carolynandlatte
Member Since 2009
More royalty to my household...my first foster, Duchess (Im not responsible for the name! :lol: ).
I hope its okay for me to rent a condo to share the news. I thought some of you might like to know, tho.
Yesterday at 5:50 I lit candles for Tuscany, in variuos rooms around the house (all by Latte's photos). I asked her to help Tuscany if she needed it and make sure she would be okay in spirit. But in an hour I also knew another kitty was coming into the house. Ive been terrified, crying all week, really unsure if this was the right thing to do. So I also asked Latte to PLEASE welcome this new kitty into the home. I told her she may borrow some things of hers. But mostly, help her feel safe and comfortable. As I mentioned in my post to Joyce, it was thundering during all this. I went outside for a minute and it started downpouring. As I started going back inside it stopped and I looked up into the sky to see one of the largest rainbows. All this within minutes of my requests to Latte. It was very magical, even for someone who is not sure what they believe. I really felt that both tuscany had started her next adventure in peace, and that this foster kitty was going to be ok...and maybe even I.
Duchess is a 2yr old, fat, black momma cat. TOTALLY opposite in appearance from Latte. This makes it both harder and easier, depending on the moment Im having. :roll: I met duchess in her foster home last weekend. It was a very bad situation for her. That foster home had 15 cats (kittens, too). Duchess had her last litter in Jan, all adopted out. She was left and got terribly picked on. When I saw her, she was terrified and hid as soon as she was brought upstairs. Other cats blocked her from coming out of her hiding spot, and ran to block her from going down to the place where she had confined herself (the basement) because it was where the food, water, and litter were. They swarmed her and picked fights. Any hesitancy I had was changed after seeing all this. The foster home had no idea how much she eats or drinks. She was strictly on a dry food, free fed diet. Duchess got very little attention from the foster parent because she was so overwhelmed with the needs of the other cats. Her weight gain happened in the foster home. According to the vet she is 14lbs (yesterday). She should be 9-10lbs. I thought, and still do think she looks bigger than 14lbs. She must be a really tiny cat under all that! Oh- she is also a Hemmingway/Polydactyl cat (extra toes).
My goal is to transition her to wet and help her lose weight so she will be more adoptable. Of course, to get her out of that home and into a more peaceful place, where she could get lots of love is also top priority. I give myself a maximum of 6 months to do what I can. I cannot have another cat of my own right now, as I hope to prepare for a move accross country and potentially some oversea travel in the years to come. So, dont go thinking she is gonna steal my heart ;-) . No offense to any beans with black cats, but I really do prefer lighter colors and/or lots of markings. I hope that doesnt sound bad. :?
Duchess arrived last night and immediately seemed to feel at home. Tail high, exploring. The foster mom said she had never seen a cat come out of a carrier and explore so quickly. As soon as foster mom left, I came back in with some boiled chicken. Duchess was purring and wanted nothing to do with the chicken. All she wanted was my hand to scratch and pet her head. She gave me kisses, played a lot, wanted more pets, purred, cleaned herself, used the LB, etc. You would think a cat of her size could not jump. HA! ohmygod_smile I was up all night hearing crashes everywhere in the room. She was also very talkative, and waking me up for more play and pets. Finally got a few hrs of sleep at dawn and woke to her sitting on Latte's throne staring at me.
So far I have learned she is a sink cat. She LOVES peacock feathers and strings. She hates all those toy balls, but will do a mean chase after a tennis ball. All the same toys Latte liked and hated. She prefers on top of the piano instead of underneath. There may be some energy there she is unsure of. When I opened her to the rest of the house today, she took to Latte's old spot in the hallway. The exact same spot. :shock: Someone must have told her not to sleep with me at night, but cuddle during naps. That is exactly what she has done so far. Mostly she just wants to be next to me. She gets nervous when she cant see me and starts meowing and trying to find me. Where ever I settle, she is at my side. Im surprised that she is not eating so much. Today she has had enough kibble/calories for the weight she SHOULD be at. She also licked a bit at some wet (Latte style). She may be feeling better where she does not need to eat so much. BUT, we cant have her losing weight too fast! I certainly hope I learn how to do this safely....and fast.
I do have some concerns about her risk of diabetes. The vet did a full blood panel yesterday to rule out her weight gain from anything other than fear, anxiety, depression. Obviously I could test, but Im gonna give the girl a break. If her glucose was high, I may give a poke in a week or so. Otherwise I will just leave her alone.
My emotions have been all over the place about this...and even more, now that we have started this adventure together. I see her do things that remind me of Latte in her younger years and it makes me both happy and sad. I see her black fur and all I want is my white kitty back! :cry: But then I see her looking so relaxed, and know that she is a living being that DESERVES to be loved even if she is not some 'stunning' cat to look at. She has a vibrant spirit about her. Ive made it very clear to Duchess, there will be MANY tears in this house. It was her job to help even them out with some laughter! :lol:
On a side note...I was contacted about a local news reporter (nbc) wanting to do a story about complaints to veterinary boards. Though I never filed a complaint, I have had plenty of interaction with them after Latte's ARF from metacam. I sent the woman an email with Latte's story. They have not even chosen a 'direction' of the story, so she is very open to hearing more. I will be talking with her further next week! Sadly this means I am going to have to go through all of Latte's paperwork, which is a big disorganized mess, so I can find all correspondance with FDA, U.S. senators/reps, State Senators Reps, drug company, etc. I will also have to put her labs, at least from that time period in order. It will be hard.
So there you have it! The grief is far from gone, and sometimes still so terribly intense. But Im holding my promises to both Latte and myself to do the 'right' things, even if its hard.
I hope its okay for me to rent a condo to share the news. I thought some of you might like to know, tho.
Yesterday at 5:50 I lit candles for Tuscany, in variuos rooms around the house (all by Latte's photos). I asked her to help Tuscany if she needed it and make sure she would be okay in spirit. But in an hour I also knew another kitty was coming into the house. Ive been terrified, crying all week, really unsure if this was the right thing to do. So I also asked Latte to PLEASE welcome this new kitty into the home. I told her she may borrow some things of hers. But mostly, help her feel safe and comfortable. As I mentioned in my post to Joyce, it was thundering during all this. I went outside for a minute and it started downpouring. As I started going back inside it stopped and I looked up into the sky to see one of the largest rainbows. All this within minutes of my requests to Latte. It was very magical, even for someone who is not sure what they believe. I really felt that both tuscany had started her next adventure in peace, and that this foster kitty was going to be ok...and maybe even I.
Duchess is a 2yr old, fat, black momma cat. TOTALLY opposite in appearance from Latte. This makes it both harder and easier, depending on the moment Im having. :roll: I met duchess in her foster home last weekend. It was a very bad situation for her. That foster home had 15 cats (kittens, too). Duchess had her last litter in Jan, all adopted out. She was left and got terribly picked on. When I saw her, she was terrified and hid as soon as she was brought upstairs. Other cats blocked her from coming out of her hiding spot, and ran to block her from going down to the place where she had confined herself (the basement) because it was where the food, water, and litter were. They swarmed her and picked fights. Any hesitancy I had was changed after seeing all this. The foster home had no idea how much she eats or drinks. She was strictly on a dry food, free fed diet. Duchess got very little attention from the foster parent because she was so overwhelmed with the needs of the other cats. Her weight gain happened in the foster home. According to the vet she is 14lbs (yesterday). She should be 9-10lbs. I thought, and still do think she looks bigger than 14lbs. She must be a really tiny cat under all that! Oh- she is also a Hemmingway/Polydactyl cat (extra toes).
My goal is to transition her to wet and help her lose weight so she will be more adoptable. Of course, to get her out of that home and into a more peaceful place, where she could get lots of love is also top priority. I give myself a maximum of 6 months to do what I can. I cannot have another cat of my own right now, as I hope to prepare for a move accross country and potentially some oversea travel in the years to come. So, dont go thinking she is gonna steal my heart ;-) . No offense to any beans with black cats, but I really do prefer lighter colors and/or lots of markings. I hope that doesnt sound bad. :?
Duchess arrived last night and immediately seemed to feel at home. Tail high, exploring. The foster mom said she had never seen a cat come out of a carrier and explore so quickly. As soon as foster mom left, I came back in with some boiled chicken. Duchess was purring and wanted nothing to do with the chicken. All she wanted was my hand to scratch and pet her head. She gave me kisses, played a lot, wanted more pets, purred, cleaned herself, used the LB, etc. You would think a cat of her size could not jump. HA! ohmygod_smile I was up all night hearing crashes everywhere in the room. She was also very talkative, and waking me up for more play and pets. Finally got a few hrs of sleep at dawn and woke to her sitting on Latte's throne staring at me.
So far I have learned she is a sink cat. She LOVES peacock feathers and strings. She hates all those toy balls, but will do a mean chase after a tennis ball. All the same toys Latte liked and hated. She prefers on top of the piano instead of underneath. There may be some energy there she is unsure of. When I opened her to the rest of the house today, she took to Latte's old spot in the hallway. The exact same spot. :shock: Someone must have told her not to sleep with me at night, but cuddle during naps. That is exactly what she has done so far. Mostly she just wants to be next to me. She gets nervous when she cant see me and starts meowing and trying to find me. Where ever I settle, she is at my side. Im surprised that she is not eating so much. Today she has had enough kibble/calories for the weight she SHOULD be at. She also licked a bit at some wet (Latte style). She may be feeling better where she does not need to eat so much. BUT, we cant have her losing weight too fast! I certainly hope I learn how to do this safely....and fast.
I do have some concerns about her risk of diabetes. The vet did a full blood panel yesterday to rule out her weight gain from anything other than fear, anxiety, depression. Obviously I could test, but Im gonna give the girl a break. If her glucose was high, I may give a poke in a week or so. Otherwise I will just leave her alone.
My emotions have been all over the place about this...and even more, now that we have started this adventure together. I see her do things that remind me of Latte in her younger years and it makes me both happy and sad. I see her black fur and all I want is my white kitty back! :cry: But then I see her looking so relaxed, and know that she is a living being that DESERVES to be loved even if she is not some 'stunning' cat to look at. She has a vibrant spirit about her. Ive made it very clear to Duchess, there will be MANY tears in this house. It was her job to help even them out with some laughter! :lol:
On a side note...I was contacted about a local news reporter (nbc) wanting to do a story about complaints to veterinary boards. Though I never filed a complaint, I have had plenty of interaction with them after Latte's ARF from metacam. I sent the woman an email with Latte's story. They have not even chosen a 'direction' of the story, so she is very open to hearing more. I will be talking with her further next week! Sadly this means I am going to have to go through all of Latte's paperwork, which is a big disorganized mess, so I can find all correspondance with FDA, U.S. senators/reps, State Senators Reps, drug company, etc. I will also have to put her labs, at least from that time period in order. It will be hard.
So there you have it! The grief is far from gone, and sometimes still so terribly intense. But Im holding my promises to both Latte and myself to do the 'right' things, even if its hard.
Sending hugs to you both from the 3 of us..
