Forgotten Felines & Fidos, Inc.: Petfinder 20th Anniversary Grant Report
How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?
The Petfinder 20th Anniversary grant money was used to pay for medical expenses, food, and litter for our shelter and foster cats.
The grant money covered the medical costs of some of our shelter cats, as well as foster cats who needed a variety of medical treatment ranging from dental work to enucleations to treatment for illnesses. This funding helped improve the health of some of our shelter cats and gave them a chance to find the forever homes that they deserved! Thank you, Petfinder Foundation!
How many pets did this grant help?
The grant money covered the medical costs for 10 cats and also helped support our shelter cats with food and litter.
Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.
Buford (first photo) is a 9-month-old black domestic medium-hair who needed eye enucleation. By providing financial assistance to a low-income family, we uncovered a hoarding situation with 20 neglected cats. The situation had prompted them to start bringing the cats in to our low-cost spay/neuter program. They had no money to alter their animals, let alone provide them medical treatment. Buford was one of the worst off, with a deformed eye that may have been the result of inbreeding. But he had also endured months of an upper-respiratory infection which caused a terrible ulcer, and an infection in his good eye. This eye had to be removed, leaving him with what he basically had anyway: the ability to possibly see only shadows and light. He is thriving. He jumps up on the bed and is walking around exploring without bumping into anything. With his wonderful personality, he is a great candidate for adoption. Thanks to the Petfinder Foundation for this grant, which has helped us tremendously. This came at a perfect time, right as we incurred a massive expense with just this one group of needy cats.
Josh (second photo) is a 10-month-old black-and-white domestic longhair who needed a consult, endoscopy, biopsy, and two surgeries. While implementing TNR near a local home, we were made aware that cats were mysteriously disappearing. Whether it was due to predators or poisoning, we attempted to save what friendly cats we could. Josh was the only one friendly enough that he could be adopted — that was, until he began to decline physically. He had bordetella virus as well as a polyp in each ear. From August 2016 to March 24, 2017, he has been under anesthesia four times to either scope or operate, with trips to a specialist who had the tools to perform the surgeries. Now, after his ordeal, he is finally starting to put on weight and grow. His growth was stunted due to lack of oxygen, as the polyps had blocked his nasal flow. His lazy eye (Horner’s syndrome, a side effect of the ear polyps) has even corrected. He resides with his foster family, where he is a therapy cat for a young boy battling Crohn’s disease. We thank the Petfinder Foundation for allowing us to follow through with Josh’s care!
Mylie (third photo) is a 2-year-old gray tiger domestic shorthair who needed eye enucleation. Mylie came in as a stray to be spayed through our low-cost program but had no home. We took her in because her eye would have been a disability for a life outside. It looked damaged, as if scarred from a fight. We were advised it was an old injury and she was adopted quickly. Thanks to our return policy, she was brought back after only one year due to a new baby in the home. However, even though she had lost her home, it was her lucky day. That old injury had progressed into something serious and she had a slightly enlarged globe. Upon exam, fluid was found behind the eye which was precancerous if the eye remained. Mylie had her eye enucleated with help from the Petfinder Foundation grant. Before her surgery, she was visited by a wonderful family. She climbed on their chests and snuggled as though she had never left home. Her new home is waiting for her while she recovers from her surgery, and it is clear she will have her forever home. Thank you, Petfinder Foundation, for helping with this unexpected and emergency surgery!
Pilar (fourth photo) is a 1½-year-old tortoise domestic shorthair with allergies. Pilar was trapped at a large feral colony at an industrial site in Palmerton in January 2016. She was very sick and required weeks of medical care before returning to good health. She had little fur on her hind legs, bottom and stomach, and was missing patches from her front legs. This was a result of excessive licking. In May 2016 she was taken into a foster home to work on increasing her social skills. FF&F consulted with a local vet to address the hair loss. Upon the vet’s recommendation, the foster family started Pilar on a unique protein diet (lamb and duck) and added fish oil and Rescue Remedy to her diet. Nothing seemed to help with the licking and she developed a lump on her chin. Pilar returned to the vet, who now suspected allergies. She was given a steroid shot and will be monitored over the next few weeks. Further testing may be needed to identify specific allergens. Pilar is awaiting her forever home. For more information about Pilar, check out her Petfinder listing: www.petfinder.com/petdetail/34633593
Screwball (fifth photo) is a 1- to 2-year-old female. This neglected cat was brought into our low-cost spay program severely underweight, pregnant, and suffering from an eye that had ruptured with infection. She had lived with an upper-respiratory virus that eventually destroyed her eye. Her bad eye was removed and, after a long bout of antibiotics, this young cat is back to feeling like herself: playful and energetic and ready for a real home. As we continue to address the other cats in that home, we are grateful for the Petfinder Foundation grant that has aided us in this work. We are very aware that Screwball may have had to be euthanized if funds were not there to remove her eye. Meet Screwball: www.petfinder.com/petdetail/37709575
Smokey (sixth photo) is a 10-year-old male who needed a dental. Smokey was a semi-friendly outside cat being fed and cared for by a shelter volunteer. The volunteer noticed on several occasions that Smokey was injured and took him to FF&F for medical treatment. Apparently, Smokey was being attacked by another animal. The shelter manager recognized that he was no longer able to fend for himself outside and, since the volunteer already had many indoor cats, she offered to take him into the shelter in hopes he would be adopted. As Smokey aged, he required dental care on several occasions. He developed a severe case of stomatitis. On Feb. 10, 2017, the last of his teeth were extracted and he is currently on medication to treat this condition. Smokey is a friendly senior cat who still has many years to give to a loving family willing to adopt him. He is available for adoption through FF&F’s Seniors for Seniors Program.
Zelina is a 3-year-old black domestic shorthair who needed an exam and biopsy. Zelina was abandoned at the end of our driveway in a carrier with a note. Her owner had passed away and the cat had nowhere to go. The note stated there was an ongoing skin issue and that Zelina received monthly steroid injections. This friendly cat is enduring much discomfort and continually wears an Elizabethan collar to prevent her from mutilating herself. Our soonest appointment for an allergist will be in April. She is a sweet girl. Thank you to the Petfinder Foundation grant that will enable us to do a comprehensive exam so we can hopefully cure her once and for all.
