7/27/21 – It was a very tough week for many of our rescue friends who reached out to 4p1h for help. These are all very sad stories but I strongly believe that no life should pass without being remembered. – Diana.RIP – Wicket. It was Friday when Jennifer, his foster mom, saw that Wicket was having a difficult time urinating. As a kitty with CH (cerebellar hypoplasia) this can be especially troubling. The first two hospitals could not see him so Jennifer ended up at an emergency hospital which is not a partner with us but we all know that sometimes you have to do what you have to do. The vet there quoted two options for surgery and one was chosen. By the next day, Wicket still had not urinated and was being syringe fed. The hospital was contacted and they recommended Wicket be brought back in . When Wicket got there, it was determined that Wicket’s bladder had burst. Sadly, it was decided to let Wicket cross the Rainbow Bridge. Here is Jennifer’s memorial: “My heart is broken…. We had to say goodbye to our sweet, quirky, wobbly, cuddle bug. I was by his side as he crossed the rainbow bridge and is no longer in pain. We will miss his crazy antics, 4am calls, thumping on my bedroom door, running/thumping his way to the door to greet me, and the occasional crash. But most of all, I will miss him pressing his head to my shoulder when I held him and his long tail that was wagging all the way to his last breath. In his 4 short years, he taught us about Cerebellar Hypoplasia and about accommodating needs for a special kitty. Goodbye sweet boy, until we meet again. Run free and jump high as a whole kitty without any restraints. A special thanks to 4 Paws 1 Heart for helping with his medical treatment and surgery. Unfortunately the process was just too much for his tired body. – Jennifer”
7/26/21 – ALL PAWS ON DECK – Sweet Stripes is once again looking for his furever home. You might remember Stripes who had been cared for as a stray cat. He started limping and then eventually was seen using only 3 legs. We were contacted for help and after being x-rayed it was determined that his arm/leg would have to be amputated to the shoulder. This was successfully done in April. After a 3-week trial foster to adopt, he was adopted. But, unfortunately, his adopters say that Stripes isn’t working out in their home. For some reason he seems to be stressed and shy. Stripes went back to his medical foster this past weekend while attempts are made to find him a furever, loving home. He gets along with other cats and uses his litter box without any problems. He just has a problem grooming on his one side because of only one leg on that side. But anyone who has the luxury for a fur child knows that grooming your cat/dog strengthens your bond. Stripes has no other issues. He has been through so much and deserves a break. If you are interested in giving this boy a furever, loving home, please contact Cindy at: [email protected] share – diana4paws1heart.org/doonations/
We know you remember our sweet baby Scout (now known as Jinx) . If you remember Jinx tested positive for FeLv. It was devastating news but he was adopted by the most wonderful family and his best friend is Gemma the dog His Mom works with Dr. Kern so she knew the complications involved but vowed to give Jinx the very best life and he sure does have that..the very, very best life! Yesterday mom got a message from Jinxs mom and the news was not good. We are soooo sad Jinx is sick and sooo very sad for his mom, dad and Gemma. Please send them good thoughts, and prayers as they go through this very difficult time with Jinx. Below is from Jinx’s mom ….. “We got some sad news today. Our cat, Jinx, who we adopted in December has not been eating well recently. We took him to the vet today, and after several tests, found out he has a large mass or extremely large lymph node in his abdomen. He also has a high white count and is anemic. We adopted him knowing he had Feline Leukemia. He is only 10 months old and probably won’t be with us much longer. He’s such a cool cat and he’s Gemma’s best friend. “
7/23/21 – Warning Graphic Photo – On Tuesday, July 20, Hailie sent an e mail advising that on the previous Friday morning, right before she started a new job, a big, friendly, long haired black (ear tipped) ‘feral’ went up to Hailie and she saw a very, very large open wound on his neck. It looked like it was a puncture/bite that turned into an abscess which ruptured. We were able to make arrangements for Kibben to be seen yesterday, but poor Hailie was having problems trapping him. Fortunately, we have a ‘master trapper’ in our Village and she contacted Hailie and gave some advice. And, thankfully, during the early morning hours, Kibben was successfully trapped and thankfully, the veterinary hospital was able to take Kibben in this morning. It turns out that Kibben is a very sweet cat who didn’t even need to be put under to be snap tested or have his wounds (neck and ear) cleaned and treated. The doctor felt it best to not close the wound. Unfortunately, he did test positive for FIV, but as we’ve said before, this is not a death knell. Kibben was given antibiotics and pain medication. The doctor said it would take about 2-3 weeks for the wound to heal. Hailie would love to find a furever home for him and if anyone could help out by taking him in, she would very much appreciate it. At this time, Hailie is caring for her mom while working a part-time job. If anyone is interested in giving this handsome boy a home, please contact Hailie at: [email protected] – diana4paws1heart.org/donations/
7/22/21 – A friend of 4 Paws 1 Heart, Aimee, has been TNR’ing in St. Clair Shores, MI. Taco, Mole’, and Beef (orange kitty) have been with Aimee since the time their eyes opened. The other four — Share, Prince, Sunny, and Coco were with Aimee for a shorter period of time but everyone is socialized, neutered/spayed, vaccinated, and tested. They are all looking for their furever homes and we are thankful that we could be there to help Aimee with her amazing efforts. If you are interested in any of these babies, check out our Petfinder page which we offer to independent rescuers to help them find adopters for their rescued animals. OR, contact Aimee at: [email protected] if you are in the nearby vicinity, check out these kittens at the Pet Supplies Plus Kitten Room coordinated by our Board Member, Dee Brown Gudenau. It’s not enough to just fund the medical treatment for stray animals but we also try to help in the adoption process by offering opportunities only afforded to 501c3 non-profit organizations such as ours. Again, thank you to the Village! – diana.4paws1heart.org/donations/
In March, 2021 we posted about Cali. Although she is very feral, she had been living in the backyard and porch of Bob and Danielle, very serious animal lovers, for 8 years. They estimated Cali to be around 8 years old. Every morning, Cali and two other feral cats would show up for breakfast where they would be fed in the kitchen and then off they would go back to the outdoors. They wanted no part of the tame world.It was in March that Bob had contacted us about Cali. She appeared to be in pain and was not eating as usual . After visiting two vets, it was determined that Cali had stomatitis and needed some teeth removed but neither vet would do it. After already spending a considerable amount to get the diagnosis without a cure, Bob was referred to us. After a little bit of a bumpy road because most vets will not do a ‘same-day’ surgery, Cali had nine teeth removed and was given meds. She was doing great until July came along. Bob contacted me and said that Cali could not even drink the milk or bone broth he was now given her. She appeared to be in great pain again. This time, Dr. Patterson, of Patterson Veterinary Hospital took charge. Understanding the situation with Cali and the fact that trapping her is beyond difficult, he agreed to fit Cali in whenever Bob could get her and examine and perform the surgery as needed the same day. Cali had all but her canine fangs extracted and Bob reports that Cali is back to her old self — crazy feral but eating without pain. He doesn’t know if it was the teeth causing the pain or the infection. Paws crossed that Cali can maintain because we do know that Stomatitis can return. Thank you to Bob and Danielle for being so caring and thank you, again, to our great doctors and our donors. – diana.4paws1heart.org/donations/1,528People reached173EngagementsBoost post
7/21/21 – Flokie was rescued from the outside when she was just one week old. Her finder bottle fed her for three weeks and called us because Folkie wasn’t moving his bowels and his little penis was swollen. On 6/29, his finder contacted us for help. Folkie was seen by one of our veterinarians on 3 occasions, at the last one he was kept overnight. He had been given medications and an enema but nothing had worked. Finally he had a bowel movement and today he is doing great. His rescuer said that “He’s Small But Mighty”. He is scheduled to go to his furever family next week. YEAH!! A huge thanks to Claudia his savior, his new family, and our many donors and veterinarians who work with us. – diana.4paws1heart.org/donations/
7/21/21 – Prince Update – He was left to die on a huge chain wrapped around his neck. This was at the height of the brutal month of January, 2021. He was malnourished, infested with fleas, and fly bites from the summer. He had a severe rash around his neck. After his rescue he tested positive for heart worm. Unfortunately, he had to get much stronger before he could start his treatment but we made sure he was monitored. He finally ended all treatment and was recently seen by one of our great partner vets and he got a clean bill of health. So very happy for this boy. – Diana.4paws1heart.org/donations/
7/20/21 – Last Wednesday evening I received a call from a rescuer we have often helped. Here is the story of Baxter and Tawny:”They were found at Hall’s nursery and were initially put in a safe space out of the weather in hopes that the mom would come back. The next day they were still alone; there was no mom in sight. The store employees reached out to me for help and when the kittens were brought to me, I realized that the smallest one, Baxter had a botfly. He was very listless, rolled up in a ball and not responding to any food at that time and the other kitten, Tawny, appeared to be aspirating as she was blowing bubbles out of her nose. – Patricia” Patricia contacted me and because the day veterinaries were all closed, I contacted our friends at Advanced Animal Emergency who advised to bring the kittens into the hospital. The kittens were seen shortly after arrival and the botfly was removed from Baxter and he was put on antibiotics. Tawny was x-rayed to determine if she had fluid in her lungs and none was found. But, she did have fluid in her sinuses. She was also put on antibiotics.and Baxter was put on Antibiotics, next morning he was vocal and had a good appetite and is doing great. By the next morning both were doing well, eating, drinking, and playing.Patricia believes the kittens are not from the same litter, as Baxter is only 6.7 oz. and his teeth are just now starting to come in, so she believes he is about 2+ weeks old. Tawny, on the other hand, is 9 oz. and her teeth are fully in and she is more than likely 3+ weeks old. Anyone interested in adopting these babies when they are old enough should contact Patricia at: [email protected] contacted the finders and no other kittens were found; there are multiple cats in the area, so the mother couldn’t be determined. They appear to be taken care of by a neighbor but, unfortunately, she has not TNR’d any of them. Obviously situation that needs to be addressed. But, again, the number of these types of situations are overwhelming. The wonderful volunteers who do trap/neuter/return are overwhelmed and under-resourced. The low-cost clinics are doing the best they can but still behind because of the restrictions and closures of 2020. Most often the individual rescuers are using their own money or asking 4 Paws 1 Heart for help. In the past ten years we have helped hundreds of TNR projects but because my resources are limited, I have not had the time to go after grants as many much larger rescues are able to do. Consequently, we have had to rely on our very generous donors. – diana.4paws1heart.org/donations/
His Mom works with Dr. Kern so she knew the complications involved but vowed to give Jinx the very best life and he sure does have that..the very, very best life! Yesterday mom got a message from Jinxs mom and the news was not good. We are soooo sad Jinx is sick and sooo very sad for his mom, dad and Gemma. Please send them good thoughts, and prayers as they go through this very difficult time with Jinx. Below is from Jinx’s mom ….. 
