The rescue, and the importance of having a plan

For those of you that don't know me, I'm a hospice nurse.  My line of work rarely becomes a topic of conversation in social settings, because most people don't want to think about death.  Our society avoids the topic of death to such an extreme, that many of us fail to make our health care directives known before reaching a crisis point.  This failure often leads to distress for the people left behind to make decisions on behalf of their loved one.  The advance health directive topic is another conversation for another day.

I have been rescuing pets longer than I have been a registered nurse.  I would often see animals in the shelter with a note that they were relinquished because their owner had passed away.  Many times, these animals are senior pets, which makes the adoption process more challenging.  While I found these little snippets of information sad, I could never have foreseen my nursing role intersecting with finding some of these orphaned pets a home.

Recently, I was following Beth Stern's Instagram page, and the story of Garfield. Garfield was left alone in the home after his owner had died.  The family members of the deceased left this poor kitty for three weeks without food or water.  Beth, and the rescue organization that she's aligned with went to heroic efforts to save Garfield.  Sadly, he passed away. Reading Garfield's story made me reflect on my own experiences finding a home for hospice patient pets.  Up to that point, I had re-homed 2 cats (including fostering one for a short time), that would have endured a similar fate to Garfield.

I'm going to reserve my judgment in the case of Garfield, because I have seen the chaos that sometimes occurs with losing a loved one.  Some cases are very loving and supportive, and some are downright dysfunctional.  In rare circumstances, the person who is dying is estranged from all social and familial relationships, and there is literally no one to sort out what to do with their pets.  Even in the most ideal circumstances, without prior direction, people have a hard time sorting out what to do with their loves one's pet.

In what seems like very odd timing, several days after following the saga of Garfield, I was contacted by one of my coworkers regarding a patient's cat.  It was one of those rare circumstances where there was no one in this individual's social circle to help with re-homing, the uncertainty about the cat was causing so much distress that euthanasia was discussed if the cat was not able to be placed in a suitable home.

I got to work reaching out to friends that I thought would be a good fit.  Two days after being tasked with assisting in finding a home, as is often the case in my line of work, the timeline became significantly shorter than anticipated, and I needed to come get the cat right away.

Now, any animal lover can attest to the fact that our pets are family.  In this case, kitty's owner felt that it would be best for the kitty to live with me, and essentially selected me as his adoptive home.  I promised, through my tears, that I would always care for this patient's only love.

Now, this is a significant change from fostering and looking for a home.  We have other cats.  I've rescued an adult cat before, but it had been a while.  Also this cat is 12 years old. I'm in graduate school, am looking at starting my son in preschool, and and in no financial position at the moment to be taking on any new expenses.  As terrified as I was, I don't take being chosen as this kitty's new owner lightly.  This cat was someone's whole world, and I promised to care for him.  So, here we are.

Bowie (who has been re-named) has been in our home for 2 days now.  It's funny, because I have worried that I wouldn't feel bonded to an older cat, and have often overlooked that possibility when rescuing an animal.  Who doesn't love a cute little kitten?  Well, as is the case with our boy, Ziggy Stardust, he went from an adorable little fluff to a 20 pound behemoth seemingly overnight.  Well, Bowie has completely changed my mind about adult rescues.

He's a chocolate point Siamese, and he looks so fancy!  He's sleek and alien-esque with his piercing blue eyes and pointed face.  He's also a professional grade snuggler.  I've never had a cat this affectionate, and I love my cats.  This guy wants to be on you or near you at all times.  He warmed up to my husband and I with very little effort on our part....the toddler he's still not sure about, but sometimes neither are we!  hahaha

He's in perfect health, outside of a mild sinus infection, which we are treating with antibiotics, and he's had some tummy issues because I didn't even have the time to figure out what food he was eating when it came time for me to pick him up.  Our vet did some blood work, and he's free from communicable diseases.  Once he's done with his antibiotics, we will start introducing him to the other cats.  Right now he's quarantined in our guest bedroom/bathroom (which is also our son, Ethan's bathroom).  Ethan noticed the cat sand and said, "Oh no! My tub's all dirty," but he's the first one to say goodbye to the "new cat" when we leave, so I'm pretty sure he'll get over it.

I've been sleeping in the guestroom with him at night, because Siamese cats are talkers, and Ethan can hear him and responds with a "meow" in return.  If Bowie is left to his own devices, he and Ethan would have a conversation through the bathroom door all night long.  As a result, Bowie is very bonded to me.

My husband and I have been diligently giving him his medicine, set up his own kitty fountain, and have started sprinkling probiotics on his food for his tummy issues.  I'm even cleaning his nose with a wet cotton ball if it gets a little runny.  We have made absolutely sure that Bowie knows that his needs will be met, after being orphaned and having a traumatic change in setting.

Bowie is not unique, as you can tell by all of the shelter animals with similar stories.  Many of these fur babies do not have a good outcome, as was the case with Garfield.  I'm going to be sharing with you Bowie's story of becoming integrated into our home, what it eventually takes to make him less afraid of our toddler, how the other cats respond to him, and he to them.  I want to use Bowie's story as a warning to make arrangements for your pets if they outlive you.  You should even go so far as to set aside a little money, so that whomever ends up adopting your baby can care for them without worrying about the cost of vet bills.

This first blog is a little dry, but as those of you who know me can attest, my writings and updates will get more humorous.  This is his origin story.  Once we introduce him to Ziggy Stardust, I have a feeling stuff will get more than a little crazy.  You can also follow us along on Bowie's Instagram page, because animals and toddlers are really funny together, and the combination of Ethan is Bowie is cuteness overload.