I just wasn't sure what this month's finances were going to turn out to be. If there is more that can be done for him and funds are the problem, please let me know. I'll find a way to help out more.

[Emeraldgreen]

Well, things just might be looking up for Barney. Angela stopped by my work this afternoon to pick up the elizabethan collar I got for him and she said that he was doing alot better. She decided to take him out of that tiny room and into the cozy living room and laid him down in front of the warm woodstove where a roaring fire was going. She said he loved it and stretched out and rolled over and exposed his belly!!! He even let her rub it! If that isn't a good sign, I don't know what is?! She then spoke with Terri, my coworker on the phone and told her that she had brought Barney into the livingroom and that she felt that it was important for Barney to feel normal and be part of a house etc.. She also told her that Barney was probably cleaner than Jack because we've washed him so many times. LOL I'm not too sure if that's true though, he is one dirty guy and could probably use 5 more baths at least. Terri said it was okay and that Angela could act like it was her own home while she was there so it looks like Barney is going to have more fireside evenings ahead!!

And, Angela seems as if she will be staying on for longer. I don't know for how long because I think she doesn't know for how long either and is taking it one day/week at a time. She feels like she is supposed to be here so she can help him and it's also good for her as she is going through some of her own life changing stuff (about to sell her home in Ontario etc..).

So, if I may, I would like to hang on to those wonderful donations and put them to good use! Angela is going to book Barney in for a recheck in 5-6 days when his last thyroid pill is gone. Hopefully we will see some kind of improvement on all fronts.

Thank you to everyone who has provided support in all ways and a very special thank you to Moesha and Purr-tender for calling in your wonderful dontations. The hospital now has a credit of 70.00!! And thank you Mary (Medusa) for your donation that arrived today!! As of today we are up to 95.00 and I have been PM'd by Randi and Momtomany that they too have mailed some donations. And Jenn has mailed 3 doses of feline Revolution for Barney so he will be set for 3 months. And, a friend here on the island has offered to pitch in some money over the next couple of days. I am forever grateful and each and every penny will go to restoring this old guy so we can get him into his furrever home!



I will hopefully be able to visit with him tomorrow night and will bring the camera to get some video footage of our guy.

E.T.A. I just realized that Mary's donation is in U.S. funds and our dollar is complete crap right now so it will actually mean some extra funds! I think today our dollar was wortt .79 cents to one U.S. dollar Yippee!