Saving Vasika

This is another guest blog post by Rena, Cat Rescuer Extraordinaire!  I don't even know how many cats Rena has helped DCIN save - and this is one of them.  When we post about kitties in the DC area who are at risk of euthanasia in shelters, Rena jumps in to help DCIN Team Members to try to put together a rescue so we can get those kitties to safety.  When you're posting comments asking why no one is helping those cats - please keep in mind that we're doing our mighty best behind the scenes to save them all.  We're working our full-time jobs while simultaneously working our contacts and resources to make a pull happen.  Rena has been a key person in helping us get those many, many puzzle pieces in a rescue pull together for numerous cats.  Thankfully, this kitty is one who was never in danger of being surrendered, but he and his dad sure needed DCIN's and Rena's help!  ~Amy

Let me tell you what I did today. Pictured below is Vasika, or Vasa for short. Vasa is absolutely beloved by his human, an elderly gentleman on a fixed income who lives near me. Vasa came to live with his person just about 10 years ago, showing up within weeks of the gentleman's wife passing away. He is convinced that Vasa was sent to him by his late wife, and he treasures this cat.
You might be able to tell from the picture that Vasa is a rather fat cat. I thought I'd gotten a full body photo, but I didn't. if I had, you'd see that he is easily 30 lbs of cat! So it's not surprising that at his last vet visit a little over a week ago, he was diagnosed with diabetes. With his person on a fixed income, there was no way for them to afford treatment. The gentleman's daughter started looking on the internet to see if there was any way to get some help. It was then that she discovered Diabetic Cats in Need.

 

Jenna Watts, DCIN's Executive Director, reached out to me and asked if I was located anywhere close to the gentleman and Vasa. Turns out I live about three miles from them. So today, thanks to donations that support DCIN, I was able to bring diabetic appropriate food, a glucometer, test strips and lancets, a new vial of Lantus insulin, and some diabetic appropriate cat treats. We went through a little more than an hour of training on how to test, and his diet will be being switched to low carb wet only food to try to naturally and safely get some of that weight off of him.

The training session went well. The gentleman adores this cat. Ironically, he also feeds a bunch of cats in his backyard who are all feral and none are fixed. I reached out to another local group I work with to begin TNR on those cats.

This is one of the critical mission areas DCIN serves. Without their assistance, this gentleman would not be able to begin treating his beloved cat. When I say that every penny of every donation directly benefits a cat, I mean it, and this is the proof.

If you haven't already and you have some money to spare, you can make a tax-deductible donation here http://fdmb-cin.blogspot.com/p/donate.html?m=1. Every single penny counts. If you can't donate, then please share so that more diabetic cats can be helped. ~Rena