Help Us Save Beau The Cat!
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Please help me Save Beau!
My Cat Beau is an amazing companion and friend. He is very much one of the joys of my life and he is my baby! He is funny and kind and a very loving cat.
The Story of Beau
I thought you might like to know a little more about Beau. I’ve had him about eleven years now.
Back in 2009, a friend of mine was getting off a bus. A little black-and-white tuxedo kitten met him there and followed him all the way from the bus stop to his home. My friend would have liked to keep this sweet little fellow, but his wife is allergic to cats. He sent photographs to me, and told me “You need to come pick up this cat.” He put the kitten in a carrier and set him outside on the doorstep to wait for me.
I set out as soon as I could, because Beau was yelling so loudly that you could hear him inside my friend’s house. Being stuck in a carrier was not what he had in mind! I knew from the moment I saw him that he was going to be my special boy. He was so handsome and sweet. All tuxedo cats look dapper, but Beau was particularly elegant. A friend of mine said he ought to have a little top hat.
He came home to me and my older cat, Sasha. She was also a stray, rescued by another one of my friends from a crowd of teenagers who were abusing her. My friend also couldn’t keep her, because she already had seven cats of her own. At the time I adopted Sasha, I wanted a companion for another cat (who has long since crossed the Rainbow Bridge). Sasha was two or three when Beau came to live with us. She’s twelve or thirteen now, but you’d never believe it. She has the energy of a kitten. She and Beau hit it off well. He’s very sweet and gentlemanly with his sister. The two of them have become very good friends.
He gets along with other female cats, but not males. My roommate has a boy cat named Jingle. It looked as if he and Beau were co-existing well, but I caught my otherwise good kitty committing a socially unacceptable act (wetting) that has left him confined to the upper floor of our condo.
Other than his disagreement with Jingle, Beau is the ideal companion. He’s mellow and good-natured. He loves to cuddle. He snuggles up with me in bed whenever he can. He has a cute little voice for such a big boy.
His problems started at the beginning of the year. He fell off the bed and got one claw caught in the comforter. I reached over to help him get free. He dropped to the floor to nurse his foot. After that, he started to walk oddly. I thought it was because I had wrenched his leg pulling him loose. I took him to the vet. The vet did blood work and a physical examination. Everything looked all right then. They gave him a week’s worth of steroids. The vet didn’t want to put him on a long-term dosage, because that frequently causes side effects. Beau seemed to get a little better, but he got progressively worse afterwards. He began to fall over more and more frequently. I cringed every time. My boy couldn’t help himself, and I couldn’t help him.
I took him back to the vet. This time they saw he was walking strangely, but they had no answers for me as to why. They did more blood work and x-rays of his leg, but those were inconclusive. I was getting more and more worried. The vet, a very kind woman named Dr. Sawyer, also showed his scans to a specialist friend of hers, who was good enough to look them over without charging me. The friend couldn’t see anything physical which would explain his frightening symptoms. They told me that the next step was to take him to a neurologist.
About then was when the country went into lockdown because of the pandemic. I worried so much about Beau, but I couldn’t afford to take him to the neurologist, and most veterinary practices were closed to everything but urgent cases. I lost my car and my day job, so I had no choice but to wait.
Because of his condition, poor Beau is afraid to move very much, apart from going to his food and water bowls or to the litter box. He falls over even when he tries to take a step or two. He has been sleeping a lot. He’s still happy to be with me. He eats and drinks well. We’ve been through so much together, moves and changes and other life situations. I want to make things better for him if I can. He’s my sweet boy.
I finally have a neurologist appointment for him. The specialist was kind enough to fit Beau in three weeks from now, at the end of December. I worry about what the examinations and treatment will cost. I expect that they will want to give him an MRI as well. That is not as expensive as a human MRI, but still costly. The last regular vet visit with the blood work and x-rays was $250. I know this will be much more.
I want to give Beau every chance to get back to normal. I am grateful to everyone who has contributed to his care and to those who share his story with their friends. Your kindness has already helped make some very dark days brighter for both of us.
I would like to assure all of you that I will only use your contributions for his veterinary treatment and medications. Once he is back on his feet – literally – I will reach out to you to ask if you want the extra money returned, or donated to a no-kill animal shelter near me.
Thank you so much for reading! Beau sends his purrs.
My Cat Beau is an amazing companion and friend. He is very much one of the joys of my life and he is my baby! He is funny and kind and a very loving cat.
The Story of Beau
I thought you might like to know a little more about Beau. I’ve had him about eleven years now.
Back in 2009, a friend of mine was getting off a bus. A little black-and-white tuxedo kitten met him there and followed him all the way from the bus stop to his home. My friend would have liked to keep this sweet little fellow, but his wife is allergic to cats. He sent photographs to me, and told me “You need to come pick up this cat.” He put the kitten in a carrier and set him outside on the doorstep to wait for me.
I set out as soon as I could, because Beau was yelling so loudly that you could hear him inside my friend’s house. Being stuck in a carrier was not what he had in mind! I knew from the moment I saw him that he was going to be my special boy. He was so handsome and sweet. All tuxedo cats look dapper, but Beau was particularly elegant. A friend of mine said he ought to have a little top hat.
He came home to me and my older cat, Sasha. She was also a stray, rescued by another one of my friends from a crowd of teenagers who were abusing her. My friend also couldn’t keep her, because she already had seven cats of her own. At the time I adopted Sasha, I wanted a companion for another cat (who has long since crossed the Rainbow Bridge). Sasha was two or three when Beau came to live with us. She’s twelve or thirteen now, but you’d never believe it. She has the energy of a kitten. She and Beau hit it off well. He’s very sweet and gentlemanly with his sister. The two of them have become very good friends.
He gets along with other female cats, but not males. My roommate has a boy cat named Jingle. It looked as if he and Beau were co-existing well, but I caught my otherwise good kitty committing a socially unacceptable act (wetting) that has left him confined to the upper floor of our condo.
Other than his disagreement with Jingle, Beau is the ideal companion. He’s mellow and good-natured. He loves to cuddle. He snuggles up with me in bed whenever he can. He has a cute little voice for such a big boy.
His problems started at the beginning of the year. He fell off the bed and got one claw caught in the comforter. I reached over to help him get free. He dropped to the floor to nurse his foot. After that, he started to walk oddly. I thought it was because I had wrenched his leg pulling him loose. I took him to the vet. The vet did blood work and a physical examination. Everything looked all right then. They gave him a week’s worth of steroids. The vet didn’t want to put him on a long-term dosage, because that frequently causes side effects. Beau seemed to get a little better, but he got progressively worse afterwards. He began to fall over more and more frequently. I cringed every time. My boy couldn’t help himself, and I couldn’t help him.
I took him back to the vet. This time they saw he was walking strangely, but they had no answers for me as to why. They did more blood work and x-rays of his leg, but those were inconclusive. I was getting more and more worried. The vet, a very kind woman named Dr. Sawyer, also showed his scans to a specialist friend of hers, who was good enough to look them over without charging me. The friend couldn’t see anything physical which would explain his frightening symptoms. They told me that the next step was to take him to a neurologist.
About then was when the country went into lockdown because of the pandemic. I worried so much about Beau, but I couldn’t afford to take him to the neurologist, and most veterinary practices were closed to everything but urgent cases. I lost my car and my day job, so I had no choice but to wait.
Because of his condition, poor Beau is afraid to move very much, apart from going to his food and water bowls or to the litter box. He falls over even when he tries to take a step or two. He has been sleeping a lot. He’s still happy to be with me. He eats and drinks well. We’ve been through so much together, moves and changes and other life situations. I want to make things better for him if I can. He’s my sweet boy.
I finally have a neurologist appointment for him. The specialist was kind enough to fit Beau in three weeks from now, at the end of December. I worry about what the examinations and treatment will cost. I expect that they will want to give him an MRI as well. That is not as expensive as a human MRI, but still costly. The last regular vet visit with the blood work and x-rays was $250. I know this will be much more.
I want to give Beau every chance to get back to normal. I am grateful to everyone who has contributed to his care and to those who share his story with their friends. Your kindness has already helped make some very dark days brighter for both of us.
I would like to assure all of you that I will only use your contributions for his veterinary treatment and medications. Once he is back on his feet – literally – I will reach out to you to ask if you want the extra money returned, or donated to a no-kill animal shelter near me.
Thank you so much for reading! Beau sends his purrs.
Organizer
Sue Phillips
Organizer
Wayne, NJ