Lose One Gain One

I had Bonita in the bathroom two and one half days after finding her curled up against the wall near the kitchen.   She has been alert the whole time, but would not eat or drink.  I would pull out her favorite foods, heat them up, line up the plates, offer each to her without luck.  She let me pet her and wash her face for the first time since she came here two years back.  She was feral.

I suspected perhaps cancer, that perhaps those increasing ear polyps were not benign and now had spread.  I gave her fluids at first but they were not absorbed and accumulated in her abdominal cavity.  She peed and the urine was bright neon orange, which indicates liver involvement.

She couldn't even take a small amount of liquefied food by mouth.  It would make her gag horribly.  I knew her end was near.  I took her over and hurried it along, fearful she was suffering.

It was Saturday evening "he" came along.  I'd left my garage door open and I heard a soft mewing.  I went to look and the big orange cat made soft little pathetic mews.  He wanted help.  He was skinny with a big belly.  He has only one eye and the other was gunked over.  I could see a wound on one leg.  I slapped down a paper plate and dumped a can of Fancy Feast onto it.  I went inside to get him a bowl of water.

When I came out, he just wanted more Fancy Feast, which he gulped.  I said "come on in, big guy" and he did.  I put him in the garage cage.

 He ate and ate then slept and slept some more.  He is polite and sweet with a cute quiet meow.

He went over to Heartland today to be checked out.  He's already fixed, but that eye.  And he's covered in fleas.  They tested him (negative), flea treated and wormed him, vaccinated him, cleaned up that wound, gave him a long term antibiotic and told me his missing eye doesn't need out as its been that way a long long time and suggested, laughing, maybe an eye patch, that he'd look really awesome in one.  He would, actually. 

I'd figured out by this time I probably knew the cat from two years ago, when I encountered him being fed as a stray a few blocks from here in a feral colony.  I tried to get the folks to relinquish him, arranged a date with a shelter, but they never showed up. At that time, the clinic who determined he was already neutered said he needed help with that eye. 

This was the cat from two years ago, and I'm fairly sure its the same cat who Saturday evening, wandered up politely shyly requesting help.

Also, another woman fed him more recently only a couple blocks from me and finally posted him on lost and found pets, asking for help for him, that he was in sad shape and she couldn't take him in.  Well anyhow he's here now and he loves having a nice place to sleep and lots of food.

I imagine the dead parasites are a big plus also.

Kate, who adopted Tiny Tim from me nine years ago and now lives up near Bellingham may take him in, if her landlord agrees.  Crossing my fingers there. She'd give him a GREAT home.

So long RIP little Bonita and hello Mr. old one eyed orange guy.

Missing Eye

Flea Dirt

So Long Bonita