HIYA!! SAVANNAH HERE!!!
Most of you know that Mom L has been working lots with the feeders of a community cat colony near our home as they try to pull adult friendly cats out and put them through adoptions at our county animal services.
What you may not know is that Mom L has also been pulling cats from this colony who appear to be in need of medical attention or who appear to seniors who need a general vet check up. If you read my story about sweet Strider, then you now that Mom L has been focused on the senior cats in this colony. She and Dad P were able to get the other two more senior cats pulled to take them to the cat clinic owned and operated by my great friends Community Concern 4 Cats. One cat was Pumpkin2 who turned out to be in excellent health at the age of approximately eight to nine years old. The other one Mom L knew would be older as he has been at the colony since at least 2006. That is a cat the city park clean up crew have named Willy. He follows them around while they work in the park and has little meow chats with them along the way.
You can see Willy gobbling up food at a feeding station in the next photo.
Willy has always been so skinny and so hungry. He is a long, tall lanky guy with totally black furrs and gorgeous long white whiskers. He is a popular cat with the humans who visit this long standing community cat colony.
Unfortunately Willy’s vet check required blood work which Mom L knew was needed due to his constant hunger and skinny body. Willy turned out to be hyperthyroid, with a heart rate that exceeded 200. His little heart was pounding out of his chest and that wasn’t just because he was scared. He had to be sedated to do this vet check and even then his heart rate was a worry. Mom L’s vet friend Doc Josie did the vet check and blood draw and told Mom L what Willy needed. He would need to have one pill per day—try doing that in a community cat colony when even the feeders cannot always be there every day. So Mom L worried—NOW WHAT??
The colony caretakers agreed that Willy would need to be euthanized. Mom L and Dad P had him all comfy in a nice enclosure in our well insulated garage and they just couldn’t think of doing that just yet. Long story short, it took a village of feline rescues to come together to help precious Willy find a caring hospice care home. Mom L found so many who were so caring that they helped her find a caretaker from another cat rescue who agreed to take Willy under her care until end of his life. Oh, did I tell you that Willy is about 14 years old??? And he has lived in this community cat colony since he was about a year old!! So most of his 14 years were spent in his colony and outdoors.
It was time for Willy to come inside!!
I think I feel better, but don’t get too close, OK?
Miss Sharon, on the Board of Directors for HALO animal rescue, agreed to be Willy’s hospice caretaker. And then another wonderful rescue Contra Costa SPCA agreed to sponsor Willy’s medical meds and needs to the end of his life!!! HIGH FIVES and HIGH FOURS for Willy!!!
Unfortunately as Willy was already weakened by his long term untreated hyperthyroidism, and due to being stressed in “captivity”, he came down with a URI. He is on meds for that now and we hope he will have a complete recovery.
Mom L visited Willy just a day ago. He has his very own ROOM!! Yes!! A whole room just for himself!! As soon as Mom L entered Will greeted her with a signature hhhsssssssssss!!
I know you are in my room! Do not come near!
You can see Willy was kind’a serious. And you can also see that Willy has just one eye. His left eye was removed due to serious infection about ten years ago. And yet, every time Mom L and Dad P visit the Delta View Cat Colony, Willy was always there to greet them and looking for pets, food and a good chat…errr…ummm…good meow?
Mom L laughed at Willy’s hiss and said “Come on Willy, I know you have a better hiss in there for me!” And indeedy do he did!
ssppffftt hssssss!
And there you have Willy’s last words with Mom L!
So here is my message to all my readers. Please, do not ever give up on caring for members of a community cat colony no matter their age. Even if they will never be a lap cat, they deserve to be pulled from that colony in their senior years and welcomed inside a human’s home to live out their remaining days, weeks, months, even years in comfort and learning that humans can be kind.
Willy has allowed his caretaker to sit with him, sing to him and finally Miss Sharon was able to pet him and he purred up a storm!!
Let me know in comments how you have helped a community cat colony senior cat find comfort.
PAW PATS, SAVANNAH
Savannah's Paw Tracks 