Friday, March 24, 2023

 

Louie's Last Update and info about our Open House Fundraiser this Sunday, March 26th from Noon to 3 _

 

So, it's final - Louie is going to stay at Kitten Krazy as our house cat! A team of my closest pals here at Kitten Krazy and I have had many discussions about Louie's future and were planning to start our permanent foster program with Louie being the first cat in the public program. We even decided to name it "Louie's Klub!" But then, the other morning I woke up and it was already in my head (Thank you, Jesus) that Louie needed to stay with us. Well, mostly for Grammy Irene's sake, who has spent the last eight months of his life caring for him on a daily basis. She feeds him and bathes his messy face because he still laps his food sometimes. She holds him like a baby and he is so bonded with her that it was the right decision to make. It is unfortunate that she is unable to formally adopt him, but she will be able to care for him every day and see him anytime she wants. We will still be putting together a permanent foster program which we hope to have up and running by mid-summer.

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In the meantime, you can meet Louie at our Open House this Sunday, March 26th from 12 to 3 pm! We will have food, raffles, and live music from Eroc Sosinski and Jim Tigue of "Wish You Were Here" a Pink Floyd cover band. We have many mothers and newborns to see while you walk through our whole facility and learn about the process of intake through adoption at Kitten Krazy.  Admission is FREE.  Hope to see you this weekend!

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Monday, February 20, 2023

 

Well, it's been one month since my last update and I'm sure everyone is interested in how Louie is doing - right?! He is actually doing pretty well. Is his jaw completely fixed? No. But, he can open his mouth a whole lot better after 3 sessions with Dr. Lash. We have decided to give him a break and see how it goes. Since he never could open his mouth at all, his jaw muscles are almost non-existent. We believe at this time he just chooses not to bite down, but can when he really wants to (when he is playing with Grammy's hands ;). I told her that normally that would be a no-no, but for Louie, let him bite away! But, seriously...he plays, he eats his dry food with no problem (he just swallows it), and he loves everyone! We will be meeting this week to decide if/when Louie will be placed up for adoption as there is nothing more anyone can do for him and he seems content. His tongue always sticks out of his mouth, but that should not cause any medical issues (have you ever seen a Chinese Crested dog???!) 

 

Be looking for our decision on Louie by the end of this week.  Until then, thank you to everyone who continues to support him!

 

God bless, Wendy 

 

Tuesday, January 17, 2023

 

Wow! I cannot believe almost a month has gone by!  The holidays are in the rearview mirror and Valentine's Day is quickly approaching. So, our sweet boy, Louie, is doing very well! I know an extraordinary veterinarian at the Cleveland APL, Dr. Allison Lash, who I contacted at the end of December to see if she had any ideas regarding Louie's mouth issue. After sending her all of his x-rays and documentation, she was happy to take a look at him. So, Grammy (Irene) and I packed him up for another adventure, but this time to Downtown Cleveland on December 30th. I was so excited that she was going to see him as I believe she is one of the best vets I have ever known! After chatting with us and taking a look at Louie, she determined that she would try an unconventional method of stretching his jaw. He was anesthetized and treated - he was also neutered since he was getting near six months old. Irene and I went to the Westside Market and ate the best Gyro we have ever had and did a little shopping while waiting for Louie to wake up. We picked him up and Dr. Lash asked us to bring him back in two weeks for another round of treatment. 

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Unfortunately, Louie caught a cold and could not undergo his treatment on January 12th, so he is scheduled to go on Thursday, January 19th. Louie had a very upset tummy so I gave him an injection of Cerenia, which typically burns. I was so happy to report to others at Kitten Krazy that he nearly bit me!! He is able to open his mouth a little more than normal and is taking "real" bites instead of licking all of his food! I cannot wait to see how much he progresses over the next few weeks!

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In the meantime, I do not want those of you who donated to think that any of us here at Kitten Krazy have forgotten your generosity. If it's ok with you, we have many, many cats throughout the year that need special medical attention that we never ask for help and it comes from our own pockets. Just yesterday, we sent Dolly, a sweet 5-month-old dilute calico kitten to Dr. Lash to have a polyp removed from her sinuses as well as get spayed. She was incredibly miserable and would have spent a lifetime of sniffling with difficulty breathing. Now, she is purrfectly ready to go to her forever home and live a normal kitty life. Likewise, this Thursday, when Louie goes for his treatment with Dr. Lash, we are sending Bart, a 3-month-old kitten that has struggled his whole little life to go potty properly. He is in need of a Perineal Urethrostomy (PU) surgery - it is a lengthy, difficult, expensive surgery that will make his urethra larger so that he does not suffer so  many blockages. His foster mom, Sandra, just loves him so much that we all agreed he needed the surgery. 

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Here's hoping that Louie does not need any surgery, and that Dolly, Bart, and others like them will all live long healthy lives because of your generosity!

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Until the next update...

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God bless!

Wendyo

 

 

Tuesday, December 20, 2022

 

Well, I received a phone call yesterday from the vet at OSU Veterinary Clinic with updated mews. After consulting with many of her colleagues and other vets in high-level positions in other facilities, not one of them is confident as to the reason Louie cannot open his mouth. His new CT Scan and subsequent skull reproduction still does not give them enough information about where the problem lies. Therefore, his surgery has been post-poned for this week. I am greatly relieved just for the fact that a snowstorm is predicted for the end of this week and travel restrictions have already been placed on Northern Ohio not to travel unless absolutely necessary. Of course, I would have gone, if necessary!

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Louie's doctor is suggesting that we do his physical therapy exercises for the next month and maybe wait until his adult teeth come in - likely between 7 - 8 months old (he is currently going on 6 months old). We have received a list of those exercises that he needs to have done 3x/day. As you know, "Grammy" is all in and so are we!

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For those of you who donated toward his surgery, we are not being told that he still won't need it, but he truly has stumped everyone and I am far more comfortable with a vet that says, "I don't know yet" than one who is quick to put a cat through something like facial reconstruction surgery in an exploratory manner. I also feel confident that when these vets agree and tell us they are ready to perform his surgery, they will have a clear picture of what the problem is and how they are going to repair him.

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In the meantime, thank you for your continued support of Louie and all the kitties at Kitten Krazy! Today, we are taking in 31 kittens coming from a hoarding situation. We were already told that most have an Upper Respiratory Infection (URI) and will need meds. They should be here in 1/2 hour so I have to run...

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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

 

God bless you real good,

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Wendy Mirrotto

Founder (2004) & Executive Director

 

Wednesday, December 14, 2022

 

I cannot thank everyone enough for the generous support for Louie and his upcoming surgery at Ohio State Veterinary Clinic next Wednesday, December 21st!  You did it!  All of you - our kind and generous supporters - have made this surgery possible and will give Louie a chance to be a normal kitty for the rest of his life. 

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Please be watching for his surgery update next weekend.

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Merry Christmas to Louie and to all of you. May the love, grace and peace of God envelope you and your family and friends this CHRISTmas season.

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Forever Grateful,

Wendy

 

Friday, December 9, 2022

 

Thank you for those of you who have donated thus far for Louie's surgery - we are half way to our goal!

 

Monday, December 5, 2022

 

Well, tomorrow morning at 6 am, "Grammy" (Irene), my mom (June), and I will be traveling to OSU to take Louie for his consultation. One of the veterinarians called the other day to let me know that they would like to redo his CT Scan with their own equipment - and that they would pay for it! However, this is going to push his surgery further into the future - December 21st - because they need time to evaluate the scan. So, he will be sedated for the scan and a few hours later, when he wakes up, we will be bringing him back home. There is still a great deal of speculation about whether he sustained an old injury that just didn't heal well or if it is, in fact, congenital (born with it). In the end, as long as they can fix him, we will be happy. Keep praying and thank you to everyone who has sent funds to help with his surgery!

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God bless, Wendy

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Tuesday, November 30, 2022

 

Man, do we LOVE Louie at Kitten Krazy! He came to us when he was just 4 weeks old – only 1 pound!  Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital in Akron has a “Good Samaritan” program whereby they take in cats & kittens that have been found by the public that need medical help. Once the cat is determined to be “out of the woods”, they call local rescues to take them to continue their care until they can be adopted out. Metropolitan called on Kitten Krazy once again on 8/2/22 to take in Louie. He was a sick and injured kitten found on the sidewalk in Wadsworth and surrendered to Metro on 7/31/22. His temperature was only 91 degrees (normal is 101 +/-) and he could only slightly open his mouth.  X-Rays showed a possible fracture in his jaw that Metro vets thought would eventually heal on its own. He also had a bad cold. Louie immediately captured our hearts when he arrived as a little all-white ball of fur with his tongue sticking out. One of our most dedicated volunteers, Irene, took charge of his care and for the past four months has taken him home every night and back into Kitten Krazy every day so that he can be fed by syringe when he was younger and now needs a special mixture of food that he can lick.