Our Hospice Fosters

 
 
 

We have fostered hundreds of kittens and cats of every age over the years. I love them ALL, but I realized not too long ago, that my heart truly belongs to the elderly ones… especially those needing hospice care. Sadly, many geriatric cats with serious medical needs end up in shelters or on the street. It is heart wrenching to think of their last days or months being spent stuck in a cage alone or outside fending for themselves.

I decided to begin helping these old souls receive the love and care they so deserve. I believe that every animal should have a safe home, proper vet care, a warm bed, good nutrition, and lots of affection until the very end. Even if a cat is only with us for a few days or weeks, that cat is always worth any effort taken to ensure that they feel loved.

 

Miss Cackle

In late October, Miss Cackle found herself on the streets after her family discarded her at 15 years of age. Thankfully, a concerned neighbor contacted a dedicated and lovely member of The Working Cat Project, and she drove to eastern Kentucky to pick up this poor little lady. After some initial vetting, she came to us for further care. We had a full geriatric blood panel done which revealed kidney issues and a high white blood cell count. Her mouth was a mess due to rotten teeth and horrible infection, so she had all of her teeth pulled. Miss Cackle was also covered in painful mats which have been removed.

Now, she is on meds for her kidneys, and we will continue to keep her as comfortable as possible for whatever time she has left. She is truly a hospice foster and will remain with us. Miss Cackle loves to be brushed and have her chin scratches and sleep in a sunny, warm spot in her room.

Mr. Willoughby

We saw a post about this old boy on Facebook in early December and our hearts melted. Mr. Willoughby had been roaming the streets for years and had shown up at a kind woman’s house moving slowly with one blind eye and the other in bad shape. She knew that he couldn’t continue to live outside especially with the frigid winter months arriving. It was time for retirement in a warm, safe place, so she brought him to us and we are so grateful.

As with all of our elderly intakes, we had a full blood work and a urinalysis done. He is in kidney failure, needed a full mouth extraction, and is most likely blind in both eyes. Now that his broken and rotting teeth have been removed, he is much more comfortable. He is also on kidney meds, and we are trying different foods to help with that as well.

Mr. Willoughby is THE sweetest, most gentle soul. He loves to headbonk everything in sight. Even though he’s had a rough life, he doesn’t hold a grudge against humans. We hope that he will hang on for as long as possible so that we can shower him with buckets of love.