Fletcher lived outside for a few years up until recently where a kind family let him inside. He is semi feral and FIV positive, but the couple is letting him go at his own pace.. 4 paws 1 heart is covering his medical while he is being provided food and shelter. We got him treated for an upper respiratory infection, vaccines, dewormer, treated his gastrointestinal issues, got him neutered, treating his current skin problem, etc..Unfortunately, Fletcher began scratching his skin raw. The doctor is not sure what the cause is because diagnostics aren’t pointing to anything specific. A hypoallergenic food is the next step to do a trial and see if it helps. This food is very expensive. $70 for a 7 lb bag.. Tomorrow I’ll be calling around to see if there are any affordable hypoallergenic foods. Not only is that price high for our non-profit, but whomever adopts him will they be able to afford this? Please keep paws crossed that we can help him.. ♡ Gina

1/17/22 – Wishing Betty White a Heavenly Birthday. She was surely met by the thousands of animals saved because of her advocacy. Her commitment to spay/neuter saved thousands more from being born on the streets with no one to care. 4 Paws 1 Heart has had a strong commitment to spaying and neutering every animal we assist. In the past 11 years we have helped over 9,000 animals and paid almost $1.2 million in medical treatment which included spay/neuter. Unlike female dogs who may not have their first heat until they are 6 months old (many breeds may not have their first heat until they are one year old), a female cat’s reproduction ability starts as early as 4 months old and can produce a litter every 3 months. This cycle will continue through most of her life unless she is spayed. Assuming that the female has an average of 5 kittens per litter, that is another 15 cats annually who will go on to either producing more kittens or impregnating females. You can easily do the math and understand why Ms. White was such an advocate of spay/neuter. We can never stop humane euthanasia in the shelters or death on the streets until we can reduce the overpopulation of our stray and abandoned animals. Having said that I also want to acknowledge the importance of low-cost clinics. Without All About Animals Rescue, Comfort’s Place, The PAWS Clinic, and the Humane Society of St. Clair (SNAP), 4 Paws 1 Heart could not have afforded to spay/neuter/vaccinate the many animals we have helped since 2010. And, without them, many responsible pet owners could not have afforded to do the same. Here are two commitments 4 Paws 1 Heart has recently made for cat communities we have been asked to help. For one project, we were asked by the manager of The PAWS Clinic in Taylor if we could sponsor the spay/neuter of a large community that they were contacted about. As the cats come in, we cover the expense. In the other recent project which is closer to Grand Rapids we were asked by a friend of 4 paws 1 Heart who does a great deal of TNR locally, if we could help in a situation where there is about 20+ cats. In all of these cases, it takes a Village (as I’ve said so often). It takes someone to identify the issue and to coordinate trappers, transporters, and sponsors, and then finding that low-cost clinic who will work on a schedule that is not always easily planned.So, in honor of the beloved Betty White, I ask our supporters to consider donating in honor of her love and support for the voiceless. Remember that 100% of your donation goes directly to the medical treatment of those who have no one else. – diana.4paws1heart.org/donations/P.O. Bos 84, St. Clair Shores, MI. 48080#BettyWhiteChallenge

CHANCE: Good morning God, it’s me Chancie. You know all about Georgie right? Well, a malfunction happened with his carrier yesterday when his foster mommy was leaving Dr. Zs with him and he got out. It’s a wooded area and he’s lost! His foster mom was out there late last night looking and this morning his foster mom, my mom and her friends are all headed there with traps and trail cam and yummy food to find Georgie. Please help them catch Georgie, please keep Georgie safe! Everyone is beside themselves, we know you can help!Amen

It is with a heavy heart that I post this update on the kitty brought to me yesterday morning. I don’t really want to get into the details of everything that happened today, but I want to thank everyone for your prayers, support, and positive thoughts. The hardest part of rescue is when you have to make the most difficult decision.. When this little 5 pound fur ball was brought to Moore Veterinary Hospital yesterday I was certain we would find out what was wrong and come up with a way to fix whatever was broken, save her, and give her a 2nd chance. It’s always an adrenaline rush because seeing an animal go from the streets to a wonderful happy life is by far the most rewarding feeling.. However, there comes a time where we cannot always save them no matter how many tests we run, or how desperately our heart wants it to happen.. Whatever is going on with her is neurological and progressive. All 4 limbs are affected, she can not urinate or deficate on her own, she is weak and frail. We trust our veterinarian, and we are not going to prolong her suffering. Rest peacefully sweet girl…you are loved. ♡ Gina

1/12/22 – Once again Prayers are in need for this little girl who was found outside last night. The kind woman who got her out of the cold transported her to Moore Veterinary Hospital this morning where Dr. Burcham examined her and began several diagnostics. Radiographs and bloodwork results were normal, feluk/fiv test was negative, ultrasound to check for blood clot and abnormalities in the heart all appeared normal. No bruising, wounds, or unusual marks on the body. Her ear was tipped meaning she has been fixed and released. Her age is about 7 months and she is beautiful…very scared. The doctor suspected possible embolism (blood clot), head trauma, toxoplasmosis, or some condition that is progressive causing the neurological symptoms. It’s very hard to describe the way she moves so I’ll post a video once I can. I brought her home tonight to observe her over the next few days Gina

1/11/22 – Below freezing temps and a person throws out a mom and four 7-month old kittens. They were left in a carrier and and when they were finally rescued, one kitten was found dead. A person who we’ve helped before requested our help and because of our many supporters, we were able to say YES!! They will all be going to one of our favorite low-cost clinics, Comfort’s Place, in Redford owned by a good friend, Deb Friedman, who is also dedicated to rescue and TNR. The rescuer thinks the mom might be pregnant again. I introduce you to Mama Priscilla, Tigger, Sonny, and Sabrina. – diana.4paws1heart.org/donations/

1/10/22- Queenie’s owner was killed and after his death, his friend used Queenie for breeding. A friend of Queenie’s deceased owner learned that Queenie had been brought to the Detroit Animal Control Center and started the search for her because she knew how much Queenie meant to her friend. She put out the word that she was trying to locate Queenie at the DACC. Finally, just before Christmas the rescuer was notified that Queenie had been located and had tested positive for heart worm. Queenie would have certainly been euthanized because of the cost of treatment and the lack of room at the Center. She is now safe and will be seen by one of our vets and then treated for heart worm. – diana.4paws1heart.org/donations/

https://www.facebook.com/4Paws1Heart/videos/2121290254693702

1/6/22 – A few days ago I received the following from a very caring man who fell in love with a stray cat who kept appearing on his porch shortly after his family moved in to their new home:”Iggy is approximately 13-15 years old I’d say, he’s a black cat and starting to get some white mixed in from age. He’s a funny guy, loves just hanging out and being lazy. We adopted him when we moved into our new place two months ago. He was living outside and he came in when I opened the door for him — like he belonged here. None of the neighbors recognized him so we just kept him since it was cold and he seemed to have been outside for a while. He’s house trained and acts like an indoor cat, so he fit right in. He’s been fine up until a few weeks ago when he stopped eating his regular dry food. I thought he was just being finicky, so I tried a few new brands and even switched to wet, but finally he started losing weight and would only lick the gravy off the wet food. I started feeding him pate with a syringe last week. He seems like he’s in ok spirits, but he definitely is not well, and very low energy for him and you can see he lost weight.”

We arranged for Iggy to quickly see one of our partner vets. X-rays were performed of Iggy’s abdomen and the doctor saw what she believes is a small tumor around the area where his small and large intestines meet. It looked a little bigger than a golf ball. Iggy also had blood work done and it showed some raised levels that could indicate cancer. The doctor also saw where Iggy was constipated and took care of that along with giving him some fluids. The doctor said that surgery was possible but if it was cancer (which she felt most likely because of its location), the surgery would only give Iggy a possible 6 months to a year. For now the family will be keeping Iggy as comfortable as possible. After his doctor visit he’s been resting with the family’s daughter whom he has loves. Iggy’s rescuers and new family tell me that he is a very sweet guy and that they have truly fallen in love with him. I advised Sean to keep me informed in case there was anything we could do for this poor guy who may have been thrown into the wild after his family moved from that particular home. I am forever thankful that animals like Iggy will not meet a terrible death on the streets but instead will be loved and cared for in their final days. Please remember this family and Iggy in your prayers tonight. – diana.