Casey in Malvern PA -- High Dose Cat

Update 5/16/10--Casey is at peace. I heard from Diana--

We had to put Casey down on Friday. He was very sick. He stopped eating and could barely walk. The vet said he had so many things wrong with him, most importantly that the mass in his pancreas had gotten larger since his ultrasound in March . He seemed so sad and just hid in the kitchen. It broke my heart but I know we made the right decision. He was a great cat ...I wish you could have met him. I can't talk now. I'm too upset.

Fly free and land softly Casey. (((((Diana))))) You gave Casey the greatest gift--of freedom and wholeness--even though it broke your heart to do so. May you in time smile at your memories of your dear boy. ********************************************************* Initial post 4/25/10--Maine Coon Rescue, which helped DCIN locate Eeyore, sent Casey our way. His owner was looking to rehome him. This is the info I received.

Date of Birth: 20 Feb 2000 Diabetic - take insulin injections (Lantus) 18 units twice daily and is on special diet - Purina DM (dry) Hill wd (wet) Cushings Disease Casey originally belonged to my mother but she could no longer take care of him due to being elderly (85) with a severe heart condition. I took him in last year but lost my job 9 months ago

I called the owner, Diana, and we chatted, and she said she would keep Casey if she could get financial help. Because I have no personal experience with Cushings or other high dose conditions, I invited Diana onto the High Dose forum of the Feline Diabetes Message Board. She showed up there immediately. This is the thread on the FDMB High Dose forum that I started and Diana joined to talk about Casey's condition and next steps. Casey has tested positive on one of the Cushings tests, but not the other (and both are unreliable). The folks on the High Dose forum suggested that Casey have the Acromegaly and Insulin Auto Antibodies (IAA) tests from Michigan State University. Diana has made arrangements with her vet for the tests for to be run, and DCIN has received donations and pledges of $175 for these tests. Casey is courtesy posted on PetFinder by MCR, but hopefully we will be able to help so that Casey can stay with Diana.

Tigger in North Central PA; Fuzzy is GA

TIGGER now has his furever home FUZZY, Fly free dear girl Update 10/6/10--From the rescue person:

Great news - yes - he's been adopted and is doing very well. His diabetes is totally being managed through diet. Thank you so much for all you do to help diabetic cats, and thank you for posting my sweet guy.

*********************************************************** Update 6/8/10--I found out that Fuzzy is GA, euthanized last week for liver failure. Fly free, dear Fuzzy. Your family may have left you in your final days, but you grabbed so many new hearts. The rescue person told me:

Tigger, though, is doing very well - in his new foster (probably LONG-term foster) home. His foster 'dad' will keep him indefinitely, even though he says he's 'fostering.' However the gentleman is 90! Luckily he comes from a family known for its longevity - he has a brother who is 99 and a sister who's 96. And since Tigger will be 13 in November, we're hoping that the timing will work out for them. But if a permanent home comes up - who knows.

DCIN is keeping Tigger on its list as a courtesy post as long as the rescue he is with has him on Adopt-A-Pet. *********************************************************** Update 4/26/10--An email from the rescue:

Good news/bad news. Good news: I think i may have already told you that Tigger's BG level was checked again last week. It was 86 - which is where it has been during his 4 weeks of canned-only food. Bad news: They are losing their foster home. The foster mom's home owner assoc. found out about them and has given her 2 weeks to make other arrangements for them. So - they are now on the DESPERATE list, and any additional help you could provide would be appreciated - especially updating their blog indicating that a permanent home is needed ASAP. Their original owners will take them back temporarily, but i cringe at that thought, as you might imagine. I seriously doubt if Tigger will get the care he needs, even though it's minimal - just a regular feeding schedule, so I'm not going that route except as an absolute LAST resort.

****************************************************************** Update 4/17/2010--Tigger and Fuzzy are highly bonded littermates in rescue with Kats by Keithan. The rescue says:

I would just like to stress that they are wonderful, loving, affectionate cats that love attention and don’t deserve what’s happened to them. They don’t ask/require much—just some TLC. I TRULY believe that they need to be adopted as a pair, for Fuzzy’s survival. If this is impossible, then I will allow them to be separated, and then do the best that I can for Fuzzy. The cats are still together, in a foster home, and I strongly believe that they MUST remain together. Tigger would probably be able to adapt to a new home without Fuzzy, but Fuzzy would NEVER be able to survive (literally) without Tigger.

I don’t know about you, but for me there comes a time that I feel my cats are finally “broken in” and totally understand the rhythms of the house and my moods and nonverbal clues. From reading what I have about Tigger and Fuzzy, I feel they are at that point in their lives. Cool, laid back, loving adult cats. They are 12YO bonded littermates being fostered in Milton PA. Tigger is a diabetic, altered male gray tiger. Fuzzy is not diabetic, and she is an altered tortoiseshell. They are indoor cats, front declawed, of average build, and weighing about 10 pounds each. Tigger is currently diet controlled (based on occasional blood glucose tests at the vet) and eats only canned food. His appetite is excellent. Fuzzy prefers dry food, although the rescue is working to convert her to wet food. Her appetite is improving, and although she is not eating a lot, she is eating regularly. The transition to the foster home was very difficult for her. Fuzzy is extremely friendly, and happy to greet you when she sees you. She loves to be petted and purrs happily. So far, she has not been interested in being held, but she likes to be close on her own terms, like sitting next to you, and rubbing against you. This may change as she grows close to a new owner. She likes to sleep where she feels safe—up off the floor in a place where she can have privacy. Right now she is sleeping on a table near a pile of clean clothes, and enjoys being petted there. Tigger is even more friendly than Fuzzy, is comfortable being held, and likes to sit on your lap. He is a bit more brave and easygoing than his sister. He will constantly purr and rub on you if you are in the room with him. He often sleeps sprawled out on the floor, and almost never hides. Both Tigger and Fuzzy are very easy to deal with and handle, including at the vet’s office. Both cats would prefer a quiet stable home. Although they seem to be fine around other cats, they are nervous around dogs, and we suspect they also would be nervous around children. Tigger was diagnosed diabetic after coming into the rescue based on classic clinical symptoms—excessive thirst and frequent urination. He has never been diabetic ketoacidotic or hypoglycemic. He is not accustomed to hometesting of blood sugar. All testing has been done at the vet’s office. There are no other known health or behavior problems. Both cats are up-to-date with rabies and distemper shots. Fuzzy recently tested FIV/FeLV negative. Fuzzy and Tigger have always been together, and never outdoors, so Tigger was not tested. Vet records, although possibly incomplete, are available. The rescue could arrange for a potential adopter to speak with the cats’ current vet. At present, the cats are not at risk of euthanasia. But, the rescue is unable to keep them, so a permanent home is absolutely necessary as quickly as possible. If one does not become available in a reasonable length of time, the rescue will have to pursue other options, such as a no-kill rescue facility. ******************************************************************************* Initial post, 4/14/10--More details coming soon. 12 YO Tigger (male, 1st photo) is diabetic; 12 YO Fuzzy (female, 2nd photo) is Tigger's bonded littermate. Would like to place them together. The parents no longer wanted them (kids had grown and moved out), so they were scheduled to go into the local high kill shelter when they were rescued by Kats by Keithan. With post-rescue vetting, Tigger was found to be diabetic. Adopt-A-Pet links for Tigger and Fuzzy. They currently are in a foster home.

Rest Peacefully, Ruthie

August 8, 2012--More than two years after Ruthie found Marty's true heart, she has moved on from her Earthly journey. Pretty little 13-yr-old Ruthie had a sudden and rapid decline in her health. Marty first noticed symptoms of unwellness on Saturday, took Ruthie to the vet on Monday for blood work, and learned that Ruthie had completely lost her kidney function. Ruthie was in total renal failure and nothing could be done for her. Marty held Ruthie as Dr. Alice helped her to the Bridge.

You were one of DCIN's early placements, Ruthie.You are very special to us, little girl. I know your Mama's heart is broken in pieces. Please send her whisker kisses and rainbow dreams to help her heal. Have a great time in the meadow by the Bridge chasing butterflies and waiting for your Mama and all your kitty friends to join you. ~Venita

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June 18, 2011--Ruthie will be going to the vet for her annual wellness check-up today, and DCIN will be paying up to $200 for an exam and bloodwork/urinalysis.

DCIN would like to find friends for Ruthie to sponsor her for a total of $70 a month. DCIN is providing Ruthie, always a member of the DCIN family, insulin, testing supplies, and vetting when we are able. It is the insulin (ProZinc, which DCIN often has to buy), postage to mail supplies, and vetting that uses DCIN's cash. Before the vet visit, Ruthie's account is about ($200); therefore, her cash costs are paid by DCIN's unrestricted moneys unless we can find her sponsors. If you would like to join Ruthie's sponsors, please choose a sponsorship amount, let us know whether we may tell Marty that you are a sponsor, and click on "I Sponsor Ruthie" smilie. Thanks!

Choose Amount

Small : $5.00USD - monthly Medium : $10.00USD - monthly Large : $20.00USD - monthly XL : $25.00USD - monthly

Should DCIN let Marty know you are a sponsor?

Yes No

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Update 1/23/11--In December 2010, Ruthie went back onto insulin. To get to the reasons behind her high blood glucose levels, DCIN paid for a vet visit. (Marty continues to be unemployed.) Ruthie was found to have several feline oral resorptive lesions and also a skin tumor.

Ruthie with love-smitten Smokie

DCIN fundraised for Ruthie and she had her surgery just a few days ago. The vet extracted five teeth, and we await the pathology on the tumor. Ruthie is recovering well from her procedures. DCIN also is helping Ruthie with testing supplies.

Marty truly loves her little girl, and she is overwhelmed with the empathy of her DCC friends and the rest of the FD community toward that bond. DCIN also wants to thank the members and board of Diabetic Cat Cat (DCC) who made a generous donation of $600 to DCIN to help DCC cats. Ruthie received $200 of that support.

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Update 5/8/10--Ruthie has a permanent home!! Someone on the DCC Board asked Marty whether Ruthie was still a foster. Marty replied.

And as far as "fostering" Ruthie --- well, I guess I should let everybody in on my secret. To be honest? I don't do foster cats. Any kitty who finds its way to my house for residential purposes is never on a trial basis; to get through the door to my home, you first go through my heart which is one-way only. Ruthie has never been a foster kitty to me. That's why I am so cautious to make SURE I can take them first, because I know I can never let them go.

You've always been mine, little Ruthie.

I want to thank Marty, from the bottom of my heart, for being there to save Ruthie from certain death. It was touch and go that weekend, but Ruthie made it out alive and into the best place ever.

And, BTW, Ruthie had one shot of insulin at the vet and has stayed under 105 ever since. There were issues with inappetance and an upper respiratory infection, which spread to the two other cats in Marty's home, but every one seems on the mend now.

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Initial Post, April 22, 2010--I received an email on the evening of Saturday, April 10, 2010 saying that Ruthie had to be claimed (adopted or rescued) from the Douglas GA County Shelter before she was selected on Monday for euthanasia on Tuesday. We had no information about her health or purrsonality other than what I received in the email.

No: 1792
Name: Ruthie
Black/White Beauty with Gold Sparkling Eyes.

Ruthie is a spayed, 6 year old beauty who was turned in to the Douglas County Shelter today by her lifelong owners because they said they could not afford her insulin shots once she was diagnosed with diabetes.

This sweet girl is so confused about being removed from the only home she has ever known, to be thrust into a cold, locked, steel cage. She does not understand why she can no longer lay on her comfy couch, and go get tasty food and fresh water any time she wants.

Ruthie's longevity is in serious jeopardy due to her medical condition so she needs to be rescued ASAP (before Tuesday!).

Pull and transport is available to LOCAL licensed rescues.

Sunday morning was a rush to action. DCIN Case Worker Marvie immediately offered to foster in Virginia, Abby (who is the rescue person for Bean in GA) agreed to send paperwork as a GA-licensed rescue to have Ruthie pulled, and Marty of DCC offered to serve as a temporary and then a permanent foster (maybe even leading to adoption). We were all set for Marty to get Ruthie on Monday.

The process then got snarled when the local rescue person, Pat, sent me an email saying Ruthie was FIV+. Although she later said that she mistakenly put information about a different cat into the email about Ruthie, it immediately caused us to pause. Pat then came back and told us that Ruthie had received an FIV vaccine earlier in life, but we knew that because those antibodies test as FIV+, and there is no test to distinguish between FIV antibodies and virus, Ruthie was an FIV questionable cat. Because this was a "rush job," DCIN hadn't had the time to do our normal methodical evaluation of the cat. Neither Marvie or Marty were able to accept an FIV questionable cat into their homes, although Marty offered a temporary shelter of no more than two weeks. Abby offered fostering after that.

Pat took the extraordinary step of getting a reprieve for Ruthie and taking her to the vet on Tuesday for FIV/FeLV testing. She was negative, and Marty picked her up the same day, what would have been Ruthie's final day on this earth.

After getting Ruthie and her medical records, Marty said she didn't see anywhere that Ruthie has received an FIV vaccine at any point in her life. She has had regular check ups, rabies shots, distemper and FeLV shots, but no FIV.

Ruthie's BG level at the vet was 383 and she was given 2U of ProZinc. That was her first and, so far, only insulin shot. The last Marty posted Ruthie's numbers on DCC, on April 19, she was down to 109, all on her own.

It also turned out her birthday was April 4, 1999, so she was 11, not 6YO.

Ruthie's first week with Marty has been tough. Ruthie was not eating, although she was drinking and peeing OK, purring, being affectionate. Marty's describes Ruthie's introduction to her two boys:

I decided to carry Ruthie around the house and give her a little tour. Smokey was very interested in her and wanted to sniff, and Bouncer was simply watching. However, RUTHIE is the one that wanted to play hard to get with the boys!!! When she saw my cats, she hissed and growled at both of them, which in turn caused THEM to hiss and growl right back at her.

Well, finally got that calmed down, and at one point I placed Ruthie in the top barrel of Bouncer and Smokey's kitty condo. Ruthie loved it; I guess she felt safe there but still had a good observation point.

Well, Stealth Bouncer climbed up when no one was looking, and before I knew it I heard all sorts of commotion!! But it wasn't Bouncer and Ruthie, it was SMOKEY growling and hissing and chasing BOUNCER!!! Smokey, my laid-back, simple-minded, happy-as-long-as-I'm-fed-and-loved cat, apparently wants Ruthie for his own (although she's not interested in him), and he was ENRAGED with Bouncer for getting too close to his girl, and Smokey was aggressively chasing poor Bouncer, my alpha cat, all over the house, and batting his paws at him and growling and everything!! Good grief!! And here I am, running after these two battling cats with their fur flying and hair standing on end and tails fluffed out to 6 inch diameter, trying to catch either one of them without getting bit to pieces!!!

On April 18, Marty wrote:

The good news is, she IS eating MORE herself - but still ONLY eating yogurt. But she has eaten at least a full cup of it today, possibly a few spoons more than that. I don't like her getting that many carbs, but at least I feel better that she's getting some CALORIES, and at least SOME protein, and she's doing it voluntarily by herself, without being force fed. So I know she WANTS to eat, and still has an appetite, and hasn't given up, and I really didn't want to have to force her to eat with a syringe and make her even more miserable. This is a very good sign and I'm encouraged that she is finally adapting to her new life with us.

However, since she has shown no preference for ANY kind of cat food, it looks like I will just have to make the decision for her and select something myself - probably the Friskies turkey, it's predominantly what my two boys eat - and I'll start mixing tiny amounts in with her yogurt and gradually increase the ratio. If I do it slowly enough, hopefully she won't notice it enough to turn her nose up at it in the beginning, and eventually she'll be eating more "real" food instead of just the yogurt.

Also, Bouncer is still hissing at Smokey, but he has calmed down a good bit. Smokey will hiss back if I give them the opportunity to work themselves into a "hissy fit," but I've tried to stay on top of them enough to keep it from escalating to that point.

For this afternoon/evening, Bouncer has been on the sofa beside me, Smokey has had free reign, and I also opened Ruthie's door and let her out so she could explore. Amazingly, things have gone VERY well. Bouncer hissed at her a couple of times when she got too close to him, but otherwise she has been appropriately curious and checking things out. She found a hiding spot once but only stayed there for about 10 minutes, then came back out and walked around again, sniffing and looking. Smokey is absolutely enthralled; he watches her with complete adoration in his eyes. I swear, it is so cute! At one point while I was on the computer tonight (still with Ruthie's door open, she's been coming and going as she pleases), Ruthie was in here with me and Smokey decided to come in, and he'll only come as close as Ruthie will let him. If she doesn't want him any closer, she'll hiss just a little bit, and he'll back away and lie down and just worship her from afar. I swear he's in love!

And she is holding her own and doing fine. She's still very affectionate, very curious, completely alert, still grooming and using the potty, she sleeps sometimes in her kitty cube, sometimes on her flat bed out in the open room, sometimes on the floor by my feet, she rubs against my legs and loves to be stroked and petted, she WILL back away as if frightened if you try to pet her on TOP of her head, and I HOPE she has not been hit before; I try not to even think about it, I just give her lots of love and assurance and talk to her a lot and snuggle with her.

Marty continues to work on getting Ruthie to eat. On April 20 she wrote:

The biggest problem we have faced since she has been with me has been finding something she is willing to eat that is appropriate for her, and in sufficient amounts. As of today (Monday April 19, 2010) her not-that-great-yet diet consists of whole-fat milk, whole-fat yogurt (both of these mixed with as much all meat baby food as I can manage to sneak in before she turns her nose up at it), grated cheese, and real bacon bits. I know that sounds like a terrible diet, but it's GOT to be better than dried kibble, table scraps of toaster streudel (which she was CLAWING me for yesterday!), and other high-carb poison.

Helen (at home with Frank)

Intial post--4/9/10--Frank (Darkness) is a new member of the FDMB, joining because he believes his 7YO Charlie might be diabetic. But that's another story. Frank's three cats are littermates, tuxedos, two males (Max and Charlie) and one female (Helen). None have ever seen a vet. They are intact and have never had vaccinations. Frank is unemployed. A couple days back, Frank came to the FDMB concerned that Helen had symptoms of a urinary tract infection.

She's going to the litter box over and over and over again with very little success and when she does manage to pee, she meows slightly in pain, this just started yesterday.

A few people on the FDMB PM'd me with concern that Helen needed to see a vet. DCIN paid most of the fees for her to see one yesterday.

Thanks to [DCIN], I was able to get her to a vet this morning ( I just got back.) The vet did a urinalysis, a blood test and an x ray. The urinalysis and blood test won't be ready until tomorrow morning so those are still up in the air. The x ray showed no evidence of stones. The vet said that translucent stones that aren't visible on x ray do exist but that they are rare. The blood test should rule things out and the urinalysis will check for bacteria. The vet said that her urine did "look cloudy" so it will be interesting to see how that goes.

Fly Free, dear Kitty

Goodbye Kitty, November 25, 2010--Kitty died on Thanksgiving morning. Here is what Missy wrote about Kitty's final days.

Last Tuesday, Kitty stopped eating. But even before that, I'd noticed some other changes. She didn't growl at cats who dared to enter her (my) bedroom. She tried out different chairs and beds and cat baskets in my apartment. She asked to go outside. She still sat at the entrance to the kitchen and watched me with disapproval written all over her face if I gave her the wrong food. But she seemed slower, calmer, slightly less engaged. I wanted to think she was finally settling in and had decided she wanted our home to be her home forever. But a tiny part of me wondered if she was okay, or if something might be wrong. Tuesday night, I took her to the local emergency room, and blood tests showed she had severe unregenerative anemia. When I spoke to my vet the next day, she agreed with the ER doctor that Kitty needed to see a specialist. I chose the referral hospital in Towson, although that might have been a mistake. After three days of testing and imaging and living in a cage in a brightly-lit room surrounded by barking dogs, Kitty was diagnosed with pancreatitis and possible, or probable, lymphoma or mast cell disease. The tests showed no signs of cancer, but the doctors were sure it was there, lurking, waiting to be found. But they agreed that I shouldn't subject my precious Kitty to more tests just yet. At home, she didn't eat on her own, and she rarely left her bed on the vanity in my bathroom. I gave her fluids and what seemed like truckloads of pills and liquid medications and syringed food into her three or four times a day. But nothing seemed to make any difference at all, and although I tried to be optimistic, I felt that the end was near. On our last night together, I sat with her and told her how much I loved her. I congratulated her on getting adopted again, this time by me, and promised that she would never, ever again be "returned" to a shelter. She purred, but I sensed that the Kitty I knew and loved was no longer there. The Kitty I knew talked nonstop and always let me know exactly what was on her mind. She sat on the pillows beside mine and purred me to sleep every night. She loved to dip her paw into her food and lick the food off the paw (messy, but cute). And she did the same thing with water. Her larger than life personality always made me laugh. Her story doesn't have the happy ending I envisioned. But for her, maybe it was a happy ending, after all. She was in her forever, really forever, home with someone who loved and respected her. For a cat who had been kicked around by heartless humans her entire life, maybe that was a happy ending. I hope so, but I wish it hadn't come so soon.

************************************************************* Update, 6/16/10, from Kitty's foster Mom--

Kitty and I have been working on trying to find her perfect insulin dose. I think we’re finally close with 1.5u of Levemir BID. She’s nice about testing. But then she knows her reward for being patient with me will be a can of Fancy Feast. Tender Liver and Chicken is her favorite. The other thing we’re working on is getting used to cats. My sweet and gentle Honey Cat is helping with this and could sit for hours just a few feet from Kitty blinking at her and trying to convince her she wants to be friends. So far, Kitty’s not seeing those blinks as a gesture of friendship, but she now allows Honey to be in the same room. That’s real progress! Although I think she’d be happier as an only cat, she could probably live comfortably with one or two other mellow, friendly indoor/outdoor cats. Kitty does enjoy her outdoor time. She’s a quirky, fun cat. She loves to dip a paw into her food and lick the food off her paw. She does the same thing with water. She touches me very softly with a paw when she wants attention, talks nonstop when we’re together and purrs me to sleep at night. I enjoy her company, and I know she’ll be a wonderful companion for the lucky person who adopts her.

******************************************************************************** Update 4/16/10--Basic Bio from Missy, Kitty's foster mom:

I am dropping all mention of Kitty's "Jasmyne" name. It was a shelter-assigned name; her family name was Kitty. There's nothing elegant or delicate about her. She's all feline, or Kitty. Kitty was diagnosed with diabetes more than two years ago. At first, her family took her to the vet often for curves, and her Lantus dose went up with each vet visit. She was up to four units (eight units a day) when the folks she lived with stopped taking her in for curves. She got the same dose for two years without ever being tested. As far as I know, she has no history of ketones or DKA. The only hypo incident I’m aware of occurred here on Wednesday when she went down into the 20s and stayed there for several hours despite mini-meals of high-carb Fancy Feast. Adding some Karo to the Fancy Feast finally brought her up to safe numbers. She showed no signs of hypo (though she was a bit growly, could have been from all the ear sticks) during either of her incidents. Her teeth need to be cleaned, and she’s had some bouts with both constipation and diarrhea since she’s been here. Otherwise, she has no health problems. Kitty was turned in to the Baltimore County shelter when she was six years old. She was adopted and returned six years later because her family’s new baby was allergic. They moved Kitty into the basement, where she was not happy and stopped using her litter box. Her litter box habits have been perfect since she’s been here. She’s never lived with other animals and is afraid of the cats who live here. She’s created her own “cat-free zone” in a bathroom and adjoining walk-through closet. Kitty is an indoor/outdoor cat, and according to her shelter intake records, enjoys being outside. The shelter vet did a complete blood panel when she arrived, and all of her values except for her blood glucose levels were in normal range.

********************************************************************** Initial post, 4/2/10--This is just a quick update to a post I put on the DCIN Yahoo Group. DCIN is working with Sara of the Baltimore Humane Society and a member of the FDMB, Missy and Little Grey, who is in rescue in Howard County, MD, to get more information on this little girl. The basics on Jasmyne from Sara so far are that she is 12YO, was DX diabetic in 2008 and hasn't seen the vet since then, although she has been receiving insulin BID. Jasmyne is active, friendly, eyes and nose are clear. She is on Lantus. Sara says if she can't get Jasmyne into a foster situation in the next couple of weeks of weeks, she is at risk of euthanasia, due to the costs of treating a diabetic. Sara agreed that if a local foster could be found, Jasmyne could receive her vet care at the shelter, and I agreed that DCIN would handle the insulin and diabetic supplies.

Stanley in WI--Fly Free Baby

Information about Stanley never made it to the DCIN Yahoo Group or to the Diabetic Cat Care message board. Everything went so fast, and so south. On Tuesday, Phoebe got a call from her vet. Someone had scheduled euthanasia for a recently diagnosed diabetic cat. The owner made an appt for PTS on Thursday morning. Phoebe posted the information on the FDMB. Phoebe and her husband Charlie tried to help, and Hope got involved as she too knew the vet. Apparently the owner was squeamish about injections -- not necessarily a financial problem of being able to afford treatment. Phoebe offered support in that regard, as well as sharing insulin and supplies. Charlie offered, if the cat was surrendered, to go to the vet clinic every day to test BG, feed and inject to reduce the boarding fee. FDMB members expressed significant concern, understandably, and they even started a petition to send to Stanley's owner. Dale offered Stanley a home, writing him this note:

Dear Stanley, I have heard that your owner is making a breath-taking decision for you today. I wish your owner would change his mind and let you come to live with me and the other diabetic kitties that share my home. There's Zena from Oklahoma, Charles from Missouri, Kelly from Pennsylvania, and Max who came from Illinois. Their owners chose "life" for them and they are very happy here. They get to sleep all day on the sofas or beds or cat trees. They get to go outside on the screened-in porch or in the penned area in the yard to lay in the grass and sun themselves. They'd love to have you share in their lifestyle and in their treatment for diabetes. I'm praying your owner will hear my plea and let you come to live with me. I pray he'll allow me to share your beauty, love, silly little quirks and know that I will love you and care for you and do so with a joyous heart. My home will be your forever home. You will never need to worry about leaving me. Stanley, I pray I get to meet you.

These efforts came to nothing. The vet's office would not accept the adoption offer and petition by Fax, and Stanley was euthanized on Thursday. We don't even know whether the vet told Stanley's owner there was a new home. In some cases, feline diabetes is a death sentence. In Stanley's GA notice on the FDMB, Dale wrote

Well, it was not to be for Stanley. But Angels were with Stanley during his passing. I know they were; I asked God to send them to him. And they carried the care, concern, and love that the fdmb folks had for him. While my prayers for sparing his life were not answered the way I wanted them, this incident has possibly fulfilled a greater mission for others to learn from. I'm saddened today and the tears still flow, but I have faith that tomorrow will bring great blessings for our little animal friends... He did not leave this world unloved. Bless his little soul...

Dale even sent that message to me in an e-card. Fly free, Stanley. We love you!!