Barney is an Angel Now.

[Randi]

Aww Lara, it was a joy to see Barney in a better shape - although he has a long way yet. You can tell from the video that he is enjoying the care and love you two give him.

It's wonderful you've made the poster and collection cans, and I'm so glad people are putting some $$ in it for Barney.

I know it's not good if he scratch his ear, and the collar is a pain, so I was wondering.... any change you could clip his nails so they're not so pointed? That might help a little.

Lots of kisses and gently scritches for Barney - Fister sends purrs (and I think he likes your voices, he just came up while I played the video).

[Medusa]

I am absolutely in love w/that boy! He's really eating up all the love and affection that you and Angela are giving him, Lara. He's like a little fur sponge. (((HUGS))) to all of you and lots of gentle pets for Barney.

[Catty1]

AWWWWwwww....what a sweet boy, feeling better all the time.

Any wee purr at all?

HUGS to that boy, and bless you and Angela! Prayers that his checkup is good, and he can withstand the polyp surgery.

[Emeraldgreen]

Hi guys, another update.
I went to town today to cash Mary's cheque and exchange Randi's donation (and Mary's) into Canadian funds. Our dollar is even lower today so we got almost 10.00 extra dollars between the two donations on top of the what was donated. So cool.
I popped into the vet clinic to put the funds on Barney's tab and the receptionist told me that someone had just made another donation! I found out that it is Momtomany and there is now a credit of 144.00 on Barney's account all from Pet Talkers! You guys are awesome. Thank you.

Angela is bringing him in at 10:30 on Wednesday morning for a recheck exam and more blood work. He is getting very tired of his diabetic wetfood and the grain free dry food I brought over seems to cause him constipation so she might get him a small bag of the diabetic crumbles. If he doesn't like it, we can return it. Imagine him being so fussy when less than 2 weeks ago, he had no food! LOL

I'm hoping that she won't have to use all the funds that are there but if so, then those funds have gone towards another important step in getting Barney on his way. Like a stepping stone. The money we're trying to raise locally will hopefully add up and help with the surgery.

Angela is wondering if he is really dealing with a polyp and will ask the vet to have a good look inside his ear on Wednesday. The thing is, his ear is improving every day and a polyp should get progressively worse, as would a tumour ( I think??). The oozing has stopped and his ear seems to be drying up. The only thing I can think of is that maybe he had an abscess in his ear that the Convenia injection has been battling or maybe it is a polyp or a tumour and it has stabilized and isn't getting worse. Angela has been giving him this stuff called Immunical (a natural whey protein) that is supposed to be amazing in it's healing properties. She said that when she first saw him ( a few days before she called me to come and see him) his eyes were all hazy and milky coloured. She thought he might be going blind. She started giving him large amounts of this stuff and within 2-3 days his eyes were clear. She said that there are testimonials about people who have had cancer who have been put on Immunical and their tumours have disappeared. So maybe that is what is happening. Anyway, it will be interesting to hear what the vet says when she looks in there with her scope.

Barney will get his sudsy bath tomorrow so he is really soft and clean for his doctor's appointment. Will post a pic after we dry him.

p.s. Randi, we had the same thought as you about his nails and clipped them all last week. I think it really has helped.
p.p.s. Candace, we have heard him purr quite a bit which is good. Also, in the latest video he meows right before Angela says "do you like being with the girls?". It is such a short meow but if you can hear it, it is so cute.
You're right Mary, he is a little fur sponge!

Here is one pic I took tonight. He looks awful in it but he was sleeping just a moment before. You'll see all the splatter drops behind him like in a previous pic but there are more now. I think Angela cleans that up every couple of days so he has shaken out alot of 'stuff' from his ear.
But the caked on dried blood that I kept having to cut off with scissors has all but stopped.

And below Barney is a pic of Jack. I couldn't resist taking it because he is gorgeous and was laying by the fire.

[Purr-tender]

You give such wonderful updates. I am looking forward to seeing Barney after a really sudsy bath. And, I am so anxious to hear what the vet has to say Wednesday.

Boy, that fire sure looks good and cozy. Jack's got the right idea.

Mary

[Medusa]

Lara, it sounds like Barney is getting better and better. When your vet checks the polyp, s/he may have to anesthetize Barney slightly in order to look in his throat. The polyp can grow down into his throat like Yodie's did or it can grow upwards or out of the ear. Check his eyes and the above the brow to look for swelling. Again, I hate being a killjoy but unless all avenues are explored, if it is a polyp, it can cause a lot of problems. We're keeping fingers and paws crossed here that it was just a bad infection from ear mites or whatever and we're looking forward to a good report.

[Emeraldgreen]

You give such wonderful updates. I am looking forward to seeing Barney after a really sudsy bath. And, I am so anxious to hear what the vet has to say Wednesday.

Boy, that fire sure looks good and cozy. Jack's got the right idea.

Mary

Thanks Mary! I tend to go on and on but I think he is so interesting. lol

Medusa wrote:

When your vet checks the polyp, s/he may have to anesthetize Barney slightly in order to look in his throat. The polyp can grow down into his throat like Yodie's did or it can grow upwards or out of the ear. Check his eyes and the above the brow to look for swelling.

I have told Angela what you said and we'll make sure the vet takes a very good look. I don't know if Barney would be up to any anesthesia right now but we'll see what the vet says. I've asked that she put a quote together for the surgery so she can give it to Angela tomorrow. I'm not going along, have to work. Thanks for the advice though. We have no experience with this and I value the information very much.

Tonight was bath night! He has to be the most tolerant cat I've ever met. He let us put him right into the sink with fairly warm water and suds him up and rinse him. It's still going to take another couple of baths to get all the filth off him though. We only wash him for a few minutes because we don't want to overdo it. He gets so tired very quickly.

After the bath we laid him on his back on Angela's lap and he let me snip off a bunch of mats on his belly. We couldn't believe how dirty his stomach was after the bath!! We gave him some extra sponge baths in that area but it's going to take a few more washings, that's for sure.

He just laid there and looked right into the camera. He has very soulful eyes. What a guy. I wish I could take him but my husband would never allow it. The thing with him that is so neat, is that he is so grateful. He loves to be loved.

After his bath and haircut, he got some tuna juice. Not sure if that is the best for his diabetes but he sure enjoyed it. And then, at the end, he wandered over to his little blanket and started washing himself to get ready for bed. He's got a big day tomorrow!

I'll post when I hear from Angela tomorrow evening. If everybody could say a big prayer tonight that his diabetes is reversing and that his ear was just infected and doesn't have a polyp and that his thyroid is stablizing, that would be great!!

Movie time!!

[jennielynn1970]

OMG... I just want to hug him!! What a sweet and tolerant boy he is! I love the name Barnacles, lol.

What would your hubby say if you "fostered" Barney until Angela comes back to the area and she is able to keep him with her?? I mean, it's obvious she adores him... so she could get done what she needs to get done while you foster him. Would you hubby begrudge a poor little kitty lodging until then?

Sorry, just trying to think of ways to keep Barney in the picture, lol!! You both are doing such a wonderful job of getting him back on his feet, I'm just afraid of seeing him lose all that ground when Angela leaves and he has no where to go.

[Medusa]

I don't know if Barney would be up to any anesthesia right now

I meant to say"sedate", which means that he wouldn't be put under. I'm sorry to have goofed that up.

This boy just tears my heart out. I want so badly for him to have a good home. You two are such angels!

[Purr-tender]

Bless his sweet little heart!! I am so grateful to you and Angela for being there and taking such marvelous care of him. He must think that he has died and gone to heaven!

Lara, your posts with the pics and videos make me feel like I am sitting there with you. I would love to be able to hold him and give him a bunch of lovins'. You two will just have to do that for me.

Be sure and post as soon as you can on his vet visit.

Prayers and big hugs for Barney!
Mary

[Catty1]

I hope all goes well at the vet. He MUST have gained a BIT of weight...how much?

Give him some lovins for me!

[Emeraldgreen]

Medusa wrote:

I meant to say"sedate", which means that he wouldn't be put under.

Barney's exam started a few minutes ago (if the vet is running on time!) and I hope that the vet will do whatever she has to in order to get the best look possible in his ear. I did tell Angela about your experience with polyps and I know she will mention it to the vet. I'm so anxious to hear what she says.


JennLibrarian wrote:

What would your hubby say if you "fostered" Barney until Angela comes back to the area and she is able to keep him with her?? I mean, it's obvious she adores him... so she could get done what she needs to get done while you foster him. Would you hubby begrudge a poor little kitty lodging until then?

I wish he would let me but the only way I can even imagine it would be a for a few days until a real foster could be found. I won't let Barney be put outside so don't worry, something will be done one way or the other. We just put an ad in our local paper that gets put in the mailbox of every single resident on the island (around 2,500 people). The ad and photo normally costs 50.00 plus tax but the lady who runs the paper offered to do it for 5.00!! I think the paper will be in the boxes tomorrow or Friday at the latest.

The ad reads as follows with this picture:

"This is Barney. He is single and available. He lives on Quadra but is homeless. Do you have a space in your heart and home for this wonderful little fellow? He is looking for his furrever home or even a temporary foster home. Please help bring Barney out of the cold."


Purr-Tender wrote:

Be sure and post as soon as you can on his vet visit.

I sure will!

Catty1 wrote:

I hope all goes well at the vet. He MUST have gained a BIT of weight...how much?

We think he has gained some weight but we're not sure how much. He was 4.15 pounds a few weeks ago so it will be exciting to see some improvement. You can still feel his spine completely, every detail of it but he does feel a bit heavier.

[Emeraldgreen]

Well the vet just called and he isn't looking so good. He hasn't gained any weight!! She said that he has so many diseases going on that she is wondering if it wouldn't be better to just let him go at this point.
She said that his left ear still has the growth down inside and it and it is bleeding. His right ear has an infection and she thinks it's a bacterial infection of some sort.
She asked me what the next step was. Once again, had to make a decision right on the spot and with all the efforts put out by Pettalkers and all the donation cans and ads it just didn't make sense to me to put him down today. I think Angela was ready to let him go today because the vet was saying that Angela told her she is leaving and he doesn't have a home and if he is this sick etc... etc.. and I totally get where she is coming from but I wouldn't even know how to return the money in the cans to total strangers, so why not spend it on Barney and give one last kick at the can.

The vet said "alright, but if we're going to keep going with this, it's important that he get tested for FELV and FIV." I totally agree so she is testing him for that right now. I asked her if she thought it would be safe for Barney to be with other cats if those tests come back negative and she said "yes, I would feel comfortable with him being with other cats 'if' these tests come back negative." This is important in case someone offers to foster him and they have other cats.

She also wants to retest his thyroid and see where that's at. She said that he is nowhere near healthy enough to have surgery on his ear and she said that we need to take one step at a time.

Right now, I feel like I'm the only who has met Barney who is standing behind him. I know all you guys are and it means a great deal but I wish everyone else who has come in contact with him wasn't bailing on him like this.

Anyway, that's where it's at. I have to be at work in a few minutes so I'd better get going.

[jennielynn1970]

I will be praying hard for Barney that he tests negative for both FeLV and FIV. You can have a false positive, but not (as the vet told me) a false negative. I had one cat test FIV+ 3 times, and then at 2yrs old, he tested negative 2xs. I know FeLV is the more serious of the two... I hope he doesn't have that! FIV is an immune deficiency and it can be managed, but he would need to get over all those other issues in order to be able to battle FIV for a good long time. We've have FIV+ cats at the shelter and most have lived long lives. I had Mac after he had been in the shelter for 10 years, and he made it another 2 1/2. So, 12 1/2 years as FIV+ is a good long life.

Will keep hoping and praying that Barney isn't positive for either of those diseases though! He needs every break he can get!

[Randi]

Dear sweet Barney, I hope you'll make it! And I hope the tests will come back negative for FELV and FIV. I so wish you will get better soon and find a loving forever home.

I'm sending lots and lots and positive thoughts and kisses.