An elderly cat was rescued in July 2010, and brought to Roselin for fostering. The cat was brought to the vet and apparently, it was quite emaciated. The vet said it probably had not eaten for a month.
Roselin named him Mandela. Throughout these months, Mandela was doing quite well, but something appeared to be “not quite right”. A few days ago, Roselin found out what was wrong.
Below is Roselin’s account of Mandela. We’d like to thank Roselin for sharing her story. It would help very much if you too can share your experience in handling cats like Mandela (please post constructive comments). We need to support each other and keep each other going, especially when faced with a challenge like this.
Roselin writes:
I now know the reason why Mandela – if we ever thought he was domesticated – was abandoned in the housing area.
Since he was with us end July, his appetite was excellent, he walked steadily and he could even run and climb a tree.
Having said that, this pattern was erratic.
Some days, he would eat little but drank and pee a lot.
He was strong as he could attacked Doraemon and even chased & attacked 3 other cats in the garden.
Is it any wonder that we had to either put him in cage (very short periods) or on a leash.
Last Sunday, I took him for his usual walk in the garden and he was slow & listless.
On Monday morning, when I was about to take him for his usual walk, his hind legs were shaking…he was struggling to stand!
So off we went to the vet who discovered that his kidneys had shrunk significantly and immediately gave him saline fluid injected on both sides of his frail body.
Apparently, his kidney was damaged a lot time ago and sadly, the vet who warded him earlier never mentioned this when he was under their care!
By the afternoon, I had to admit him to the hospital vet in Serdang.
He was there for 5 days and was treated for his chronic kidney disease.
Sadly, after a battery of test, he is also diagnosed with FIV positive (feline aids) and is Anaemic.
He is over 6 years old but he looks much older due to his health condition and the loss of his lower teeth. Poor baby.
There is no cure for the advanced kidney disease and the possible complications is that his condition may deteriorate and it’s life threathening. The only thing to do now is to buy time.
I got him discharged on Friday, 1st October as I was afraid the bill would escalate.
Mandela is home and while I don’t have the nerve to inject the saline solution with a needle (both sides of his body and twice/day) that is expected, I can at least give him his cod liver oil and complete his antibiotics, ensuring a strict diet of restricted protein & phosphorous (i.e NO cat biscuits/food but just rice with boiled chicken…and if affordable, special “K/D” food).
So until he suffers from depression, not eating well, vomit (ulcer, gastric blood), produce abnormal urine, poor bowel movements (diarrhea, bloody), breathing problem, then he has a chance to live a few more weeks/months.
Should he exhibit any or all of the above symptoms, then I am told to go back to the vet and decide what to do then.
Such a daunting prospect.
Still. I’m determined to give his usual TLC and he will be surrounded by other feline company in the garage.
Thanks for reading this. I need a support group right now.
Here are photos of Mandela:
Comments
6 responses to “Mandela, the rescued cat”
This important advice goes out to Roselin and all other cat owners and caretakers:
Please NEVER put ANY cat on a leash like you do a dog because cats behave differently. Should it lunge due to something which makes it do so (sudden fright, excitement, defence or springing to attack something, etc) it can cause much serious damage to the neck (especially the neck) area. Even if the leash is elastic, do not use one.
I see many well-meaning people treat cats like dogs, often expecting them to behave the same and are ignorant of the fact that cats are very different animals, both physically and psychologically, compared to dogs.
I feel very sad for the poor cat over this lack of understanding.
Also, cats do not have the collar bone.
Roselin, please take off Mandela's leash and if you have to confine him, please do so using a larger cage with ample room to maneuver around after putting in a large poo box, water and food bowls. Create an upper deck using a wooden stool (putting the food and water bowls underneath to save space) for him to climb up and rest comfortably on. The wooden stool will also provide him with a coarse wooden surface to scratch his nails on.
Poor, poor Mandela!
Dear Roselin
It is indeed difficult when you know that you are "buying time." Just do what you are able to do and the best within that parameter, and cross the bridges only when you reach them. Give Mandela a hug for me.
Chen
Roselin,
terima kasih kerana memberi Mandela peluang untuk dpat rawatan yang terbaik.
Gambar terakhir itu sangat menyentuh hati saya. Pandangannya memberi 1000 pengharapan agar dia dapat hidup lebih lama lagi.
Terima kasih sekali lagi.
sI tEDI,
Terima kasih atas harapan anda & insyaallah, dia dapat menigmati penuh kasih sayang & manja sehingga masanya tiba.
Dear chen,
Mandela saya "meow meow" for "your hug".
Positive thoughts. Thank you.
Hi Anonymous,
Thank you so much for the advise. Appreciate the valuable insight.
Please allow me to explain.
My new experience in fostering a colony of 5 kittens & 1 mama cat (discovered later she was pregnant) started 1st April 2010.
What was meant to be an SOS reponse to provide a straightforward transport assistant to a vet ended up being a fostering arrangement. Ultimately, the decision to foster was mine and I have no regrets.
6+ months down the road, we now have a total of 17 – the endless saga of abandoned & rescued kittens & cats.
3 of which are ours and a strong likelihood that if they cannot be re-homed, we will be changing the status of 'fostering"to "adopting" 10 more cats (easier to get kittens adopted).
They are several "zones" within the house allocated for different groups of cats & kittens and as of a week ago, they have finally learnt to cross each other's path with the odd snarling here & there but nothing physical. None are ever in a cage except the small family in the garage by midnight or when one has to wait for their time to roam & sleep in the TV room.
When weak Mandela arrived he was absolutely free to roam until he started attacking my cat & 3 other cats. Where he ever found that strength to fight is puzzling. It is heartbreaking to see a bloody fight. And it is not easy to put any animal on a leash and none of our cats (or even dogs from my previous house) have ever been put on a leash. Ever. Mandela was an extremely special case and when we did so, I had personally monitored his initial behaviour as it was important to understand his personality. He loved the grass & the soil and was extremely content to lay around it. When I need to go out, he would be put in his 3 storey cage – precisely because I did not want other cats to "tempt" him into a fight. There was the odd incident but we learnt from our mistake & resolved it. I thought I had struck a balance.
Right now, Mandela is free again – hanging out most hours in the garage & TV room – only because he is too weak to run around and back in the cage at night. Please, please don't pity Mandela as you only need to see how much he is cared for despite the number of cats & kittens we have in the house. My idea of fostering is not putting them in a cage and giving them shelter, food and water. In the long run when they get used to the environment, I expect them to run around in the garden from 7am – 7pm with options to pop in & out of the house a dozen times. My husband & son even helps willingly – every night – by spending time to give the cats & kittens a cuddle, a cradle in the arm with baby talk (they shut their eyes when we do this), a tickle on their belly, a pat on their back (some like it rough), a walk around the house on their shoulder, a place on the lap to nuzzle while we watch TV or read, curl up or stretch out on their back against the background of music to lull them to sleep.
Please don't stay anonymous for long as we can learn much from you.