September is coming to an end, but before it does, we would like to share one more Happy Cat Month story. At the clinic, all of our patients are a part of a family, the Cat Care Professionals family. We have seen them through their first kitten visits to getting a cold to broken bones to dental treatments to chronic illness. And, today, we would like to share one of those inspiring stories. It is the story of Buddy.
Buddy first came to us in 2008. He was found by Sue Fuller and her son, Mike, wandering the yards of their Portland area neighborhood. “My youngest son, in high school at the time, saw him around the yard, ” Sue recalls, “He looked terrible. He has abscesses, his hair was falling out, and he was skinny.” The family started feeding Buddy, who couldn’t be more thankful for a good meal, and Mike started asking if they could look after him.
A few weeks later, Sue brought Buddy to us for his first visit as a new member of the Fuller family. At home, Buddy would let Mike hold him, but as soon as he got into the garage, he would get aggressive. Afraid that they wouldn’t be able to get him into a carrier, they decided to use a laundry basket. McKenzie, one of our assistants, still remembers his first appointment, “I walked into the exam room with the smell of non-neutered cat urine heavy in the air. Sue and her son had lugged in a large white plastic laundry basket that was duct taped all over to hold it shut. They had taken in a stray cat near their home and weren’t sure of his behavior or how they he would react in this clinic setting so we were being extra cautious. We unwrapped the tape, slowly, one at a time, not sure if some feral feisty monster of a cat would come flying out. After the unveiling, we looked down at this sweet but beat up (and extra stinky) cat! His coat was matted, he had fleas, he had wounds on his face, and a stench that knocked out the entire clinic.” After his exam, we kept Buddy at the clinic overnight to give him a bath, clean his wounds, and neuter him the next day before sending him home to his new family.
Over the years, Buddy, just like all of our patients, has become like a member of the family at the clinic, and we have seen him through all the good and the bad – through diet changes, dental treatments, mass removals, and even a positive FIV test. As McKenzie says, “His owner always takes good care of him, and so do we.”
Recently, Buddy came to us for vomiting and having diarrhea. For the first time in his life, he had lost a lot of weight and was even considered underweight. Upon examination, Dr. Cornwell felt something unusual in his abdomen, and the worst was feared. We did x-rays and recommended an ultrasound. Before his ultrasound, we told Sue that many cats require sedation, but she suggested that he loves to held like a baby and would enjoy laying on his back… And she was right! He was content to lay on his back and charm the technicians through the whole procedure. The results of the ultrasound pointed toward irritable bowel syndrome (IBD) as the diagnosis so we began a specialized treatment plan for him, and he has been feeling much better on some medications. He’s not out of the woods, but at his last visit, his hydration was normal, and he has gained 0.66 lbs!
Here at Cat Care Professionals, we are grateful for all the cats that we have been blessed to help throughout the years to stay happy and healthy. And, as you can see, Buddy is one happy cat. He loves laying the sun, catnip, making new human friends, and belly rubs. And, while he may hate riding in the car, we’d like to think that we can be his home away from home when he’s in need. He’s had a long road, but we intend to be right by his side through it all.
Has Cat Care Professionals helped your cat companion? We would love to share your story! E-mail us at catnurse@catcareprofessionals.com.
P.S. We’d love for you to join us on social media where you can connect with everything that’s happening here at CCP. For the latest news, inspiring stories, helpful information to improve your cat’s life, and, of course, adorable cat pics, follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/catcareprofessionals or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/catcarepros.