This poor little fellow shows that it often takes a village to save a life. Below is the actual email I received asking us to take him. We have renamed him Alfie.
"
Hi!
I am with CARE, Chatham Animal Rescue and Education in Chatham County, NC.
I am hoping that your group can help us with a blind cat that we have recently become aware of
in Pittsboro, NC.
Ray is a 13 year old, blind, terribly neglected cat that is in dire need of rescue.
He has hyperthyroidism and the owner has known this since last August (!) and has
chosen not to give him inexpensive medication to control symptoms. I just spoke to the vet who saw him and
he said that most of his symptoms should get better with meds, except blindness, but she won't treat him.
She doesn't want to spend any money on him. He told me that cat would be better off anywhere else than with her,
and he usually doesn't say things like this.
Owner is frustrated with cat and is ready to dump him at shelter when she goes back to work next week.
I have a photo that owner sent me that I am attaching for you. We asked her to contact your
group but not sure if she did. Also- quoting owner-
quote >"Blind Kitty Ray" has been with us for 3 years and has become incontinent due to a thyroid condition. THe vet thinks it can be controlled with medication but I my other animals and my husband have had enough. He's a handful and needs to be somewhere where people are home more than we are.
He's the most loving cat I've ever owned but he has ruined all my furniture with his claws and now this peeing, and the fighting with my other "kids", I'm not able to deal with it anymore.< end quote.
Is there any way that your group could take him if he is re-evaluated by vet and this woman agrees (which we think she will gladly do)? We might be able to house short-term to at least evaluate on meds for symptom relief, etc. if your group would consider him
as a rescue candidate.
We have tried to get her to start meds too, but she is very uncooperative and we are advocating
for this poor cat who isn't being given a fair chance.
We are a small group and have recently lost cat fosters and are down to 3 homes now.
Thanks so much for any help/advice you might be able to offer.
I immediately sent an email to Joan who lives up that direction and I knew also fosters for other groups and asked her if she could foster him while we made arrangements for him.
I was told later that apparently these people had only had this little guy for 3 years and he had never seen a vet while with him until he became very sick. Apparently his previous owner had been an elderly lady who got sent to a nursing home and all her cats (20+) got left to fend for themselves. Their (the people who just dumped him) daughter liked this little fellow and talked them into taking him in since he was blind and animal control told him he would be killed if he came to the shelter. The husband apparently does not like cats so they were looking for an excuse to get rid of him.
He is a super nice fellow, uses the litterbox with no problem and Joan reported he had no issues with her cats.
