Help for Shadow

[Shadowboy]

Hi All! It's been a little while since I've posted. As it is for everyone, life has been crazy!

Some of you may remember Shadow. A black kitty that was pulled from South Carolina with very uncontrolled diabetes but a rescue group I was volunteering with.

Shadow was fostered with me for a year- I was able to get much better control of his diabetes with some ups and downs of course. About 3 months ago, my husband and I decided working with this particular rescue group was no longer a match for us. We had been with them for 4 years, but it was time to move on.

It came to my attention that Shadow, still legally "owned" by the rescue, was going to be euthanized. The rescue coordinator informed the board, Shadow had a "declining quality of life". Well, she must have been talking about a different cat. Shadow happily eats, plays with toys, and gets around just fine.

My husband and I couldn't live with Shadow being euthanized because someone was choosing not to want to care for him after already committing to him... We adopted him with the knowledge that we would continue to try to find him a home that was better suited to his needs.

We are still involved in rescue, with multiple dogs coming in and out of our house. Although Shadow tolerates it, I do believe it's an added stress for him, as I see his BGs increase when we have dogs coming and going. We would love to find him a home that can focus on him and give him everything he needs. Any thoughts or ideas?

Thanks!

 

[BJM]

Placing an animal for adoption is sort of like a personals ad - think about what Shadow would bring to the adopter's life.
Ex "Smokey black cat seeks loving home with {what kind of people - quiet/active?}" Will /will not cuddle on your lap/bed, follow you around to supervise you. Etc.
You want to interest them before you bring up the diabetes, ie, it isn't the first thing you mention about the cat; he is more than his glucose levels. That said, any potential adopter needs to learn about the condition and how to manage it.

Some considerations I can think of:
Is he a lap cat? Snuggler right up under your chin? A satellite cat (near you, not on you)?

Indoor only, with the diabetes, as you don't want him disappearing when due for insulin
Does he like being brushed?
How is he with getting his claws clipped?

Litterbox habits?
Diet?

 

[Deb & Wink]

Network, network, network. With friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, other rescues. Get the word out. It's a long involved process to get a special needs cat adopted by that special someone.

DCIN and Fancy Cats Rescue Team FCRT both have several foster cats that have been with them for a long, long time. It's just the way it is sometimes.