VELVET IS SO HAPPY NOW
Thanks to all who have enquired about Velvet's progress
Velvet was handreared by one of our fosterers so is an extra special cat. It was heartbreaking when one by one her brothers and sisters died, it was a sort of relief to find that is was because their parents were related that they died and no fault of the fosterer. The kittens parents were trapped and neutered by us so there won't be any more deformed kittens born there.
Velvet has been a regular visitor to the vets, first because she stopped growing, then did a growth spurt when she was 9 months old. Then she started with an awful mouth infection( again due to her genetic problems) which meant all her teeth needed to be removed. She soon bounced back and is eating biscuits again. We had known for some time that she had hip problems as she kicked her back legs out when she walked. It wasn't bothering her so we just monitored her. After a year we could tell she was in pain. She was slow to get out of bed and preferred to lay down, even to eat and stopped playing out. We had to make a decision, do we call it a day, do we amputate the leg or what. Our Vet took new X-Rays and showed them to an Orthopaedic Consultant who thought the best option was to remove the top from the worst hip. We couldn't risk amputating as it would put too much strain on her other crumbling hip and if that one deteriorated then she would be doomed.
Those of you who know cats well will wonder how on earth Velvet coped in the water, I bet you cannot imagine your cat going for a swim.....or can you. I don't think any of my own cats would volunteer. As Velvet was a handrear she is imprinted on humans and a simple soul really. I can't say she enjoyed swimming but she wasn't distressed. It got her walking much more quickly so was worth it. In between her visits to the pool, she had extra lessons in the fosterers bath. It had to be filled right to the top and she swam from end to end wearing her little harness. She keeps clear of the bathroom now. She needed to improve her wasted muscles as quickly as possible. It was a long two weeks, there didn't seem to be much improvement, then suddenly she got her confidence back and started walking and hasn't looked back. She runs up the garden and chases anything that moves, loves a rough and tumble with the other cats. She is a kitten again. She needs daily medication to try and stop any further damage so will always cost the branch, but it is all worth it when you see that she is so happy. She will probably need her other hip operating on but lets hope she can enjoy the summer first.
Thanks to all who helped Velvet, the staff at Carlton Cattery Hydrotherapy Pool and their Physiotherapist who offered their services for free and also to Andy the Vet who made it all possible.
Since we got to know the staff at Carlton Cattery we have been able to help them. They take in cats referred to them by Social Services, if an owner goes into hospital or there is a sudden death. They were asked to take in 9 cats after they and their dead owner had been in the house for over a week at Christmas. The big problem was that all the timid cats had escaped when the police battered the door down. They couldn't be caught. We went down with traps and got them all, they all needed neutering and some medical attention which we paid for. The cattery boarded some of the cats and we took four as we had just homed a cat freeing up a pen. The cattery staff found homes for some and we rehomed the rest. If the cats had been left they would have started a feral colony in the centre of Leeds. So a very happy ending all round. No doubt we will again work together in helping cats.
