Who turned on the cool?

So on a Monday you’ve got 98 degrees worth of swimming in ass crack sweat soup heat, add a dash of humidity to that and you’ve got 105 degrees worth of sweltering hell heat. Then the very next day the high is 85, it’s breezy and the temp is dropping down into the high 60’s low 70’s at night. Usually ‘round these parts fall slips in quietly, as the cooling process is so subtle it’s hardly noticed- Welcome to Florida. Not this year, this year it’s like someone flipped a switch and turned on the cool overnight. I’m not complaining mind you, quite the contrary, I think the weather is fabulous! I’m at my best come pumpkin season. Now golfing, riding the motorcycle, fishing, outdoor festivals and shooting at the range don’t end with your skin melting off along with the SPF 800 you applied beforehand. Cooking and trying new recipes is fun because you can open the kitchen windows and tempt the entire neighborhood. Speaking of new recipes, I tried making orange cream parfaits last night to follow up the fried bream that Kojak and I caught, they were wonderful! Think I’ll try chocolate or sweet cream stuffed strawberries tonight or tomorrow.

Fay and Hannah, the baby squirrels that another police officer gave to Kojak after the winds of Fay knocked them out of a tree are growing fast and eating like little pigs. Their eyes are open and they’re all over the place now. I don’t normally post a whole lot about my rescue but since a few people have inquired as to how they’re doing I figured I’d post a few pics.

Here they are when they first came in....



Trying pecans...



But still insisting on the bottle...

So there’s a bit of the latest, lots more going on but that's all I've got time for now. Note to self: Remember to post about Pogo, Pagan Pride day festival, drive by's and Jessie.

Thanks for nothing Fay! And an open letter to a scumbag.

Yeah, I’m alive, incredibly busy but alive. So I figured “Geez, it’s been over a month since I’ve bitched about anything on my blog!” So I pulled out my incredibly long list of things to bitch about and guess what was on top? Let’s look at the “Top 5 Reasons I Fucking Hate Fay” (and all tropical storms/hurricanes in general)…

5. After dumping two feet (seriously, two feet) of rain over three days, my backyard and garage are now under a foot of water and mud. Special thanks to the city for not keeping the ditches cleared on the street behind us…because you fine folks won’t do your damn jobs my shit floods every time we get a serious storm!

4. Since the ground is so saturated one of my favorite trees in the backyard pulled itself out of the ground, realized the ground a few feet away was no more dry than what it just pulled itself out of, said “screw it!” and fell over.

3. No power = no T.V., no computer, no A/C and basically nothing to do but sit in the dark watching tree tops nearly touch the ground illuminated by blue bursts of light on the horizon from transformers exploding all over the city as trees fall on power lines because of violent winds.

2. Our fabulous two new skylights because of Fay. Thanks an extra flipping bunch on this one, I love going to pee and getting rained on at the same time. Roof repairs are going to be not only extensive but expensive as well.

And the number 1 reason I fucking hate Fay…

The two teeny tiny baby squirrels I’m now raising I’m sure would much rather be raised by their actual mother.

The positive side? These storms tend to bring folks a little closer to each other. People that would never normally talk to each other open the flood gates of emotion. While store hopping for supplies you can hear nervous chatter in lines. Folks talking about and confiding their own personal fears, losses from storm seasons past, the latest news on storm severity/location and plans to hunker down or evacuate. They lean on each other for support. After it’s over, neighbors pull together in even the worst neighborhoods to survey damage, remove trees from yards and roofs sharing chainsaws, supplies and man power. It always amazes me at how folks come together when there’s a common threat. Finally, I think these storms pull us a little closer to our own personal paths of faith too. All you can do when it starts getting really ugly and evacuation is no longer an option is sit and pray that everything and everyone you love will be okay.

So aside from the inconvenience that my Top 5 list has brought forth, all things considered, it could have been much worse. Stay tuned for my “Top 5 Reasons I Fucking Hate Gustav” list. Hopefully that post won’t come because Gustav won’t be an issue.

Now I’m off to feed baby squirrels and vote…

An open letter to our current State Attorney:

You sir, are one of the biggest scumbags to come down the pipe. I hope when you die your higher power shows you more mercy than you’ve shown all of the victims of violent crime in our city, you piece of shit! You’ve favored the criminal element for far too long and as this election will show, the people have had enough! You are the rapists, murderers, child molesters, puppy kickers best friend and the law abiding citizens worst enemy because you refuse to prosecute. I’ve been awaiting this day for a long time. The day your low life ass gets tossed out of office and my vote helped make it happen! A storms coming asshole and it ain’t brewing in the tropics, it‘s in your own backyard. You won’t need to watch the weather channel for this one, just keep your eye on the polls cause that retarded douche you‘re endorsing doesn‘t have a snow flakes chance in hell of being elected. The storm that’s coming is a flood of police officers that had open and closed cases tossed because of you. It’s a tsunami of victims who’s pleas for justice fell on deaf ears as they watched their assailants strut out of court with a big fat smile spread from ear to ear thanks to you. Sit back and watch as our city pulls together once again and deals with a common threat, you! Reap the whirlwind you son of a bitch!

Sincerely,
Glad our city is waking up to who and what you really are!

I’d have cried if I thought it’d do any good

The other day was off to a fan-fucking-tastic start! Let me tell you all about it...

So, I get to sleep around 6am only to be ripped awake by my dog freaking the hell out at 7. I woke with such a start I scared the hell out of the cat who was sleeping peacefully on my left leg. Said fear drove said cat into attempting to not so surgically remove my leg. The dog only goes this nuts when someone is trying to come on the property without introductions. So I throw on a robe ignoring my bloody stump of a leg and stomp outside with the intention of shredding the fucker that has my dog going insane at 7am and who is now in my mind responsible for my leg getting torn to hell. What do I find? Cujo….in the driveway……attempting to kill the neighbors cat. My dog, who loves my (INDOOR ONLY) kitties and is fiercely protective over them. So naturally I yelled “WTF!!!!!!!”, he spun around with a shocked look on his fat doggie face and yelled back “OH SHIT!!!!” and then proceeded to take off running.

Now let me just say, I’ve been doing rescue and rehab for way too many years to have this kind of bullshit go down on my property. Everyone gets along or there’s hell (in Aza form) to pay. I immediately went to aid kitty who was pretty fucked up by the whole experience. The entire time all I could muster for rational thought aside from veterinary first aid was “What the fuck was that dog thinking!?!? He knows better!!!”. He had retreated to his run which I promptly locked him in (for his safety). I gave the cat some water and came back inside to tell Dad what was going on and call D for secondary advice.

What did I get from these two mental giants? Dad: “Well since the dog is locked up the cat will go home right?” Me: “Dad, it would appear from her breathing that the cat has at least two broken ribs, maybe a punctured lung and is in general pretty fucked up from what I can tell without being at the clinic”. Dad: “I’m not sure what to do, you worked at a vet so you know what to do right?” Me: “This is fucking ridiculous! That damn dog!!!”

I called D. Me: “You’re not going to believe what the fucking dog did!!! Blah, blah, blah -insert story here-. And so now I don’t know what to do. I don’t know who the cat belongs to, she is not critical so I don’t see rushing to the E.R. clinic (plus, I don’t trust the sorry sack of skin on call there this morning) but she needs a vet, D. What the fuck was he thinking!? We have baby KFC refugees* running the property that he hasn’t so much as looked at twice. He’s great with our kitties!” D: “Hon, all I can suggest is you wait for the regular vet to open and take her in.” Me: “I refuse to bring this cat inside. I don’t know her health and I’ll be damned if I risk our kitties with FeLV or FIV (two of which are FeLV positive as it is).” D: “Well, you’re going to have to figure something out, I’ve got to go back to work.” Me: “This is fucking ridiculous! That damn dog!!!”

As I’m going back outside I decided to put her in a large carrier, wait for the vet to open and take her in. When I get back around to the driveway I see her at the front of the property jumping the fence heading back in the direction that I can only guess she lives.

So then the neighbors dogs who run the streets because those white trash fuckers next door have no regard for the leash law, their animals safety, etc. etc. etc. chase the cat under my car. Well this sends me over the fucking top. I’ve not gotten any decent sleep in days, my leg is encrusted with a pint of dried blood, my dog is an idiot and my dad and D at this point aren’t far behind the dog in my opinion. So I chased the neighbors dogs off; while doing so, kitty disappeared. The whole situation had me so mad I was ready to start at the beginning of the street knocking on doors and beating the ever loving shit out of anyone who answered while lecturing them on the importance on indoor kitties, fully fenced property for roaming dogs, leash laws that apply to both dogs and cats and overall respect for the neighbors who take proper care of their pets and are in general, not white trash.

I came back inside, took half a Klonopin to avoid an impending panic attack which also pissed me off because I haven’t taken one in weeks now. I sit down, take a deep breath and try to relax. I have to go to work today. It’s over, I’m going to nurse my frayed nerves and try to get a few more hours sleep. Then I hear a boom in the distance. A boom that sounds just like a power transformer blowing up. I sat back and started to laugh- seconds later, the power goes out. Now I can’t go back to sleep even if I was calm enough and wanted to because the alarm has a dead back up battery.

The power came back on pretty quick so then I sat there wondering- What’s next?

And then a bunch of other stupid crap happened and stuff. And I'm still a week later worried sick about the kitty.

You're a bad dog!!!

* The “KFC refugees” are a flock of baby chickens that magically appeared out of nowhere. One day a few weeks back I walked out to the garden and there they were. So naturally I granted them political asylum, went to the feed and grain store and bought them food. FEMA apparently doesn’t give a shit about refugee chickens.

Ever have one on those days where everything you eat turns to shit?

I’ve had one of those months.

So as most of you know I do a little rescue/rehab on the side when I’m forced into it (see label titled “Saving Grace“ in the left sidebar). I’m one of the only people around here who works with FeLV (feline leukemia) positive cats and doesn't just put them to sleep on the spot. FeLV cats can have many healthy and happy years of life when treated early and not exposed to FeLV negative cats. Mikey was one of those kitties.

Five years ago my dad and I were driving down a rural dirt road way out in the sticks when I spotted way up ahead a little dirty white and grey fluff ball sitting in the middle on the road. He stopped the car, I got out and called “Here kitty, kitty”. The dirty white and grey fluff ball came running at top speed down the road meowing. When he got to me he was just a breath of a kitten (maybe 9 weeks old), incredibly malnourished (God only knows how long he’d been out in those woods with no food- I suspect 3 or 4 days at least) filthy, covered in thorns, swarmed with fleas and starved. I got back in the car with him and as we began to turn around I heard a tiny meow from a nearby ditch. Yep, there were more, two more. One was just a baby, she was a brown tortie and the same size as the little white and grey one, the other was much older- probably 5 to 6 months. He was white and grey as well. All three kitties had been dumped in the middle of nowhere to fend for themselves. Which actually translates into "All three kitties had been dumped in the middle of nowhere to starve to death or get eaten by something." because that's exactly what would have happed if we'd not found them.

They were all in bad shape but after many vet visits, spays and neuters, some decent food and a safe, warm place to sleep they all started to come around health wise. Both of the babies- Mikey (the little dirty white and grey fluff ball) and Bonsai (the little tortie) tested FeLV positive but neither were showing symptoms. Obie (the older cat) came back negative.

Bonsai started showing symptoms after about two years and had to be put to sleep. Three weeks ago, after 5 years, Mikey started showing symptoms…

A few weeks ago he came down with a nasty head cold that despite my best efforts wasn’t getting better. We went to the vet and started a course of Baytril and an antihistamine, after a week of no improvement we started a course of Clindamyicin, Interferon and nose drops. Still, there was no improvement, in fact it started getting worse. After beginning another course of antibiotics in conjunction with Loratidine his appetite went to hell- par for the course when dealing with advance stage FeLV. Late friday/early Saturday he stopped eating all together, late Sunday night his breathing became even more labored.

Yesterday we went to the vet.

Today I am mourning the loss of my little white and grey fluff ball.

He's My Favorite Boy

After being sick with a nasty case of the crud, taking critters to the vet, having a mini “break down” (hahaha "mini"), changing meds…AGAIN, almost quitting my job, finding out D is being transferred (AGAIN) and blah, blah, blah...All in a mere 7 day span.... Seriously. Here’s my little slice of heaven. I’d like to stay like this, with him, for the next six months.

This grainy cell phone picture captures the all too elusive yet intensely coveted “nap time” in the Aza household.

The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow…

I really want a cigarette!

My cell was exploding in my scrub pocket at work Wednesday night and I was slammed busy with patients- it was just me and the pharmacist. Irritated I cupped the phone to my ear making a feeble attempt to hide it in my hair so the patients wouldn’t see it. I snarled “Hello!” I heard D’s voice on the other end. “Honey”…oh geez, I’ve heard that voice before. That’s the voice I heard when he totaled the rental car and was on the way to the hospital. That’s the voice I heard when the drill slipped and he drilled a hole through his arm. That’s the voice I heard when he cut the tip of his index finger off. That’s the voice of him bordering panic. I dropped everything (literally) and walked to the back of the pharmacy “What happened! Are you okay?” My answer?….”Meow!!!!”. “D, what the hell was that and why does it sound like you’re in the car?” He took a deep breath “Aza, someone threw her out in the parking lot, she would have been killed on the main road if I didn’t grab her.” *sigh* “D, that had better not be a cat. Just tell me it’s not a cat. We’re going on vacation, we can’t afford to vet a cat right now, it’s two hundred bucks we just don’t have.” at this point he begins pleading “Aza, she’s been starved! I’m going home to get a cat carrier and the crate. I’ll crate her at work until I figure something out but I‘ve got to get some food and water into her.” So, what could I do? I’m at work, busy as hell and he’s already got her in the car. “D, she’s not coming home. Do you understand me? We’ll pay the vet bills but you better find a foster and you better find one quick. By the way, you know when your boss comes in you’re going to be fired, right?” exasperated with me he said “I’ll figure something out. I couldn’t just leave her in the middle of a 5 lane road to be killed! Meeeooowww *click*”

I was stuck and felt completely desperate for him and the cat. I couldn’t help him because I was the only one at work and there was no one to cover my shift. Once I got off I drove over to his job and saw her. Poor little thing- you can’t really tell by the (crappy cell phone) picture but she is terribly malnourished. The vet was disgusted when he ran his hand down her back and was able to feel every rib and vertebra. Thankfully one of D’s coworkers said she’d foster her until we could place her (bless you kind woman!!!). Another coworker stepped up and offered to adopt her if we couldn’t find her a home after she’s spayed.

She’s out of the cold rain (it’s been dipping down into the upper 20’s here at night) and has a full tummy. After the vaccines, FeLV/FIV test (she’s negative!), general check up, worming, spay, and some decent food….well, that’s just two hundred bucks well spent. Here’s hoping I can still scratch up enough dough to get the freaking hell out of this Gdamned city, for at least a day, during our time off. I was planning on taking him to Cape Kennedy to tour the Space Station- he’s never been but has always wanted to go. I also wanted to spend a night in St. Augustine. We’ll see.

Here’s Annie! Yeah, we named her Annie. Shut up.

On a side note: There’s just something so completely hot about a guy who has a soft spot in his heart for kids, animals and/or the elderly. Period.

October has it out for me!

Well, in a little less than 45 minutes I will be allowed no food and no liquid until after 8 or 9am- after I get this stupid Upper GI over.

In other (more important) news I had another animal emergency this evening: this time it was one of mine. AJ is one of my wild rehabs; he is an 8 month old squirrel. I went out to the wilding cage today (wilding cage being exactly what it sounds like; a cage you put a critter in to get them ready for release in the wild) and AJ had a bloody face. I called my small animal vet (yes, I have a different specialized vet for each species I care for), told her AJ had a mouth injury…

(odd that it’s that kind of injury because I’m known for my work in rehabbing squirrels with facial injuries usually from being hit by cars or malocclusion cases and amputees. To my knowledge I’m the only one in my area that has been able to have squirrels thrive on a liquid diet (that was later published) for 2 months or longer during multiple dental/facial surgeries and the healing process. Heh, and the vets wonder why I’ve changed my phone number half a dozen times in the last 4 years.)

…and I was on my way. Soooo, turns out AJ managed to rip out one of his front upper teeth. This in itself is amazing. Because of the structure of their teeth, losing one violently is usually fatal. So the following was no surprise- in the process he broke his upper jaw and decimated his sinuses (if you’ve ever seen a squirrel tooth you know they are shaped like the letter “C”- the small part we see is just that- a very small part. The rest of the tooth goes up into the skull and curves straight back through the sinuses). The other tooth now resides at an odd right angle. Due to the extensive blood loss and damage we were unable to remove the remaining tooth. If we’d taken it he would have probably bled to death or we would have destroyed more of his upper jaw. Solution? Liquid diet, antibiotics and pain killers for two to three weeks until the skull heals, then we remove the tooth; $400.00 later- happy upper-toothless squirrel on a specialized diet.

Unfortunately this makes him a permanent. Fortunately he was only a few days old when he came in so he doesn’t know the virtues of living a wild life (we were planning on a late October release).

This month is off to a shitty start!

Ladies and Gentlemen, meet....Kaz!

This was nearly 12 hours after the "accident". She had been at the Pet Emergency Clinic from 9pm until around 7:15am. I took the pic when we went and picked her up. She weighed 1.5lbs (horribly under weight as you can see from her sunken face)...

This was taken 8 hours later at 3pm. At this point she was at our regular vet...

And finally, this was taken Monday. She was within a few ounces of doubling her original weight! (she weighed 2lbs. 4oz.- which is almost what a kitten her age should weigh!) By now she's got to be closing in on 3lbs (as of 7/27)...

Our vet gave us a MAJOR break financially. He was very taken by her and thrilled by her progress. So, to sum up Visa commerical style...

$362.00... Emergency Clinic
$178.00... Private Vet
The look on her face when doing the “flying kamikaze kitty” move off of dad’s desk…priceless!

The Latest- Thursday

Kaz went back to the vet this morning to stay the afternoon. D went for his Remicade infusion (he has Crohns disease), I went to see Whore-Hey.

I picked her up at 3pm and spoke with the vet. We’ve got more great news: 1/ She's FeLV negative (YAY!!!). 2/ It turns out she gained 3oz. just in the 12 or so hours she stayed with us last night. 3/ She‘s eating dry food (we didn‘t think her jaw could handle it this soon but she surprised us)! 4/ She’s off of the A/D and now eating kitten food. And 5/ Her coordination is rapidly improving; she’s healing quicker than any of us could have anticipated.

The vet said we could take her home for the night again (since she’s obviously doing well with us and gaining weight) but he’d like to recheck her tomorrow. At that point the treatment will be left fully in our hands and we will not need to keep taking her back daily.

It’s just now closing in on 2am, at 1am she ate like a little pig (again). She’s now able to stand and walk on her own. She’s very unsteady on her legs and still occasionally shakes her head (from the ear injury) violently and falls over but this is major progress! This little kitten couldn’t sit up, much less stand on her own a day ago. Now to be walking a bit, grooming and showing interest in toys is just huge!

As with all of my rescues I’ve taken pictures of her progress (it’s a habit I picked up years ago- it’s useful to photo document these things when police get involved which has happened on a number of abuse cases I‘ve handled). I’ll post a few when I get a chance.

I hope when I post some pictures of her, someone out there (perfect for her) will fall in love (as everyone who’s met her has), want to adopt her and e-mail me.

In other news: *sigh* I’ve not studied for Saturday’s test one bit. I’ve resolved myself to try not to freak out if I fail the exam (I just haven’t studied for it.) I’ll re-take it in November.

Thanks again to everyone!

A wonderful update!

I want to thank everyone so much for their support and kind comments with Angel’s passing and the terrible situation that brought this precious new kitten into our home. Rose and Shanna cross posted about this sweet little girl which brought in a ton of folks who sent a ton of positive energy our way. It paid off BIG!

David, Manic Witch, Cynical Girl, Aepha, Betty, APE, WebKittyn, aka_monty, Maevyn, Faerie Lady and DS- Thank you all for the positive energy and supportive comments you posted here and at Great Googly Moogly. To all of the lurkers who sent a prayer or positive thought, thank you so much!

The update…

We picked Kaz (D named her) up from the E.R clinic this morning at 7:30am and took her straight to my vet who opened at 8am. This little kitten has not stopped purring since that jackass across the street ‘tossed’ her to D. She had an IV in her little arm from where they’d been giving her meds and fluids all through the night. She seemed slightly alert (still purring) but looked pretty bad. Most of the fleas were dead or dying because I had requested that they immediately Advantage her as soon as she was somewhat stable. Also, her inner ear had stopped bleeding. We got to our vet a few minutes early so when he pulled up, we got out of the car with her wrapped in a towel. He immediately rushed over and asked what was going on. We gave him the quick version of the story as he rushed us inside and into a room.

As he went over the E.R. clinics notes and examined Kaz I was able to go into detail over what happened. As I told the complete story he worked faster, yelled for more techs, and appeared to get more agitated with each detail. When I finished telling him everything he was LIVID but more determined than I’ve ever seen him (one of the techs was crying). I asked that he do everything possible to help her regardless of expense. He went through a list of things he was going to do and medications he intended to administer. I told him I’d call every few hours to check on her. Every time I called throughout the morning and afternoon the report got better and better! The techs were so taken by her they carried her around the clinic for most of the day in heated towels.

One call informed me that the rapid eye movement was slowing. Another, she was eating all by herself! Another, she was trying to sit up on her own! At 3pm I went for a visit, the inside of her mouth and ears were turning pink again- the anemia was fading and meds were working! I asked what he thought the outcome would be and he seemed very hopeful. He expressed that a full recovery wasn’t inconceivable but made it very clear that we’re still far from being out of the woods (please keep those prayers and/or positive thoughts/energies coming!). I explained to him that I didn’t want her left unattended through the night and would kennel her at home when they closed, continue to administer meds, stay on top of her hydration/eating and in general keep close watch over her. I told him I’d bring her back tomorrow morning at 8am so he could take back over. He agreed and home we went.

Kaz can not walk well or sit upright on her own (she won‘t attempt either unless prompted), her equilibrium is very off because of the severe brain trauma and injury to her ear. The poor little girl urinated on her bedding because she’s not moving well and has no idea what a cat pan is. When I was holding her earlier she let out a tiny cry and seemed terribly uncomfortable. It sounded like an “I need to potty but I‘m holding it as long as I can.” cry. Since she’s lived outside since birth and wouldn’t use the pan I took her outside and held her in a standing position. The moment her feet touched the ground she tried to dig and immediately went potty as I steadied her from falling over. Poor creature fell asleep purring in my arms on the way back inside. I nearly bit my lip off to keep from crying for her.

I called a very dear friend of mine (Tabby) in Indiana who also does rescue and told her the story. Tabby specializes in handicapped kitties, specifically those suffering from Manx Syndrome and neurological disorders. We came up with an “If all else fails” plan (“if all else fails“ because Tabby has a number of unique and severe cases she‘s dealing with)…..

Tabby is coming back to Florida at the beginning of August to pick up a Manx Syndrome kitty and the rest of her stuff (her move to Indiana was recent so she still has a lot of belongings here) If Kaz is FeLV I’ll have to keep her- if she’s neuro, Tabby will take her on as a permanent and if she recovers to an adoptable level (without needing special care) one of Tabby’s neighbors may take her. All of this is on the assumption that Kaz will be able to travel by then.

Ideally, I’d still like to find her an adoptive home here in Fl. or Ga. So please still keep your ears open and fingers crossed for anyone looking to adopt a special kitten that has earned through her hardship the right to the life of Riley.

I started this post around 11:30pm but have had to stop frequently to check in on her. It’s now nearing 4am and I still have a ton of stuff to accomplish before I can lay down. I’m hoping to get at least two hours rest before taking her back to the vet. I hope at least some of this was coherent, I'm sorry it ended up being so long. :)

Again, thank you all so much!

A Thank you, another request and another vent

Angel was put to sleep Monday; she went peacefully. Dad and I were both there holding her. D had to leave the room, it was just too much for him. I want to thank everyone so very much for their positive thoughts, prayers and energy. Thank you!

I also want to ask for them again. Warning, this is a tough read.

Tonight.

I wouldn’t wish tonight (or the last week for that matter) on my worst enemy. D and I picked up a late lunch and on the way home stopped by Wal-Mart to pick up some odds and ends. As we walked through the garden center I saw a table and chair set that I really wanted for the back porch. D said we should wait to get it tomorrow when we could use our other car (he thought my sedan was too small to fit everything). Anyway he went to the bathroom, and me- wanting to have lunch on the back porch on our new table and chair set….bought it. D wasn’t thrilled.

So we get home around 8 and set everything up. D, dad and I are eating lunch when we hear three god awful screams come from the white trash, shit bags house across the street. I got up and walked to my fence line to see what was going on; the screaming noise didn’t sound human. I saw two men standing on their porch looking over the edge- one of them had a smile on his fucking face. After a minute or two the other man walked down the steps and picked up a little kitten, completely limp, by the nap of its neck and began to walk next door. I yelled “What did you do to that cat!?” he said a piece of wood fell on it. I asked if it was hurt and he said yes. I asked if it was breathing and he said no.

I lost my fucking mind- that sick fuck was smiling. I walked back up to the back porch near hysterics and relayed what had happened to D and my dad. We thought about calling the police, but knew it would do no good whatsoever. I asked D to walk over and tell them I was a vet tech and ask if we could help. The guy said “whatever”. D asked if the kitten was alive. The guy responded with “Yeah, I think so.” (motherfucker lied to me!) So D asked if we could take the kitten to get some help. The shit bag agreed with another “whatever“.

You know what those motherfuckers had done to that poor kitten after the “piece of wood“ fell on it? They threw it in a fucking make shift shed with their dogs to lay there and fucking die. One of the guys walked in, grabbed the kitten and half threw it at D. D ran back across the street, kitten in arms bleeding, yelling for me. We got in the car and rushed to the pet emergency clinic.

When we got her there she was bleeding from her left ear, non-responsive and in short…really fucked up. I asked the vet what legal action we could take. I mean, this is serious animal cruelty. She said we could call the police and animal control but it was basically our word against theirs (plus, my city doesn‘t do shit about animal abuse). It would result in nothing being done but my dogs possibly poisoned and my house burnt down. No, I’m not over exaggerating here, the fucks across the street are ex-felons, drunks, drug addicts and fucked up in the head.

On the low end, the bill will be $500.00 on the high end 1,200.00 and that is just for the emergency care the kitten is getting tonight- it does not include what my regular vet will want to do tomorrow if she pulls through. We gave them our credit card, put down a $500.00 deposit and told them to do what they could. We’ve called them every few hours since to check in on her. That shit bag has cost that poor kitten unimaginable pain and my family a shit load of money. We're going to be eating Mac N' Cheese for the next six months.

Anyway, when we got home I walked across the street and informed fuckwad that A/ The kitten was terribly anemic from being covered in fucking fleas, B/ Horribly malnourished from not being fed, C/ Dehydrated, D/ fucked up from whatever smashed her and finally that all of the above constituted: neglect, abandonment and cruelty. So this fucking piece of shit says to me “Well, it’s not my cat, we just fed it.” I replied with “In the state of Florida, if you feed it, you’re responsible for it in the eyes of the law.” I went on to explain that the vet bill could be in excess of a thousand dollars (thanks to them), the kitten was very badly injured (thanks to them) and needless to say, he would NOT be getting her back if she survived (thanks to D and I). You know what this fucker said to me? “It’s just a fucking cat! If I had a thousand dollars I’d spend it on my kids, not some stupid cat. The whole thing was an accident, we laid a big wooden table without the legs on its side to keep my baby from falling off of the porch, it fell on the cat.” At this point I was so angry I thought I was going to be sick. I said, "A big wooden table!!!???, I thought you said it was 'a piece of wood', what would have happened if it fell on your CHILD!" then I asked “What the fuck were you thinking when you threw that kitten in the shed with those dogs!!!???” He said “I was gonna let it breathe its dyin’ breath in peace, then bury it.”

D told him ”You have no business having an animal you can’t afford to take to the vet to be put down humanely if it gets hurt.” Fucker responds again with “It’s just a fucking cat, there’s millions of them out there.” D and I walked away. This cocksucker has kids (that run the streets half naked with no supervision). God forbid something happen to one of them, they’d probably end up in the fucking shed, too.

He is a very lucky man. I don’t know what I would have done if my doctor hadn’t refilled my script Monday. All I do know is that fucker’s head would be bashed in just like that poor kitten. And I’d go to jail with a smile on my fucking face.

The kitten (estimated at between 10 and 12 weeks old) as of 2:45am is still alive and seems to be stabilizing. The vet said she didn’t know how severe the brain damage would be but felt that she would make it a good recovery with a lot of time and work. We have to pick her up by 7:30am (in just a few hours) and will take her to my regular vet by 8am to see what else can be done.

Once she has recovered, if anyone reading this in Florida/Georgia would like to adopt a special needs (I’m assuming she’ll be deaf in one ear and will walk with a head tilt at the least) kitty (or knows anyone who would)- I will pay ALL vet bills including her spay, vaccines, FIV/FeLV test and travel to get her to you.
I just ask the following…

Indoor only, No declawing, Good Diet, and Lots of love.

Please e-mail me if you can help.

Crazy fuckers need not apply, I’ve got enough of them living across the street from me and this poor kitten has been through enough.

My kitty

She’s a beautiful cat, her sister, Snowy was too. Long white hair, crystal blue eyes and personalities that exude love. When they came to us they both tested positive for FeLV, their age unknown (estimated at 3 maybe 4). The vet I was working for at the time asked me to take them since we had such success with the sick ones. One of them was partially blind and deaf (we suspect from abuse). The FeLV didn’t dissuade me from taking them in; we had 2 other FeLV positive cats in excellent health (the disease was dormant). Kept separate from our negative cats the house is split in half at the French doors in the dining room. They are fed a special (immune system building) diet and given distilled water. Snowy passed three years ago.

And now her sister, “Angel” is not improving. We took her to the vet Thursday, he gave me meds to settle her stomach, a steroid injection to get her appetite up and some sub-Q fluids. He said it may take a few days to work. Anyone out there who’s dealt with FeLV knows this process. It’s not like feline aids, there are no real “ups and downs”. With Leuk they just go down. The vet said we should try the weekend but he expected to see us Monday. I’ve hand fed her since Friday and have seen no improvement. We’re going back to the vet tomorrow.

And now to the rant; With all of the years spent in the veterinary field I learned a good system. I also learned how this disease operates. I’ve met rescuers in this city who “take care” of FeLV cats. They allow them to mingle among the healthy, have no concept of sanitation or dietary needs and no clue as to the etiology of the disease. I’ve also watched it run through their homes like fire in a wheat field killing everything in its path. Once showing symptoms I’ve watched these “rescuers” allow them to suffer and linger. Yet they continue to take on more and keep with the same practices. I’ve never understood that. Oh I’ve heard the excuse “I can’t afford the vet bills” and all I can say to that is fuck you! Why continue “rescuing” if you can’t afford the ones you have? Money is no object in this household when it comes to health and quality of life- human or animal companion. I know my limits (both physical and financial) and will not be made to feel bad (as some of these “rescuers” would have me feel) because I refuse to take on more than I can handle.

So tomorrow we will go to the vet before my doctor‘s appointment. And tonight I will continue to pray for peace and comfort.

Prayers or positive energy for Angel would be greatly appreciated.