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mamajoanI am agonizing over what to do about Bini. Put simply, I don't believe I'm capable right now of managing the care of a diabetic cat. The vet said it could take several months to get the right dosage of insulin figured out; plus he would need to be tested for a bunch of other stuff (kidney problems, etc.); plus giving him two injections per day, and monitoring his eating/drinking/voiding on a daily basis. Frankly, it just isn't doable for me at this point in my life; I feel terrible about that, but it's the truth. And that's not even talking about the cost, which the vet said could run $300-400 in the first month or two.
But I don't feel good about just having Bini put to sleep, either. I really feel that if I could find the right person, a person who can afford and has the time to manage his diabetes, he could still be a wonderful pet for someone. I hate the thought that if this had happened a year ago (or maybe even a year later), I would have been able to handle it. :(
So I've been calling a bunch of shelters and rescue organizations, etc., and no luck so far. Most of them don't answer their phones (I'm sure they are all volunteer-run) and the few that I've actually talked to have been very discouraging. Mostly they just say that there's almost no chance in hell of finding a new home for a 12-year-old diabetic cat; and since there are already SO many young, healthy cats waiting for homes, it would be unfair to any shelter to strain their resources for an unadoptable cat. Many shelters would probably flat-out refuse to take him, and those that do take him would probably end up euthanizing him fairly soon. And it doesn't seem right to put that strain on the shelter AND make Bini live out his last days in a cage in a shelter, rather than at home being comfortable and loved. :(
I put an ad on craigslist too, seeking a new home for Bini. But if nothing comes of that, and I don't get any more good news out of any other shelter/organization, I think that on Monday I'll be taking him somewhere to be put to sleep. :( It really makes me feel horribly guilty and sad, but I truly don't know what else to do.
In other news, mere moments from now I'm expecting an inspector from the city to come and look at my heating system. I don't think I mentioned it here, but I finally submitted my application and was approved for the city program that provides a no-interest forgiveable loan of up to $4500 for replacing a heating system. Yay. I'm really hoping to get this done asap before the really cold weather arrives.
Ruthie has had her first bits of solid food in the last few days. I gave her a teeny bit of mashed banana on a spoon a few days ago; she was more interested in playing with/chewing on the spoon than what was on it, but that's okay. Yesterday I gave her a piece of peach inside a mesh feeder and she LOVED it. My baby is growing up! She can sit up on her own for minutes at a time and is grabbing for everything. She's also enormous. I'm pretty sure she weighs over 20 pounds now. She has to get weighed at our WIC followup appointment on Tuesday, so I'll find out for sure then.
Gotta go get ready for the inspector; more later.
But I don't feel good about just having Bini put to sleep, either. I really feel that if I could find the right person, a person who can afford and has the time to manage his diabetes, he could still be a wonderful pet for someone. I hate the thought that if this had happened a year ago (or maybe even a year later), I would have been able to handle it. :(
So I've been calling a bunch of shelters and rescue organizations, etc., and no luck so far. Most of them don't answer their phones (I'm sure they are all volunteer-run) and the few that I've actually talked to have been very discouraging. Mostly they just say that there's almost no chance in hell of finding a new home for a 12-year-old diabetic cat; and since there are already SO many young, healthy cats waiting for homes, it would be unfair to any shelter to strain their resources for an unadoptable cat. Many shelters would probably flat-out refuse to take him, and those that do take him would probably end up euthanizing him fairly soon. And it doesn't seem right to put that strain on the shelter AND make Bini live out his last days in a cage in a shelter, rather than at home being comfortable and loved. :(
I put an ad on craigslist too, seeking a new home for Bini. But if nothing comes of that, and I don't get any more good news out of any other shelter/organization, I think that on Monday I'll be taking him somewhere to be put to sleep. :( It really makes me feel horribly guilty and sad, but I truly don't know what else to do.
In other news, mere moments from now I'm expecting an inspector from the city to come and look at my heating system. I don't think I mentioned it here, but I finally submitted my application and was approved for the city program that provides a no-interest forgiveable loan of up to $4500 for replacing a heating system. Yay. I'm really hoping to get this done asap before the really cold weather arrives.
Ruthie has had her first bits of solid food in the last few days. I gave her a teeny bit of mashed banana on a spoon a few days ago; she was more interested in playing with/chewing on the spoon than what was on it, but that's okay. Yesterday I gave her a piece of peach inside a mesh feeder and she LOVED it. My baby is growing up! She can sit up on her own for minutes at a time and is grabbing for everything. She's also enormous. I'm pretty sure she weighs over 20 pounds now. She has to get weighed at our WIC followup appointment on Tuesday, so I'll find out for sure then.
Gotta go get ready for the inspector; more later.
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Date: 2006-09-22 04:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-22 05:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-22 06:29 pm (UTC)Anyway {{{HUGS}}}
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Date: 2006-09-23 01:18 am (UTC)Feline diabetes is less serious than human diabetes; it's basically the same medical condition, but cats are less likely to get the uglier possible side effects (blindness, losing limbs, etc.). A regulated diabetic cat feels just fine. An unregulated diabetic cat is in danger of going into a coma, or developing other, potentially fatal related health problems, but the condition isn't painful aside from the need to pee a lot.
Unfortunately, my diabetic cat also had squamous cell carcinoma. :(
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Date: 2006-09-23 01:40 am (UTC)MORE {{{HUGS}}} to "English chick"
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Date: 2006-09-22 08:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-22 09:35 pm (UTC)