Finally and appropriately on July 14, National N*u*de Day, my foster kitty Taco finally gets to go au naturel.
Our one-year old foster kitty, Taco, moved in with us on March 22, after volunteers at Irving Animal Services sent out a desperate plea for someone to take a badly injured cat. Taco, who suffered suspicious burns, hasn’t gone nekked since that day… until now.
Taco’s wound ran from the base of his skull to the between his shoulder blades. He reluctantly submitted himself to daily hydrotherapy treatments. But healing is itchy business, and Taco wouldn’t leave his burn alone. Because of the location and his very limber back legs, the wound couldn’t be fully covered with a bandage or E-collar. To protect Taco from himself, he wore an adhesive bandage around his neck and a shirt (originally made from my husband’s beloved 30-year-old athletic sock–a huge sacrifice).
After he shredded his sock, Taco graduated to puppy tshirts. Despite all the protection, he still managed to reopen his healing injury. The best protection came from his final garment, a goth Old Navy dog tshirt displaying a dog skeleton.
He also was further humiliated by having to wear pink and white French-tipped nail caps on his back claws. He managed to quickly remove them. Eventually he got used to wearing them and left them alone (most of the time. Lest you think I make him wear feminine nails caps to poke fun at his masculinity, the pink makes it easier for me to see when he’s chewed them off. But I also confess, it’s funny to see the boy’s boy cat wearing pink “polish”.
But today was a big deal for my boy. He cast off his earthy cloak. He didn’t die. He finally got to take off his bulky clothing and show off what God gave him. In celebration he streaked (both in the dashing around and the lack of clothing sense) literally and around the house for the first time since he joined our household.
Finally, my little charge’s wound has shrunk to the size of a pea. Taco is almost ready for his forever home. He’s the perfect kitty for a home with gregarious cats and dogs. If you’re a Texas resident and interested in adopting Taco, fill out an adoption application.
This month is Adopt-a-Shelter-Cat Month. So it’s a great time to introduce you to Taco. He’s my one-year-old foster–a tabby and white boy, neutered, of course.
Taco came to me a couple of months ago from the Irving Animal Shelter. Someone had done something very cruel to him and the shelter needed an foster home for him. He was sweet; he was friendly; he was hurting. They sent out pleas, “Please, someone help him!”
The cat chair of Animal Allies of Texas asked me if I was interested in fostering the injured kitten. Of course. I couldn’t ignore that wound. How could I turn away from that face? But what’s with the name the shelter gave him, Taco?
Despite the trauma he experienced, nothing seems to upset Taco.
I After bringing him home, I quickly learned why the volunteers worked so hard to save him. He’s a doll. He loves being with peopleh. This kitty gets along with everyone: cats, dogs, kids. You name it.
I had to do hydrotherapy on his wound every day. That involved spraying tepid water on the wound for 10 minutes. The poor little kitty who had been through so much would look up at me as if to say, “Why are you doing this to me?” But he didn’t struggle or fight. I never got a scratch.
Although he’s so well-mannered, Taco doesn’t want to have to go to any more adopt-a-pets.
So now the time has almost arrived for Taco to go to a new home. I have to find someone who will love him always. I guarantee you, he’ll love you forever.
But no matter where you live, there are millions of Tacos who want nothing more to snuggle up with their person at night. Many shelter cats have suffered so much, yet still have a gentle, loving dispositions. Please, go to a shelter near you and adopt a kitty. Better still, adopt a hard-to-adopt kitty, a mature cat, a senior, a black cat or a cat with health issues.
You’ll feel great. You’ll have a new best friend and you’ll save a life. Comment below about your new best buddy. I can’t wait to hear who came home with you.
If you live in Texas and a’re interested in adopting Taco, fill out an adoption application at the Animal Allies of Texas website.
Imagine what would happen if Timmy was trapped in the well with only his cat nearby. Years ago Saturday Night Live did a series of skits about Cat Lassie. CL’s owner, who found numerous ways to get into peril, sent his trusty feline to find help. Unfortunately Cat Lassie was easily distracted and never managed to rescue his owner.
However last week a gray tabby cat named Tara, redeemed the reputation of the species. Tara’s little human, Jeremy Triantafilo, was riding his bicycle in front of the family’s Bakersfield, CA home when a neighbor’s Chow-Lab-mix launched an unprovoked attack on the four-year-old.
Several of the Triantafilo family’s security cameras caught the incident.You may have seen the newscasts but this is the original video of Tara the cat saving her boy. The video, which is difficult to watch, was released on youtube.com by Jeremy’s dad, Roger Triantafilo. Switching back and forth between cameras, the video shows the dog running free next door. The eight-month old dog named Scrappy dashes around the car, targets Jeremy, clamps down on the boy’s leg, then shakes the kid violently like a dog toy.
From out of nowhere appears Tara, her body stretched out with all of feline weapons brought to bear on the dog. When she body slams Scrappy, the stunned dog immediately breaks off the assault and runs away with his tail tucked between his legs. What a p*ssy. Tara stops for a second and looks back at Jeremy before resuming her humiliation of a vicious dog more than twice her size. Once the dog was out of her yard, Tara’s good sense took over and she seekst safety under the family car then returns to her boy who was limping to safety.
Mom Erica Triantafilo was just out of view the camera watering a tree when the attack occurred. Within seconds Mom was on the scene. According to Roger, after checking Jeremy’s wounds she left to make sure Scrappy wasn’t going to return for a second attack.
Scrappy was not a free-roaming dog. He escaped his yard while his owners were pulling out of their gated driveway. Roger says Scrappy bit his owner “as she tried to pin him in his yard. Animal control picked up Scrappy. He is being held for rabies quarantine and then will be euthanized.
Jeremy suffered a couple of significant cuts requiring stitches, but had his feline champion not been there,his injuries would have likely been worse.
“Tara is my hero,” Jeremy said the local ABC television affiliate, KERO.
Tara happened into the family’s life six years ago when the gray tabby followed Erica and Roger home from a park. The couple welcomed the kitty into the family despite the fact that Erica is allergic to cats. Jeremy and his kitty have been best friends since he was born. Tara even used to sleep in Jeremy’s crib.
One has to wonder if Tara might be Jeremy’s guardian angel. Without getting too religious, Hebrews 13: 2 says, “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.
One has to wonder what Jeremy’s fate would have been had the furry angel been turned away in 2008.
So thank you to tabby Tara who broke the Cat Lassie stereotype. I hereby award you the Catnip Cluster for Valor in the face of an enemy of far superior strength. You go, Girl. And to those of you who ignore the plight of a homeless cat who follows you home, remember you be ignoring an angel unaware.
OMG! Is it kitten season again already, when people happen upon abandoned kittens. Most people don’t have a clue what to do for an orphan. Doing the right thing when you first find a kitten can make the difference between whether the kitten makes it or not. Here’s quick reference list to help out first time kitten rescuers. My book Kittens for Dummies (John Wiley & Sons, 2003) contains a complete guide to caring for abandoned kittens.
Caring for Bottle Babies
1. Keep the kitten warm. Wrap her up in a towel or tee shirt to place her under your shirt to warm her when you first find her. A week old kitten needs to be kept at 90°.
2. Feed him a replacement milk formulated especially for kittens. Don’t use human milk or puppy formula.
3. Never hold a kitten on her back to nurse her; she could choke on the formula. Rest her on her tummy and hold the bottle from above.
4. Kittens under three weeks can’t go to the bathroom on their own. Moisten a cotton ball with warm water and massage the kitten’s private parts. Soft, gentle circles mimics the mother’s tongue and stimulates the kitten to potty. Don’t use any pressure; it’s the stroking motion that gets the job done.
5. Most stray or feral kittens will come to you infected with worms or parasites. Diarrhea is one of the most common symptoms. But the kitten could also have a potbelly, little appetite bloody poop, weight loss and just look unhealthy.
6. If she has the runs or pees on herself, you’ll need to give your kitten a butt bath so she doesn’t suffer from ammonia burns. Keep the room warm, make sure the water is comfortable to your touch and use a baby shampoo. Dry the kitten with a blow dryer set on low heat. Don’t let her get chilled.
7. Check your orphan for fleas. Remove them with an extra fine flea comb with metal teeth. Never use flea treatments on a kitten under six weeks unless your vet says it’s okay.
8. Any time you notice your kitten just isn’t right, take her to the vet. She’s much more susceptible to disease than kittens with real mothers. Keep an eye out for diarrhea, congestion, not eating, constant crying.
9. When you start to find a stool or notice the linens are damp, it’s time to teach him to use the litter box. Just put him in the litter box after he eats, when he wakes up and after he’s been playing. Don’t use clumping litter until he’s four months old.
10. The best way to keep your orphan from becoming possessive and domineering is to introduce him to other healthy cats. Hopefully, you have a friendly adult cat that he can hang out with. The older kitty, while not mom, can show him what’s acceptable in the social world of cats. If that’s not possible, introduce him to interactive toys that can discharge some of that predatory energy. You can use stuffed animals to wrestle with the kitten. Never let your orphan play with your bare hand.
11. When it comes time to wean him, don’t forget to put a shallow pan of water so he can get a drink.
A more complete article about Raising Orphan Kittens to follow.
This is the plea the Irving shelter volunteers sent out. Could you resist that face?
Nobody knows exactly what happened to Taco. This adorable little brown tabby and white stray was found in an auto repair garage with a burn that extended from the base of his skull to the bottom of his shoulder blades. Maybe he arched up against a hot muffler or rubbed against something coated with a caustic chemical. Those noble volunteers at Irving animal control put out a call for a foster home. I saw the photos. Poor little guy. The burn looked so painful. Surely someone will take him, I thought. But almost a week passed and no one came forward. Volunteers begging for his rescue described him as, “a very nice guy”, a “purr machine” and “sweet as sugar” “ a mere baby.”
One the less gruesome photos of Taco’s burn.
Finally, Kim Innes, Animal Allies of Texas cat chair emailed me his photo. “You want to take him?” Kim knows I find the trauma cases especially rewarding (mostly because most people shy away from them.) Six days after the first plea, I surrendered and pulled Taco from the shelter.
Immediately we trekked to the Animal Hospital on Teasley Lane in Denton, where the amazing staff worked me in. Taco waited patiently for his appointment. What a suck up. Despite the fact we’d met only 45 minutes earlier, the little cutie passed the time by weaving in and out of my legs, head butting me and filling the room with purrs, oblivious to the enormous burn on the back of his neck.
Only minutes after leaving the shelter, Taco waits patiently to see the vet.
In minutes we were on our way home. The treatment regimen includes oral antibiotics, hydrotherapy for 10 minutes twice a day, ointment and dressing the wound. I figured I should have a tourniquet handy when Taco sliced and diced my veins after I unleashed the water on his wound. It took almost as to regulate the water temperature and pressure and it did to irrigate the wound. But instead of slash claws and canines, Taco looked up at me with his big yellow eyes as if to say, “Why are you tormenting me?”
Believe it or not, three hours after pulling him from the shelter, he stood calmly allowing me to give him hydrotherapy. I did not lose one drop of blood.
After 10 minutes of aquatic vexation, instead of hiding behind the toilet he once again began head bumping me with a soggy forehead. Oh no. I’m falling in love.
Look at this face. How can anyone turn away? Okay. I admit it I did. For six days week I looked at that picture and thought someone else will take him. Day after day they didn’t.
Nobody knows exactly what happened to Taco. This adorable little brown tabby and white stray was found in an auto repair garage with a burn that extended from the base of his skull to the bottom of his shoulder blades. Maybe he arched up against a hot muffler or rubbed against something coated with a caustic chemical. Those noble volunteers at Irving animal control put out a call for a foster home. I saw the photos. Poor little guy. The burn looked so painful. Surely someone will take him, I thought. But almost a week passed and no one came forward. Volunteers begging for his rescue described him as, “a very nice guy”, a “purr machine” and “sweet as sugar” “ a mere baby.”
Finally, Kim Innes, Animal Allies of Texas cat chair emailed me his photo. “You want to take him?” Kim knows I find the trauma cases especially rewarding (mostly because most people shy away from them.) Six days after the first plea, I surrendered and pulled Taco from the shelter.
Immediately we trekked to the Animal Hospital on Teasley Lane in Denton, where the amazing staff worked me in. Taco waited patiently for his appointment. What a suck up. Despite the fact we’d met only 45 minutes earlier, the little cutie passed the time by weaving in and out of my legs, head butting me and filling the room with purrs, oblivious to the enormous burn on the back of his neck.
In minutes we were on our way home. The treatment regimen includes oral antibiotics, hydrotherapy for 10 minutes twice a day, ointment and dressing the wound. I figured I should have a tourniquet handy when Taco sliced and diced my veins after I unleashed the water on his wound. It took almost as to regulate the water temperature and pressure and it did to irrigate the wound. But instead of slash claws and canines, Taco looked up at me with his big yellow eyes as if to say, “Why are you tormenting me?”
After 10 minutes of aquatic vexation, instead of hiding behind the toilet he once again began head bumping me with a soggy forehead. Oh no. I’m falling in love.
Finally and appropriately on July 14, National N*u*de Day, my foster kitty Taco finally gets to go au naturel.
Taco’s wound ran from the base of his skull to the between his shoulder blades. He reluctantly submitted himself to daily hydrotherapy treatments. But healing is itchy business, and Taco wouldn’t leave his burn alone. Because of the location and his very limber back legs, the wound couldn’t be fully covered with a bandage or E-collar. To protect Taco from himself, he wore an adhesive bandage around his neck and a shirt (originally made from my husband’s beloved 30-year-old athletic sock–a huge sacrifice).
After he shredded his sock, Taco graduated to puppy tshirts. Despite all the protection, he still managed to reopen his healing injury. The best protection came from his final garment, a goth Old Navy dog tshirt displaying a dog skeleton.
He also was further humiliated by having to wear pink and white French-tipped nail caps on his back claws. He managed to quickly remove them. Eventually he got used to wearing them and left them alone (most of the time. Lest you think I make him wear feminine nails caps to poke fun at his masculinity, the pink makes it easier for me to see when he’s chewed them off. But I also confess, it’s funny to see the boy’s boy cat wearing pink “polish”.
Finally, my little charge’s wound has shrunk to the size of a pea. Taco is almost ready for his forever home. He’s the perfect kitty for a home with gregarious cats and dogs. If you’re a Texas resident and interested in adopting Taco, fill out an adoption application.
