Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Vinny, DCIN Foster in Chicagoland

November 17, 2013--

Snuggling up for a long winter's nap.
Foster/Adoption Application
Ask about me at Adoption@dcin.info.
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November 1, 2013--Sadly, no one offered Vinny a home and heart during "his month." But we won't give up trying to find his that special place because this sweet and gentle a cat deserves to hear that he is home. ~Venita


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October 1, 2013--Vinny is Mr. October -- DCIN's October 2013 Kitty of the Month. We hope to have an adoption commitment for Vinny before the end of the month.


Thirteen months ago Vinny came into DCIN care. He was surrendered to a shelter for inappropriate urination, and the owner did not disclose Vinny's diabetes, which had been diagnosed but untreated for 20 months.

Vinny is such a handsome and gentle man. With his gentleness, though, comes his fearfulness of an alpha male in his foster home that will corner him. Although Vinny is shy with other cats, he does well with the non-dominant cats in his foster home, lounging, eating, and sleeping with them. Vinny would do best in a home without very dominant cats.

Vinny is very sweet and friendly with people. He rolls on the table, showing his belly and nibbling his foster Mom's hand. He does this at the vet too and charms everyone he meets.

Vinny is not insulin dependent at the present time. He has been mostly OTJ while in foster care, but there was a brief period while he was having some GI tract problems that his blood glucose levels spiked. But diet and medication took care of the GI problems, and the hyperglycemia. Vinny's only "medical" issue now is hairballs. But his foster Mom is addressing that.

This is just my personal opinion, but whoever adopts Vinny will be very lucky to have this soul become part of their home and heart. ~Venita

Following will be a gallery of photos of Vinny that we will grow as the month progresses.

Vinny loves his peacock feather wand and the fishing pole.
He loves to chase, bat and pounce.

Vinny is very tactile. He kneads his catnip pillows.
He headbutts his foster Mom when he wants food.
He seeks head rubs, chin rubs, or any kind of rubs.


From the top and back, Vinny looks like an all black cat.

You wouldn't know he has white on him unless you view him from the front, sides, or bottom.

His symmetrical markings give him a very striking and beautiful appearance.

Vinny's favorite place is the kitchen table where he lies on folded towels and on Kay's catnip pillows. He prefers hard surfaces. 
Vinny is a traveling man, rotating among the kitchen window ledge, cat trees in both bedrooms, and leather recliner when not on the table.
Vinny gets along best with the girl kitties, they often snuggle together on the kitchen table.

What can I get you from the bar, pretty Cowgirl?
Vinny has a long and lean body with a long skinny tail and slender legs.
He has a little tummy thanks to his love of food.
His fur is soft and short.


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July 20, 2013--Update from Vinny's foster Mom. "Vinny has had a replapse and is back on 0.5u Levemir. His blood glucose readings have been in the low 100's."

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May 17, 2013--

Foster/Adoption Application
Ask about me at Adoption@dcin.info.


Vinny's idea of the great outdoors!


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January 21, 2013--

Vinny snuggling on the blanket lovingly handmade
by Missi and Jerilee. Vinny gives it 4 paws up!


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December 23, 2012--Vinny's foster mom has just adopted two more cats (both diet-controlled diabetics, one through DCIN), so it's time for us to get a bit more serious about finding Vinny his new home. We are upgrading him to URGENT.

This is Vinny's foster Mom's latest report on this handsome man: "I asked [the animal communicator] to touch base with Vinny to see how he was doing and she reported that he's a sweet, happy, cat who is doing fine. He's content where he is for now and didn't report any ailments (which is always a relief!).  She said he wasn't conscious of his status as a foster cat (nor did she go down that road with him) and felt that he is the kind of cat who will adjust and flourish wherever he is planted. He's still OTJ and has gained some more weight. I'm going to reduce his access to cleaning up the other cats food though, to keep him from getting "fluffy." He "owns" the couch in my sunroom and is a floor kitty no longer. :)"

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Vinny in his party suit!
November 30, 2012--DCIN still owes $210 on Vinny's dental procedure. We hope to fully fund this chip-in by year-end. (PS, Thank you all for closing out this chip-in.)

(Chip-in widget removed as Chipin.com closed up shop.)
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October 23, 2012--Vinny is off insulin. This is from Vinny.
Hi everyone,

Vinny’s my name and I’m always dressed up and ready to go. But Foster mom told me to put on my best fur suit today because we’re having a party! I don’t know what kind of party an Oh-Tee-Jay Party is, but it sounds fun, especially when the main course is shrimp and I get to eat while the other cats watch. Maybe I’ll share - nah, who am I kidding?? MOL

Foster mom says it’s been 7 days since my last insulin shot and that now I am “cured” of my “dire-beasties.” (I don’t know what “dire-beasties” are but I’m so glad they are gone! I lived with them for 20 months before anyone treated me for them and I was miserable!) For the last 7 days my blood glucose numbers have stayed between 60 and 70 on that beep-beep device Foster mom uses. [Vinny’s Foster mom: the beep-beep device Vinny’s referring to is a Bayer Countour human glucometer. Normal BG range for a cat using a human glucometer is between 50 and 120 mg/dl.]

But I’m hungry, let’s get this party started - Shrimpies you are mine!

A heartfelt thank you to my proud party sponsors: Diabetic Cats in Need, Dayton South Veterinary Clinic, The Humane Society of Greater Dayton, and oh yeah, Foster mom.

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Chip-in for Vinny's dental this Friday....

(Chip-in widget removed as Chipin.com closed up shop.)

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October 14, 2012--An update from Vinny's foster Mom:
Vinny, a classic tuxedo!
Vinny is doing great. He is no longer a walking skeleton and has gained muscle tone in his back, neck and legs and weighs 11 pounds, 5 oz. on my scale. He is a medium sized, but long and lean cat with long legs, toes and a long skinny tail. With that kind of a body frame his ideal weight should be around 12-13 pounds. He's very handsome with his green eyes, white double-breasted tuxedo, long white whiskers, and almost symmetrical black spots on his legs.

Vinny's diabetic treatment is progressing nicely. After raising his dose to 2u Levemir and breaking through insulin resistance, his insulin needs have fallen to less than 0.5u. There is some pancreatic activity but he's not yet ready to keep his BGs down on his own. A dental is scheduled for Friday, October 19, so I'm hoping after that is complete we may see more progress. Paws crossed anti-jinx!


Mom! The kitchen's over here!
Since Vinny was an uregulated diabetic for over 20 months, his mind is in starvation mode. As a result he is very food-focused and will do anything for food. He eats 6 oz. of Fancy Feast Chicken a day topped with some Natures Variety Raw Instinct Bites, plus his PureBites Freeze-dried Chicken testing treats. He also helps clean the other cats food bowels but is very polite and waits until they have finished first. I expect once he is at the right body weight, his diabetes is regulated, and most of all when he learns that he is home where there is plenty of food and he is loved and cared for, he will lose some of his obsession with food. Hadley came to me in this state as well and now OTJ, one year later, he is a much calmer, more relaxed kitty around food and knows he can trust that it will always be there.


Dis is Da Bird.
Vinny is very sweet and laid back but is shy and afraid of loud noises and sudden movements. After living 9 years in his previous home, he will need some time to adjust to a move and feel at home again. He is very friendly and loves head, chin and neck scritches and will rub up against everyone and everything. He shows lots of belly and accepts rubs. When he's ready for you to stop he gives little love nibbles but doesn't break the skin. Vinny is not very sensitive to catnip but he loves toys he can hunt, catch and kill. Da Bird is his favorite. The string on my toy broke so he hunts the bird portion and lays it at my feet. He seems to have been raised as a floor cat, but is becoming more adventuresome and is exploring furniture, beds, etc. He is not yet a lap or bed cat. At first, he slept only on hard surfaces (floor, table, counter) or his bath towel but is now beginning to branch out by taking short catnaps on furniture.


I do couches now.
Vinny gets along well with my other 3 cats. The introductions went very smoothly with only a hiss or two. He would do fine in a home with one or two other cats so he can claim some territory for himself. A home with no children or older children who understand his shyness would be ideal. He's never lived with dogs before but a gentle, quiet older dog who doesn't bark would probably be OK.


Mom! That stinker is back!
Vinny was an indoor/outdoor cat in his former home and would love a home where he could get some outdoor time again. He spends a lot of time lounging in the cat tree and looking out the windows chattering at the birds and squirrels - and scaring the skunks! - in my yard. At night he paws the back door from time to time asking to be let out.

Vinny deserves to have the second half of his life be a spoiled. loving and comfortable one.


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October 13, 2012--As we knew at the beginning, Vinny needs a dental, and he is now stable enough to be scheduled.We need to raise money for this procedure, and hope our friends can help with that. We don't have a firm estimate yet, but seat-of-the-pants I am saying $500 or more. Please give a little for Vinny if you can. Thanks!! ~Venita

(Chip-in widget removed as Chipin.com closed up shop.)

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September 22, 2012--Vinny saw the vet this week and was his charming lovable self. He was not happy about riding in the car though - poor boy probably thought he was being sent away again. But once he got to the clinic he was quiet in his soft-sided case. Once in the exam room, he was out and about, exploring and marking everything in sight with his chin. He greeted the vet tech and vet with head butts and rubs too. Everyone pronounced him "so sweet." He was very cooperative during the exam and only a little wriggly when having his temperature taken. His purring made listening to his heart and lungs a little tough.
Foster/Adoption Application
Ask about me at Adoption@dcin.info.

Yesh, I haz toes.
Vinny is doing very well except for being still a little too thin. The exam, bloodwork, and urinalysis show lots of "normal." All the liver and other blood values that were elevated in August have stabilized with the exception of certain white blood cell values, which point to an infection somewhere. We are hoping that the problem is with his mouth, and we have scheduled him for a dental next month.

DCIN has spent about $400 of the funds we have raised on him so far, and we continue to fundraise to pay for his dental.

(Chip-in widget removed as Chipin.com closed up shop.)

Vinny is still having some loose stool, and his foster Mom will continue to focus on addressing that as well as putting some more meat on his bones so that he will be in tip-top shape for his dental.

We are anticipating that Vinny will be ready for adoption at the end of October. If you might be interested in bringing Vinny into your home and heart, please contact Jennifer@dcin.info.

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Food, you are mine!!
9/13/12--Vinny is doing very well in his foster home. He is very, very thin, but eating well on watered-down canned food, getting supplements for respiratory and abdominal maladies, and doing OK with shots and testing (freeze-dried chicken treats help). His BG levels are better now that he is on a better diet, but he has received a dose increase. It also turns out that he doesn't have neuropathy; his "low" rear-leg posture when he first got home was him stalking his food bowl.

"Vinny's shy, but friendly. He loves head, chin and chest rubs and he gives head bonks and full body rubs in return. He's shown me his belly a couple of times, but isn't ready for belly rubs yet - that will come in time. I let him out of his bedroom to explore the house last night - but he's not ready to meet other kitties yet - even if he thinks he is. :)"

We are keeping an eye on Vinny, and his foster Mom is consulting with her vet about when Vinny needs to come in for a meet-and-greet.

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Sweet Vinny
September 9, 2012--We were unable to put together a ground transport for Vinny, so his new foster Mom will fly to Dayton on Monday to collect him from the airport. We thank Lisa for transferring him from the vet's office to the airport.

Any adoption of Vinny is on hold for the time being because of his medical condition. Once DCIN received and reviewed his records, we found that his diabetes has been diagnosed but untreated for 20 months, resulting in concurrent medical conditions that require rehabilitation. He may be in rehab for a couple of months.

We feel especially fortunate that his foster Mom offered to take him in for this care. She has extensive experience with special-needs cats and complex medical conditions, and is just what the doctor ordered!!

(Chip-in widget removed as Chipin.com closed up shop.)

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September 5, 2012--The shelter vet had made the decision that Vinny could not continue to not be untreated for his diabetes and should be humanely destroyed. DCIN and several other special needs groups pushed all weekend for a solution. We heard yesterday that Vinny would be put down tomorrow, and DCIN made the decision to pull him to a vet's office for medical boarding.

Easier decided than done, but by this morning (after yeoman's effort by Jennifer J and her special needs comrades), several persons stepped up to transfer Vinny. But we didn't have a vet's office until Ann, who knows many of the area vets, found a vet who offered Vinny free boarding for a few days, although DCIN may have to pay for the veterinary care needed to start him on insulin. Vinny is now at that vet's clinic.

We also found a diabetes-experienced foster home for Vinny in the Chicago area. We would like to get Vinny from the vet's office in the Dayton Ohio area to the Chicago area this weekend, preferably on Saturday, September 8, 2012.

We ask you for three things.
  • If you can volunteer to drive part of Vinny's transport, which goes along this route, please sign up here at Sign Up Genius.com. You will have to register on the site, but doing that will allow you to sign up and for DCIN's transport team to have access to your email address so that we can coordinate the details. If you want to drive Vinny but have other suggestions for hand-off sites or times, or can help on Sunday but not Saturday, please email the DCIN Transport Team at Transport@dcin.info.
  • If you can donate for Vinny's care, please use the chip-in below. DCIN has to maybe pay some to the Ohio vet, get him vetted in Chicago (including care for his severe periodontal disease that was diagnosed in January 2011), and then transport him to his furever home, which we are working on.
  • Please SHARE SHARE SHARE these driving and funding requests this funding request on your social networking sites, just as you shared his need to be rescued from the shelter. Pulling a cat from a shelter is easy. It's the later things--vetting, foster home, rehoming--that are the real challenge.

Thank you for helping DCIN start to save Vinny. Thank you in advance for continuing to help.

(Chip-in widget removed as Chipin.com closed up shop.)

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August 30, 2012:   The shelter had to take in over 50 cats from a hoarding situation.  Vinny is very stressed.  BGs are up, vomiting and diarrhea.  Has seen the vet and a fecal was checked for parasites, there's nothing, this is stress related.

Shelter feels he can only have another week if he doesn't get help soon.

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August 22, 2012:   Located in Ohio, this very handsome little man was brought to DCIN's attention by a wonderful shelter.  Surrendered without the owner telling the shelter that Vinny was diabetic, once they realized he was diabetic they had to move fast.  The recommendation was for euthanasia but the amazing shelter staff do not want to do that and need help to find a home.

This young man was urinating outside of the box, the reason for the surrender.  As many people know, an unregulated diabetic kitty can have problems, but once regulated much of that goes away.

Altered and declawed, before surrender the owner said he was an indoor/outdoor kitty.  The owner told the shelter that Vinny does like to have his belly rubbed and does fetch plastic rings.  He did live with another kitty.

He was on dry food, but the shelter has agreed to change his diet to canned food only. Insulin cannot be given where he is now.

Please email Jennifer@dcin.info for more information.

Foster/Adoption Application
Ask about me at Adoption@dcin.info.

3 comments:

Maine Kitties said...

He is soo very beautiful! I hope he finds a home!

شركة الماسة said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
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