While the world spent another year dealing with COVID-19 and its multiple variants, the foundation was still here accepting advanced medical care cases for forty seven (47) cats this year!
While adoptions were plentiful with kittens, we still currently have two (2) adult cats (from a shelter transfer that were on their euthanasia list due to medical issues they could no longer put the financial means and the physical demands into their care) up for adoption. Taco, who is 10 years young with a wiry tabby coat is being treated for unknown causes of self injury. Since coming to our program we have liberated him from the “cone of shame,” placed him on a solid pain management and supplement routine, and he has since blossomed into a delightful gentleman. Josie, our dilute calico diabetic, is regulated on her insulin and is ready for a home of her own just as long as she is the only cat in the house.
While these cats can be difficult to place, that should not stop you from considering adopting them with the tailored medical care and support you receive from the CGMFF and NOVA Cat Clinic. Interested in being a long term or permanent foster situation until they can be adopted without having to pay for medical care? Let us know! We have several situations with other CGMFF alum cats that are placed in homes with our continued services.
We also helped a rescue located in Kuwait this year. The Rescue for Winston Foundation reached out to us a few times to aid in accepting six (6) cats from Kuwait to be adopted here in the USA. While Nutmeg, the Scottish Fold, got a home through the CGMFF, the others we found placement for at Crumbs and Whiskers in Washington, DC for quicker adoption as those cats did not have any medical issues needing to be addressed. It was quite the experience picking these cats up from Dulles Airport!
Many of our kittens this year suffered from congenital defects requiring surgery to correct them so they could potty normally or as close to normal without assistance. A few needed to stay in diapers due to their issues and a few needed tail amputation due to injury or a defect that causes chronic self injury.
One of the most memorable medical cases this year was Anchovy. She was a welfare case we took in for a local shelter here in DC. Anchovy suffered third (3rd) degree burns over 50% of her body due to a “bathing” incident. They physical abuse Anchovy suffered through was horrific, and while we gave it our all by applying codfish skin fish grafts and twice weekly bandage changes with tissue debridement, we ultimately had to make the difficult decision to peacefully let her go due to the severity of the wounds as they were not healing correctly. We cannot thank Jorgensen Labs, Microlyte Vet enough for their support with donated products to help her case and allow her to heal and live a few months of a somewhat normal life. Unfortunately, with these welfare cases, we are not allowed to know who did this act or investigate the case further from our end in regards to the guilty party.
Every now and then we are asked to go above and beyond what our mission states. We took on a hydrocephalus puppy named “Strawberry.” Our friends from the Arlington Welfare League and Middleburg Animal Shelter reached out to us to see if we could help this special girl. We renamed her “Tillamook”, or “Tilly” for short. While it is a strawberry variety, it was much easier for her to learn the name “Tilly.” These special cases usually have shorter lives depending on the severity of the case. We did see a neurologist and found out she really had no forebrain(cerebrum) at all, just a hindbrain(cerebellum). According to the neurologist, dogs can do just fine with no forebrain! They just tend to have to relearn some skill every single day, and potty training tends to be impossible. Your donations made it possible for Tilly to receive a specially made helmet by Bionic Pets(with cat ears on the top of the helmet) to make her an honorary member of Team Scratch N’ Dent and protect the enormous hole at the top of her head. Even with medical intervention, she was not a candidate for a shunt to help with her disease. Tilly was well loved and lived out her short six (6) months of her life with her adopting mom, Azi before succumbing to her disease.
On a more positive note, the Eggbert plush is finally here! It took nearly a year of design, prototyping, and more to bring you our famous Incredible Pettable Eggbert of 2019! We could not be more excited to have a plush with our name on it that will help cover the costs of more care for future cats.
Our foundation is based on the love of cats, helping evolve feline medicine, the concept that everyone can learn from each of these special creatures, and how you too can advocate for care.
Wishing you all a safe and wonderful 2022.
~Ellen LVT
President