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Hello Everyone...

I thought I would post about the new friend in my life. Two days ago, I rescued a cat, and now he lives here with me! I am happy because I live alone, and I like having another living creature around to tend to. I am also finding out that it is very true when the experts say that pets are good therapy for the depressed, lonely, and the elderly. Every time my cat sits on my lap and I pet him, I have noticed that I feel calmer and my heart rate goes down considerably.

I know the previous owners of this cat, and I know his history. I've decided to keep his previous name, which is Hercules. But I hardly ever call him by his name...I'll call him kitty, baby, dude, Mr., sweetie...or any other terms of endearment that come to my mind.

He is not in good shape at all right now, and I am hoping that my TLC will nurse him back to good health. He is very malnourished...his bones are very visible. He seems depressed, and is not active at all...although I am hoping that this will change as he gains weight and might have more energy. Poor Hercules was badly infested with fleas, so the first thing he received at my home (after eating of course) was a flea bath. I soaked him to the skin and scrubbed him with flea and tick shampoo, and was appalled at the number of fleas that were trying to escape. He must have miserable! His coat was so dirty, that he had stopped grooming himself. I'm happy to say that the shampoo did a great job on killing the fleas, and his fur is nice and soft again. But he seems so sad...

Anyways, I don't know if God was pushing me to take this cat in, or if it was just my own sense of compassion, but I had been thinking about taking him for several weeks. Now that he's here, I'm very glad to have him, and to be a part of the pet owners community.

They are all God's creatures...great and small...and man was put here to subdue them and care for them! Amen? Amen!! I am privileged to be able to care for one of God's animals.

Hello Rocky
So wonderful Rocky to hear of your new pet and that you had such compassion upon it to rescue it before things got any worse. Perhaps Hercules was mistreated in more ways then one to be so sad. But with your love and care you can be sure he will find a new friend in you and soon will be happy again. With lots of tender care from you, frequent brushings, good meals, and some treats now and then, he won't ever want to leave you side. I have had cats years ago and they do bring joy to your heart and it is comforting to just have them sit on your lap. This is why also they bring animals, dogs, cats to some nursing homes on a regular basis to bring a little cheer to the elderly. After all some don't even have their own families visit them so they look so forward to a visit from a furry friend. If Hercules doesn't seem to gain weight after some good feedings in a few weeks you might want to consider to him to a vet for a check up just to make sure he's ok.
Hope he brings you much comfort and love too and enjoy your new found friend. We recently bought a puppy, although she is a lot of work and in need of much training she is adorable and makes me laugh at how excited she gets when I take her to the park and let her run through the tall grasses. I so agree we need to take care of God's creatures not mistreat them. Let us know how Hercules is coming along ok and any questions you may have regarding cats.
God bless You and Hercules today.

smalltowngirl that is so wonderful.

Sometimes pets stop eatting because of the fleas.

I hope you see some improvement in him soon.

Before you know it Hercules is going to be living up to his name.

God bless you for your compassionate spirit.

Thanks for your replies, Changedforever and Pine

Yes, I do want to take him to a vet to check for that feline leukemia that cats can get. He was exposed to a lot of strays while he was outside, and also got bitten quite badly a couple of times. I've heard that's how cats transmit the disease...through bites and other types of contact.

Unfortunately, I can't afford any vet care at all right now. I don't want to spend a lot of money on him if he's ill. However, I did find a program that will neuter and give him a rabies vaccine for only $10 each. It is for one day only in November. So, I think I will apply for this program. Ten bucks is pretty cheap for these procedures.

Also, if I ever do get some extra money, they have OTC medications for ear mites, worming, etc...but these are expensive too, even though they are sold without a prescription.

Thanks for your encouragement! Sorry to go on about this, but I am happy to have a pet again...it's been a long time. I'm pleased to report that Hercules is eating, drinking, and using the litter box normally, so hopefully he is healthy, just needs time to gain the weight back.

God bless you both!!



PS--Hercules says "thank you" for the well wishes too!

You tell Herculies he's going to be just fine. I think your love and care has given him a new meaning to life.



Keep us updated.

aww liltown

I can just imagine what joy that lil furry has brought into your life already Such a blessing.

If he was malnourished when you got him, it was prob the reason why he seemed depressed, as he prob had no energy due to lack of food.

How is the he doing now sis?

Hey smalltowngirl!

God bless you for taking in Hercules and beginning to give him a new life!!!! I volunteer at our local animal shelter and some cats come in in pretty bad shape, and yes I hear you about costs of vet bills! You'd be surprised tho how resilient cats are if their situation was only being exposed to the homeless life (as opposed to having contracted a disease)...

The neutering and rabies shots are very important and wow that's CHEAP for the cost! May I suggest as Hercules gets settled maybe you could check out your local animal shelter and ask about tests for Feleuk and FIV (cat equivalent to HIV). Also when they go in for the neutering and shots I would think the vet could do a "physical" as well. Ah, I'll stop, I just get so pumped about animal rescue!

Praying for you and little Hercules... let us know how he's doing!

Susi

Congratulations on your new baby!!

It is such a sad time when people can't afford their houses and leave their animals behind to fend for themselves. I have heard of people even letting horses and goats loose. And all the farmers are saying they are getting a bumper crop of dogs and cats showing up at their doorsteps or unfortunately, in their street.

Whenever a cat is so badly infested, they always have worms, especially tape worm. He won't be able to put weight back on if the worms keep sucking it out of him.
Can you look at his gums? Do they look pink?

Do you know anyone who might have some worming medication that they can let you have? I know myself, I have an arsenal of stuff because of the goats.

Now it's time for a picture... preferrably him sitting on your lap.

Hey smalltown, thats fantastic ... how's he doing?

I'm with deetu, I would love to see a picture of him!!