Dear List,
I usually just lurk on this list, but I am a moderator for the Orphankittens
yahoo list since I foster many neonatals each year for a So. California
cat/kitten rescue. I can personally vouch for Michael at Second Chance Meows.
I have met him, his family, and some of the 10 cats he is currently fosters in
his private sanctuary. He is not at all wealthy, but he cares enough about the
FeLV positive felines to be willing to be the home of the last resort. I
firmly believe that any funds donated to help him in this worthy cause WILL NOT
be WASTED or misused.
Most of the kittens he takes into his care will not experience long lives, but
their quality of life will be very good. They are not caged; they have full
access to Michael's home once they have been acclimated to the new location.
Michael will not do the extreme (and expensive) treatments to prolong life that
I have seen posted here, but the cats and kittens get access to good food,
human and other cat friends, vet care to mantain comfort and manage pain, lots
of toys, and love and affection for the time they have left in this world.
Here is a little bit of background of my experience. I had my first FeLV
positive (confirmed) kitten early this year after 7 years of fostering kittens
(over 200 total). It was before I started getting my 2010 bottle babies and I
was able to keep Wisp isolated and carefully quarantined until I got her
healthy enough to place in a sanctuary. I found Second Chance Meows Sanctuary
through this Feline Leukemia yahoo group and was able to make contact with
Michael, check a couple of references, then arrange placement for my little
tabby girl Wisp with him.
My husband and I drove from So. Calif. to Reno, NV on April 1, 2010, met
Michael and his family - both human and feline members, and felt comfortable
enough to leave Wisp there. He isn't independently wealthy and works hard for
his living, but for personal reasons he and his family are dedicated to taking
in FeLV positive cats and kittens and giving them a loving home until it is
time to cross the rainbow bridge. He doesn't do a lot of extraordinary
measures, but he does have several vets who work with him to keep his feline
family members as healthy and comfortable as possible for as long as possible.
If Wisp had remained at my house, she would have been caged/quarantined 24:7
and would have had NO other kittens to play with. I was able to foster over 80
kittens this year because Michael was willing to take Wisp. A few were short
term, but most were with me from rescue to adoption and many were only a few
days or weeks old. These kittens probably would have died if I had not been
able to provide a safe foster home for them. If I had kept Wisp, I would have
had to keep her in a cage away from over 50 climbing, exploring, curious, but
vulnerable unvaccinated (for FeLV) kittens. It would not have been safe for
the kittens or pleasant for Wisp.
I believe I posted about Wisp in Feb or Mar. asking for input and assistance
since I was being pressured to euth. her and got quite a few helpful responses
to my inquiry. Since April, I have made several donations to Second Chance
Meows (one pretty big one when Wisp was delivered) and feel strongly that the
money is being well-spent. I recently sent $75 thru the chip-in link. I would
have liked to have sent more, but I have several foster kittens with major
health/injury issues that I haven't asked my rescue to cover since our
donations are down too.
Michael called me just a few days ago to let me know that Wisp's liver was
failing. She had been healthy and happy for almost 7 months, but had recently
shown symptoms that required a vet visit. He did not ask for immediate euth,
instead taking her home for hospice so she could cross the Rainbow Bridge
surrounded by her family. If I end up with another FeLV confirmed positive
kitten again, I would not hesitate to contact Second Chance Meows for possible
placement. Michael is limited in the number of cats/kittens he can hospice at
any one time but the quality of care he provides to those few he takes in is
superb!
Georgetta Brickey
www.CatsCradleRescue.org
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