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Sweet Eleanor

We never have a dull moment here at Beauty’s Haven! As you all know, we are involved in a TNR program and we routinely, try to trap the feral cats that visit the farm on either Monday or Tuesday evenings in order to take them to a low cost spay/neuter clinic the next morning. On Tuesday evening, however, we were completely exhausted and didn’t plan on arming the cage which I can activate from the house with a remote control. The cage door, however, unexpectedly dropped down when a cat likely bumped it as we found a momma cat and one of her four kittens in the cage later that night (please click on image above).

The kitten had a painful eye injury so we had no other choice but to take both she and her momma to the vet as soon as possible to treat the kitten’s eye as well as to get both spayed, treated for fleas and vaccinated.

When we arrived at the low cost TNR clinic on Wednesday morning, they were at full capacity for the entire day so we had to take them to another vet in town. When I went to pick them up, I only returned home with the kitten whom the veterinary staff lovingly named Eleanor. Sadly, Eleanor’s mom bit one of the veterinary technicians and is now in QT for the next ten days while Eleanor is resting comfortably in our catio following surgery to remove her eye. I am sure she misses her beloved momma but she does have Allie to keep her company.

Momma cat is still a kitten herself, born in April/May of this year but disappeared when she was about four months old. But, a few weeks ago she showed up at the farm with four kittens in tow. One kitten was mostly white but we have not seen her for a few weeks. Sadly, white kittens/cats don’t seem to do as well here as they appear to be easy prey for coyotes and birds. Eleanor always sticks close to her momma, while her two other siblings are more adventurous – we saw them again a few nights ago (we have cameras set up) and they are all thankfully just fine. We will try to catch them in the near future.

This is yet another unexpected expense with which we really need assistance.

If all had gone as planned, we could have had the spays and vaccinations performed at a low cost TNR clinic, but due to Eleanor’s painful eye injury, we simply could not wait.

Sincerely,
Theresa

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Our Hearts are Forever Broken

Love leaves precious memories. I have no words tonight, only heartache.

Yesterday, I took our sweet Benjamin to the hospital for the second time this week. He had been sick after chewing up part of a pillow from a cat bed. We were unaware of just how much he had ingested, but he thankfully, threw up, as well as passed, some of the pillow contents. Sadly, he began vomiting after having eaten his meal, so we took Benjamin to the vet on Monday where x-rays were taken and fluids were administered – he was quite dehydrated. As nothing was found on the x-rays, and his bloodwork was good, medication to alleviate his nausea was prescribed which would hopefully, enable Benjamin to begin eating once again. Sadly, he continued to refuse his meals and subsequently, he lost quite a bit of weight. I continued to run fluids while constantly monitoring his vitals.

As there still was no sign of improvement, Benjamin was taken to the hospital again yesterday, whereupon, a second set of x-rays were performed which now revealed a blockage. Benjamin immediately went into surgery and the vet felt confidently, that all had gone well. Benjamin was released to return home at the end of the day. We got him comfortably settled into the home office and monitored him closely as he rested. A couple of hours later, as I was talking to him, holding his head across my lap, Benjamin, unexpectedly, but peacefully, transitioned to Rainbow Bridge.

And, there’s more.

Most of you are aware that Gabe has been fighting COPD ever since he arrived at Beauty’s Haven three years ago. Against all odds, we were able to get his COPD under control to a degree where he was comfortable. A few months ago, however, Gabe’s condition worsened, so our last hope was to send him to a foster home where there would be less dust. While there, Gabe initially was so much better, but he recently started to take a dive. Our care team determined that Gabe was at the point where his quality of life was just not where it should be and would only further deteriorate. We made the sad and painful decision to release him from his pain and yesterday morning. Surrounded by those who loved him dearly, our beloved Gabe peacefully transitioned to Rainbow Bridge.

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