Friday, July 08, 2011

Big Black or British Broadcasting?

BBC first came to Red Door in the spring of 2000 as a stray cat. His name stood for Big Black Cat or Basic Black Cat, depending on who you asked. But BBC was anything but basic. He had a birth defect which fused his toes together on one paw, giving him the appearance of having a club foot. Because of that, he developed early arthritis and it could become painful for him to walk. Despite all of that, BBC was adopted a few months after he came in with three other Red Door cats.
His story didn't end there unfortunately. In May of 2003, he was returned with two of the other cats (one of whom was Luna, who you can read about below). They were left in a box with no air holes and no note. All three cats were very dirty. BBC got cleaned up, and despite having a very friendly personality, was overlooked year after year at Red Door. People were often put off by his birth defect or when he became over stimulated and had a tendancy to nip at times.
However, in December of 2010, BBC's luck changed. Red Door Animal Steward, Molly, could not resist BBC's charm, not to mention his lovely vampire fangs. Molly took BBC home to foster, and he quickly became British Broadcasting Cat. Recently, the official adoption paperwork was completed for BBC, and over 11 years after first coming to Red Door, BBC finally found his forever home.
BBC's story really shows that there really is a cat for someone out there, and you never know when that person will come into their lives and give them the loving

home they deserve.

Friday, July 01, 2011

The Marilyn Monroe of Cats


June is adopt a cat month, and it turned out to be a really great month for Luna. Her journey of finding that forever home was finally realized on Wednesday.
Luna was originally adopted from Red Door in 2001 as a kitten, with 3 other cats. A few months after adoption, her and two of the other cats were unceremoniosly left in a box outside the shelter. It was a very hot day, the box had no air holes, and no one knew how long they had been there. The cats were dirty, greasy, and matted. Needless to say, Luna got back on her paws, and quickly found a home again, this time for over 10 years.
Sadly, Luna was returned to the shelter again late last year, this time due to inappropriate elimination. It had been doing on for several years, and her adopter had tried everything in the book, had numerous medical tests done, and nothing seemed to work for poor Luna. It was with a heavy heart that her adopter brought her back.
Upon being readmitted to Red Door, we ran comprehensive tests to evaluate Luna's condition. She was also being treated for arthritis, pancreitis, and liver disease. When the xrays came back, they showed a tiny minute facture in one of her vertebrae. Dr. Gia at Animal 911 came to the conclusion that most likely everytime Luna went to make a bowel movement in the litterbox, that the squeezing of her abdominal muscles and intestines most likely put pressure on the vertebrae to make it painful, enough so that Luna associated the litterbox to be a painful place to be. Given her current medical conditions, and the fact that she had lived in a home for over 10 years and was now back at the shelter, Luna's outlook seemed gloomy, and it was speculated that her physical condition might continue to deteriorate quickly.
However, Luna pressed on and took her more than 6 medications each day like a pro. She definitely wasn't happy being at the shelter, but she would never give anyone the satisfaction of seeing her down in the dumps. Then one day, Luna's luck changed when a couple who had just lost their cat to illness came in looking to adopt again. It turns out they fell in love with two cats. After hearing Luna's situation, they decided to foster Luna for awhile to see how she would do in a new home. They fell in love with her of course, and this week they came in to finalize her adoption. They said they just couldn't imagine their lives without Luna, and they love her so much. As the adopters put it: "She's just so beautiful. She's like the Marilyn Monroe of cats!".
Some like it hot, and some just like to be loved.