De-Scruffing Scruff - updated as of September 15!
Donation protected
So some of you know that I care for three (fixed) stray cats. Kitten (who's lived under my house since I moved here), Prince Harry (who showed up about a year ago) and Scruff, who showed up six months ago. All three cats get two meals a day, fresh water, and I built them shelters to keep them warm over the winter. (They thank me by bringing me rat heads.)
While Kitten and Harry are in great shape, Scruff showed up six months ago and was a total mess.
Kitten took Scruff (who I thought was a boy, but turns out to be a girl) under her wing. Scruff was filthy, matted, clearly had something wrong with her mouth.
Over the past six months, I have been able to earn Scruff's trust a bit. I was able to groom her for 30 seconds at a time, cutting out some of the mats. She wanted to be pet, but wouldn't let me touch her face. While I managed to clean her up somewhat, she was losing weight, she couldn't groom, and her mouth was clearly infected and oozing pus.
She wasn't food motivated (she couldn't really eat!) and she didn't care about catnip. I tried to put her in a cat carrier multiple times, but the tiny cat was pretty agile when she wanted to be. Even if I managed to capture her, I wasn't exactly sure who I could take her to, because not all vets work on stray/feral cats.
Enter Shiloh Mobile Vet , who I use for my dog. Dr. Rosen said if I could capture Scruff, they'd come pick her up and work on her. Scruff had taken to a cardboard box my roommate Patty put out, so we put that in a dog crate that I left open.
Over the last few weeks, I got Scruff used to being picked up and put back down. Just up and down, no big deal. Then on Thursday, I made my move. I picked her up. Put her down. Picked her up. Put her down. Ah, Scruff thought, this game. But then I picked her up, shoved her in the dog crate and slammed the door.
Dr. Rosen picked her up. It turns out that Scruff had a FOXTAIL lodged in her gums, behind her teeth. Her mouth was severely infected, and she had to have all of her teeth pulled except for her canines. But her bloodwork is great, she's underweight ('cause she couldn't eat) and she got a spa day.
The total was $2512.92.
I have this fundraiser at $2585 because of GoFundMe fees.
Dr. Rosen has already been paid. She and her staff went above and beyond, so I covered it. I feel weird about asking for help. There's a lot of people/issues out there that really need it. But a $2500 vet bill for a cat I don't technically even own is a lot. Some people will think it's waste, but I couldn't watch her suffer.
But look at this cat! She feels SO MUCH BETTER.
No, Scruff is not coming inside to live with me. My dog Olive wouldn't allow it. Olive deserves to live out her golden years in peace. The Cats Who Live Under The House will continue to get two meals a day, fresh water, love and affection, besides whatever vetting and grooming they need.
We're all doing the best we can do with what we can do, ya dig?
Anyway, if you made it this far, thanks. And for all of you that have been following along, your kind words and good thoughts have helped more than you could know.
Love & Rockets,
Nina
aka the slackmistress
While Kitten and Harry are in great shape, Scruff showed up six months ago and was a total mess.
Kitten took Scruff (who I thought was a boy, but turns out to be a girl) under her wing. Scruff was filthy, matted, clearly had something wrong with her mouth.
Over the past six months, I have been able to earn Scruff's trust a bit. I was able to groom her for 30 seconds at a time, cutting out some of the mats. She wanted to be pet, but wouldn't let me touch her face. While I managed to clean her up somewhat, she was losing weight, she couldn't groom, and her mouth was clearly infected and oozing pus.
She wasn't food motivated (she couldn't really eat!) and she didn't care about catnip. I tried to put her in a cat carrier multiple times, but the tiny cat was pretty agile when she wanted to be. Even if I managed to capture her, I wasn't exactly sure who I could take her to, because not all vets work on stray/feral cats.
Enter Shiloh Mobile Vet , who I use for my dog. Dr. Rosen said if I could capture Scruff, they'd come pick her up and work on her. Scruff had taken to a cardboard box my roommate Patty put out, so we put that in a dog crate that I left open.
Over the last few weeks, I got Scruff used to being picked up and put back down. Just up and down, no big deal. Then on Thursday, I made my move. I picked her up. Put her down. Picked her up. Put her down. Ah, Scruff thought, this game. But then I picked her up, shoved her in the dog crate and slammed the door.
Dr. Rosen picked her up. It turns out that Scruff had a FOXTAIL lodged in her gums, behind her teeth. Her mouth was severely infected, and she had to have all of her teeth pulled except for her canines. But her bloodwork is great, she's underweight ('cause she couldn't eat) and she got a spa day.
The total was $2512.92.
I have this fundraiser at $2585 because of GoFundMe fees.
Dr. Rosen has already been paid. She and her staff went above and beyond, so I covered it. I feel weird about asking for help. There's a lot of people/issues out there that really need it. But a $2500 vet bill for a cat I don't technically even own is a lot. Some people will think it's waste, but I couldn't watch her suffer.
But look at this cat! She feels SO MUCH BETTER.
No, Scruff is not coming inside to live with me. My dog Olive wouldn't allow it. Olive deserves to live out her golden years in peace. The Cats Who Live Under The House will continue to get two meals a day, fresh water, love and affection, besides whatever vetting and grooming they need.
We're all doing the best we can do with what we can do, ya dig?
Anyway, if you made it this far, thanks. And for all of you that have been following along, your kind words and good thoughts have helped more than you could know.
Love & Rockets,
Nina
aka the slackmistress
Organizer
Nina Bargiel
Organizer
Los Angeles, CA