Daily Photo: A Few Feline Faces From Today’s Clinic

Cats kept waking up early from surgery today! I volunteered at the Homeless Cat Management Team clinic today, and I’d also taken Sable, who I’d trapped yesterday. I’m usually taking photos of volunteers and vets and cats looking for homes but on this holiday weekend I got to do some honest work and was in post-op, cleaning up cats after their spay or neuter surgery. We use isoflurane gas for anesthetic so they are unconscious for only a short time, and not as deep, so they do wake up faster. This is good for enabling them to go home and resume their lives in a matter of hours instead of an overnight, but typically they don’t wake up until they are in recovery. These cats were ready to get the heck out of there! This girl, who is a rather unfriendly stray, suddenly woke up and looked at me. She still had the hemostats on her left ear to complete her ear tip and she started trying to flip them off, so I removed them and all was okay with her ear, but trying to keep a struggling and frightened female cat in place while I cleaned her ears, checked her over for cuts and bruises and ticks and fleas, applied flea treatment and filled out paperwork was a real trick!

She was well into the afternoon, after I’d had a chance to get accustomed to the process, but, below, my second customer of the day was a female who’d been pregnant with five kittens. Cats who’ve been spayed while pregnant always get a 100cc dose of subcutaneous fluids to help them recover, so I reached for the fluid line and got the fluids going, and she woke up! It takes at least four minutes to administer 100cc of fluids and I had this bucking, flailing female cat in my hand who was also trying to bite and scratch me. I grabbed her scruff in front of the fluid needle to keep her skin lifted so the fluids would flow faster, and grabbed loose skin on her hips to lift her slightly off the counter so I could keep her under control. Someone else put the flea medicine on her, I managed to look her over, take off the hemostats and get her back into her cleaned trap to finish what was left of her recover. Thanks to the volunteer who took my picture!

After that everything was easy! This guy took a good look at me in case he ever saw me on the street later…

This desperate guy somehow escaped his trap in the surgery area before they had the chance to give him his sedative, but the door slammed shut and someone grabbed the net in no time and gave him his shot through the net. He’s almost asleep.

Kittens! Several kittens came in for spay and neuter, and others for FeLV/FIV combo testing. I could have taken these two home!

Two oranges and a black, and even with goopy eyes someone wants to explore.

This little litter was rescued and is at the clinic to get their first shots and be picked up by their foster person.

Several large groups of cats came in. These nine in traps were living on a golf course, 13 others were collected in Punxsutawney and transported to this clinic; in all we served over 60 cats.

And a few really special kitties are at the clinic looking for foster or adoptive homes. Below, Carly is a real clown! I could have easily walked off with her in a heartbeat—dilute calico, wildly friendly, non-stop playful, she’s a tripod kitty, missing one hind leg but you’d never know. But she’s also FeLV positive, so needs a special home. You see that little scrap of orange paper by her paw? That’s a bit of the sign warning people she’s FeLV+—she made short work of that, shredding it all over the place. I played with her every chance I got!

I couldn’t get a good photo of Fleury’s face because he only stopped moving when he managed to pull something into his cage to destroy it, like my canvas bag. Anything within reach ends up in his cage. He’s healthy and friendly, but doesn’t do well at offsite adoption places like PetSmart, which HCMT uses successfully through FosterCat. He needs another opportunity!

And most special of all is Koala, a lovely silver tabby who is completely blind but friendly and learning to play. She’d been living outdoors and somehow managing to survive. I’ll be writing about all three of these cats soon, and especially Koala who we’d really love to find a foster home for at least.

Oh, and here’s Sable, the stray kitty I’d trapped yesterday for today’s clinic–of course he’s a black kitty, and the sunlight, instead of illuminating him, provided a little too much contrast.

Have I had my fill of cats and cat events and circumstances yet this weekend? Never! But the kids are totally glad I’m home.

Browse some rescued cats and kittens!

All images used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission. Please ask if you are interested in using one in a print or internet publication. If you are interested in purchasing a print of this image or a product including this image, check my Etsy shop or Fine Art America profile 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.

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Weekly schedule of features:
Sunday: Essays, Pet Loss, Poetry, The Artist’s Life
Monday: Adoptable Cats, TNR & Shelters
Tuesday: Rescue Stories
Wednesday: Commissioned Portrait or Featured Artwork
Thursday: New Merchandise
Friday: Book Review, Health and Welfare, Advocacy
Saturday: Your Backyard Wildlife Habitat, Living Green With Pets, Creating With Cats
And sometimes, I just throw my hands in the air and have fun!

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