Cats for Adoption (soon): An Update on Lil

February 25, 2019 Bernadette

She's just a small kitty. — She’s just a small kitty.

I got a message from my contact at Animal Advocates, Nancy, last Wednesday that Lil was set to go to the Pet Valu store I shop at in Green Tree on Thursday last week. I was thrilled—just four days at the sanctuary before she got to meet the public. I shop there too, so I stopped in to see Lil and photograph her in her crate and share those photos, and I could also pick up some cat food, I can always do that.

I found her cage card when I got there, but no Lil. I asked the store manager if she was there yet and she said no, she’d explain, and was helping another customer. So I got my stuff and talked to the manager after that customer and her phone call—which was to Nancy, my contact at Animal Advocates. Lil would have a little delay before she came to the store.

When Nancy had handled Lil to put her in her carrier that morning to go to the veterinarian for her combo test and vaccines, Nancy had felt a lump on Lil that she hadn’t noticed before. Lil had several large and small mats all over her and removing them had taken a few sessions and two people so no one had noticed it before. A lump near a mammary gland is a horrible thing to find at any time, but just before Lil came to Animal Advocates the rescue had lost a cat very much like Lil in every way to mammary cancer after Nancy had found a lump in that same spot. That kitty had come to Animal Advocates with two others after their owner had died and they were all in poor shape, and that kitty was not adopted but was given hospice care.

When the veterinarian examined Lil he found it was not mammary cancer but a hernia. Whew! Not deadly and completely operable, and Lil is a little too young for mammary cancer anyway. The vet also found an abdominal tear that wasn’t associated with her spay scar or the hernia, also repairable by surgery. And on top of all that she had a bad case of stomatitis, and would need dental surgery. All this before she could go up for adoption.

Well, at least it wasn’t mammary cancer. But for anyone who thinks cats having kittens is the most natural thing in the world and cats love it, a hernia, an abdominal tear, painful conditions, are often the results of cats giving birth to too many kittens with no veterinary care at all.

These surgeries for Lil will be done this week and next so that she doesn’t spend any more time with the pain of a hernia and stomatitis, and will cost about $1,500. Animal Advocates will cover the cost, which is quite a bit for a small rescue with a small budget. If you’d like to donate to help cover Lil’s care, you can donate directly to Animal Advocates Pittsburgh.

I really can’t wait to see her in a forever home.

Can’t adopt? Foster! Can’t foster? Donate or volunteer.

There are so many ways you can help cats who need homes and care. You may not have room to adopt another cat, but can foster a cat or kitten for a few weeks. If not that, you can volunteer at a shelter or with a rescue, or donate. You do this because you love your cat, and by doing so you help all cats. No matter which of these actions you take, you help to save a life, and make life better for all cats.

Adopt one of the cats I’ve posted here, or from any shelter or rescue near you, or from Petfinder, to open up a space for another cat to be rescued and fostered.
Offer to foster cats or kittens for a shelter or rescue near you.
Volunteer at a shelter or rescue.
Find a group of volunteers who work with homeless cats and help them with their efforts.
Donate to a shelter or rescue near you.

If you can foster kittens or adults cats to help prepare them for a forever home, please run to your nearest shelter and find a cat who needs you! Anyone can help with this effort at any level, even if all you do is donate to a shelter or rescue so they can help to pay for the food or medications needed for their foster, or the spay/neuter/veterinary care during a clinic.

Need to know more? Read Fostering for Your Shelter and Fostering Saves Lives

Gifts featuring cats you know! Visit Portraits of Animals

Fine Art • Photography • Gifts • Greeting Cards • Books • Commissioned Portraits & Artwork

Pittsburgh C.A.T. 2019 Calendar: Rescue, Foster, Rehome, Repeat 2019

Rescue, Foster, Rehome, Repeat 2019: Pittsburgh C.A.T. 2019 Calendar

Each month features a cat or cats and the story who Pittsburgh C.A.T. volunteers rescued through TNR or rescue from abandonment, neglect or abuse, offered medical treatment, fostering, socialization, and a loving forever home that met their individual needs. Read more and purchase.

Copyright

All images and text used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission, although links to your site are more than welcome and are shared. Please ask if you are interested in using and image or story in a print or internet publication. If you are interested in purchasing a print of an image or a product including it, check my animal and nature website Portraits of Animals to see if I have it available already. If you don’t find it there, visit Ordering Custom Artwork for more information on a custom greeting card, print or other item.