Sarabeth and Simon's legacy: Charlotte

Oh, that is so sad.  I hope you heal quickly. You tried your very best. Poor Timmy--for whatever reason, your home was not the sanctuary that met his needs.  

That breaking heart emoticon is so apt. 

Is there some way we can contribute to Timmy's specific upkeep? I know all their costs are important, but keeping one cat indefinitely will be costly and many of us have developed a soft spot for this Kit with Attitude.

Oh, I'm so sorry. But you are definitely doing the right thing. There is absolutely no reason for you to be afraid of a cat in your own home. He'll be well cared for and so will you. 

So sorry this happened, I know you must be terribly disappointed that Timmy didn't adjust well. Agree with others that you did the right thing, by returning him. Hope your arm heals rapidly!

Timmy bit me the first time I met him (hard, but did not break the skin.) Like Calli, I believed that if he was settled into a quiet, loving home he would come around. Instead, the situation appears to be escalating and something seems to be off about this poor boy. As hard as it is, letting the rescue address Timmy's issues is the best thing.

Calli, how is your arm today?

Thanks for asking, Peggy. My arm is a little sore,  I think the IV antibiotics are doing their job.  The doctor said that he "hoped we got ahead of it."  And he said I was glad that I understood the gravity of a cat bite--most people don't.  It was only 2 hours from the time of the bite until I was hooked up with the IV. And a lot of that time was waiting.   

The worst part of this is that my stomach is in tatters ---even with acidophilus.  So I am pretty much housebound for a couple of days.  

And hauscat is right, we both should have paid more attention to the fact that he bit her--HARD.

I am trying to distract myself from the fact that Nancy should be here in another hour, or so.

Calliope - hope that your arm heals quickly, I know that it will take longer for your heart to recover.

Could you post contact information for the Rescue?  Like Joanne I would happily contribute to Tim's upkeep.  

I certainly remember JTA's bite and it's horrible progression.  Hope that you have gotten ahead of it and know that you are doing the right thing by letting Tim go.

I understand how difficult this is, but it is the right thing.  

Calli, because you were started immediately on IV antibiotics, and followed up with oral antibiotics, you should be fine. Maybe call your doc to increase your  acidophilus, or see what he/she might recommend  to alleviate the GI problems? Hope you feel better soon!

ETA..When I was on Augmentum, a few years ago I added two servings of yogurt with my acicophilus, because the GI symptoms were awful.

There are OTC acidophilus supplements at every drugstore, plus you can take lots of yogurt. Just read the label to make sure the yogurt has live cultures.

I'm glad the arm is only a bit sore. That bodes well. Sorry about the stomach, though.   

Yesterday was a very sad day  Nancy came to pick up Timmy.  Right before Nancy arrived, he attacked Charlotte.  She was just walking by, and about 10 feet from him, and  he ambushed her and wouldn't quit (talk about fur flying). I finally had to grab the Swiffer to separate them. In that instant I knew that I could no longer be ambivalent about returning him. 

The most poignant moment came when Gracie said good bye to Timmy. Nancy had no problem loading him in the carrier, he did what Ragdolls do, and went limp on her (he rarely did that for me). The carrier was on the floor and Gracie came over and went nose  to nose with Timmy, then she got down on the floor so her body encircled the carrier, and her nose touched his. I was sobbing, and Nancy was amazed.

She already has another cat picked out for me---which gratifies me that she knows I am not the kind of pet guardian who returns cats, like they are toasters. But I think Charlotte is ok being an only cat---and she needs to relax so she can get to a healthy weight.  It has been a LONG time since I have had a singleton cat, but it might be a lot less stress on me, too.  This morning Charlotte is already acting more sociable. And she has not been beleaguered by an annoying little brother while eating her breakfast.

For those of you who were so kind to offer to contribute to Timmy's care (and he has an appointment with the vet on March 4th for some testing to see what is going on with him)

Here is the information on the rescue.  There is a donate button on their web page.

FUR FRIENDS IN NEED

591 Holmdel Rd

Hazlet NJ 07730

Phone:     732-829-1426

E-mail: imavegge@aol.com

https://www.facebook.com/FurFriendsinNeed/?fref=ts

my heart is breaking for Timmy, too. It's almost a little like the difficult orphaned teen who can't find a home in which to thrive, but insists on being awkward because it hurts less than having their heart broken and hopes dashed sometime in the future....because that's what life does. 

Poor Charlotte! Am glad she's ok. 

Do you think you will visit Timmy with Gracie, or is it better not to? 

It's possible there's something organically wrong with Timmy, too. I know that dogs can have a "rage syndrome" where they will bite uncontrollably for short periods, seemingly for no reason or trigger. It is considered to be a form of seizure disorder and doesn't respond to training, since it is not a conscious behavior. Do cats ever have a similar issue?

I'm sorry it didn't work out. You tried your best for him - much more than most would have done. Lots of good wishes for healing and for Charlotte and Gracie to become happy housemates.

I guess my reply was blown away---no visits for Gracie and Timmy---that would be too confusing for them both, Joanne.

Cody, I am convinced he has some sort of mental problem. Maybe he just didn't like me (or my rules) I dunno.  He was just too much for me---and apparently at least 3 previous owners. I knew he was a tough case, but I thought I was prepared to work with him.  Maybe a quiet home was confusing to him, and he needed to mix things up a bit.  In any event, he will stay with Nancy for the rest of his days.  I hope he will be as happy as he can be.  Here he is in his new home. (pray for those birds!)

Friend of Timmy, that means you, W.D. please PM me your e-mail address.

So sorry to hear about Timmy, calli. I know how hard it must have been to say goodbye but you made the right decision for you, Charlotte, and Gracie. I hope everyone is settling in well!

Thanks, wallflower,  I miss him--crazy as he was.  There were warnings the day I met him, but we made excuses for him --in was PetSmart, he was nervous, it was an unnatural situation, there were too many people in the quiet room, blah,blah, blah.  Unfortunately, I did what I tell everyone not to do, I fell for him because he is so beautiful (and I never felt such a silky coat, in my life) and has a very sad story.  The fact is, the sad story should have been a cautionary tale. 

I don't know that Charlotte and Gracie will ever be friends---baby steps. Last night I was on the couch watching TV, Gracie alongside on the floor.  Charlotte meandered over, and stretched out and fell asleep on me.  We stayed like that for about half an hour.  I do think she might be happiest as an only cat, but I am not sure how happy that will make me.  

I've always had a strong preference for having more than one cat at a time, mostly because I think they will be company for each other when no human is home. But maybe Gracie and Charlotte will be good company for each other in a guarded way. On the other hand, I like having more than one around as company for me, so I can sympathize on that front.   

Here is a shot of Charlotte from this morning. Her ear tufts are filling in,her coat is growing more luxurious (and the black streak down her back is very shiny) and best of all, I believe she has gained weight (her score on the body scale when I took her to the vet was :1) Don't her eyes look brighter?

Calli, she is really looking good, she looks like a real sweety!

beautiful!

oh my goodness, what a gorgeous girl! And yes, she looks very healthy!

She's beautiful! She almost looks like she has a human face in that shot. (This could just be my sleep deprived mind playing tricks on me.)

She certainly has a very alert, intelligent expression. She looks like she could talk!

Winston has crossed my mind, but I think Charlotte needs to be an only cat. She did ok with Timmy, but I can tell she is VERY territorial.  After all, she traveled 5 miles to get back to her original home, when she had never been an outdoor cat ,and the only time she had been in the home she was living in, was when her family dumped her. Every time I think of this I get enraged, and then I remember this song our little folk group sang, in college https://youtu.be/94M3nPgMgS0
 

  

Last night I decided to give Charlotte the run of the house at bedtime (she's been confined to one room at night, until I was sure she would be comfortable with,or at least tolerate Gracie) At 4:30 am  Gracie woke me up complaining that she got up to get a drink of water, and when she came back, Charlotte was on Gracie's blankey.  Neither of them were happy.  Charlotte ultimately moved to the dresser, Gracie was restored to her blankey---and the voice of the turtle was heard throughout the land.

One of my friends on Facebook invited me to a 5 day art Challenge.  I decided to make it a real challenge and give myself 30 minutes for a watercolor sketch. ---no pencil plotting, just paint to paper.  I am out of practice, but Charlotte was kind enough to pose for me.

That sketch is really lovely!