Saving Hope

“May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, and enough HOPE to make you happy.”


^^ she has been sleeping with Lucy lately.... SO adorable!

I have enough HOPE to keep my happy and she has certainly had enough trial to make her strong.

Hope managed to go a full week in her last splint (#4), but it began to slip a few days ago and I didn't want her to risk going all the way til Monday with it so far down her leg. I managed to get the evening off (at the last minute) so I called my vet and brought her in this afternoon. Have I mentioned that I LOVE my vet??

Today was day 30 since her leg was reset, so they decided just to do the x-rays today and see how things were going. The x-rays showed that her bones were healing, though not quite straight. Despite this, the vet is very optimistic that Hope will be just fine in the long run. She said the leg will likely be a little shorter than the others, but that her bone should get straighter and stronger as she continues to grow.


^^ not quite straight, but healed on both sides = progress.

Since her leg has been tightly wrapped for so long, Hope's poor foot looked SO bad! She had big sores on the bottom of her foot, which she promptly licked "clean" and the whole bottom of her foot and leg were bleeding just all over... SO sad!! The vet cleaned her leg/paw --which Hope didn't like at ALL-- and then just put a soft wrap around it. HOPEfully she will leave it on/alone until Monday, which is her next vet appt for vaccinations. Also, HOPEfully the paw will heal well by then.

So........ we're not quite across the proverbial bridge, but a lot closer than we were a few weeks ago. As long as she continues to heal and does not re-injure the leg anytime soon (with her crazy antics!) she should be just fine!! In fact, in the last few days she has been climbing the side of my bed (splint and all!) to sleep next to me. She has been sleeping on my chest while I write this........ SO precious! She hadn't been nearly as snuggly since she started feeling better, but a few days ago she suddenly decided she wanted to spend more time with Mommy again.... which is fine by me! She's just TOO sweet!!!


^^ snuggling in my robe just now ((don't worry -- I have a t-shirt on, too... haha!))

Lately, Hope's new nickname has been Houdini. She had her splint replaced last Thursday (the 26th) and had wriggled halfway out of it by the time I got home from work Saturday morning! Luckily I noticed it when I got home at 745a, so I was able to bring her right to the vet and they replaced it. However, this time she managed to go a whole four days before getting all the way out of the splint!! I got home around 11p last night and it was on.... saw her hopping around the kitchen about 15min later and it was off!! I caught her (with my sister's help) and grounded her to the bathroom -- actually, half of the bathroom, thanks to a strategically-placed baby gate -- for the night.

I set my alarm for 8a to call the vet. I got a 1045a appt, which was actually perfect... I could get a little more sleep, but still be able to get to my 1215p GI appt just in time (literally)! It was just one of those little things where you know God's got your back... ya know?

So, yeah........ Hoppy is in splint #4 and I'm HOPEing the fourth time's the charm. Her final x-ray isn't until the 13th, so we'll see if this one can last until then. She wasn't putting any weight on the leg last night (when the splint was off), so I'm a little worried. She's got a fair amount of muscle degeneration, as well as some pretty good pressure sores (see pic ^^)... and who knows how long she hadn't been using it before I found her.... so I'm just praying the leg will be functional by the end of the month..... if not, she'll likely lose it. I'm HOPEing, however, that the outcome is more like the quote above............ we'll just look back and think, "How the heck...??" and we'll answer: "God is good."

Whatever fears I may have had that first day I laid eyes on Hope are melting away... just as sure as she is melting my heart.

The fever, the infection, the worms and the giardia are all well on their way out the door and HOPE is springing eternal! I have (finally) given her the run of the house... or at least the upstairs. She already has a favorite spot picked out under my bed. She comes out occasionally to play, eat or just explore. She has more than her share of toys... including Mommy's fingers! The vet said that she was very likely weaned too early from her mother, as she is showing signs of attachment to me as her mother. She would lick my fingers/hand/face/etc all day long if I let her! The vet said that was a display of comfort that she'd usually get from her natural mother. And just today, she even came to me.... twice... when I called to her! That was definitely a first. It may not seem like much, but for a cat that has only been living among people for three weeks, she is doing amazingly! She is reminding me more of a kitten every day.

We went to the vet today for her two week check-up. She was finally deemed healthy enough to get her first kitty shots... poor girl! We also found out she is up to 2.8 pounds... which means she gained 1/3rd of her body weight in the past week!! She is growing so quickly --though still quite skinny-- that she needed to have her cast changed today. Poor girl!! She was SO brave, though... just needed Mommy to hold her paw... she just melts in my hands. It is a bit larger, so it will take a few days for her to re-learn to walk with it (rather than drag it behind her), but she's definitely not letting it slow her down!

With all this, it may seem I am just a crazy cat lady, but I am SO blessed by this beautiful little girl! I know God uses His creation to enrich and magnify our short lives here on earth.... and I, for one, couldn't imagine living without being surrounded by these adorable, unconditional-love-giving, purr-while-sleeping-next-to-you, eat-you-out-of-house-and-home, so-cute-I-could-watch-them-for-days furry babies.

If you would like to CHIP IN towardscreating a future for Hope --by helping to cover her extensive vetbills-- please know that ANYthing from $1 to $100 will help!

If you have PAYPAL, simply click the orange"ChipIn!" button to the right OR use THIS LINK. If you would like to mail a donation, just shoot me a message via Lindsay@hafproject.org for my address.

THANK YOU!!

One thing just leads to another. We went back to the vet today to get the splint checked and to give her a more complete physical and kitten shots. Turns out, aside from her broken leg, Hope also has Giardia, a pretty bad Upper Respiratory Infection, a fever AND a horrible case of round worms! Hope hasn't gained *any* weight in the last week, which the vet attributes to the worms. She weighs only 2.1#, INCLUDING the cast! Yikes. She is on two different medications twice a day for the next two weeks... which HOPEfully will do the trick. She is SUCH a fighter.

To add to things..... I had to drop her off at a family friend's house today. We had planned our annual family vacation for this weekend a while before finding Hope... and it was too late to change plans. So tomorrow I leave for Chicago and will be gone through Monday night! Luckily, my mom's friend is retired and her cat passed away not long ago, so she is probably the only person I'd leave Hope with! I know she will be well cared for and well loved..... but I'm like a mom leaving her baby for the first time..... I know I'll pretty much worry the whole weekend... especially with her SO sick... but I *know* she will be okay! Like I said... she's a fighter!!

I can't believe it's barely been six days.... 22 to go. Hope is getting harder and harder to keep still. She has finally learned how to walk on her leg, rather than just drag it behind her. I really HOPE this is a good sign... a sign that her leg is getting stronger. Just starting yesterday, she is actually able to pull it up under her and take steps on it. She's not eating as much as I'd like, but she's definitely getting stronger and has a LOT more energy. That said, she can only make it about five feet before she collapses onto her left hip.... waits a minute or two (or ten)... then gets back up and starts over.

I feel like a new mom. I feed Hope many times a day, change her cast covering, wipe her bottom, and even get up early to care for her. Now I feel like I'm watching her take her first steps.... even if they are baby steps.


Hope still lives in the bathroom, but she seems to want more freedom during the day, so I am letting her explore on her own -- while mom keeps a watchful eye. Right now, she has come out from under the bar and has found the other cats' food dishes. I'd rather she eats the kitten food, but I don't dare stop her, as this is the first time I have seen her eating on her own... a big milestone! It's also the first time I've put her down and seen her actually come out of whatever hiding spot she has found without coaxing!


The other kitties remain at a distance, but they are slowly warming to this new little girl that has invaded their house. Lucy was even licking Hope's face last night! Franklin is still quite annoyed, but I think he's realized there's not much he can do about it. Phoenix is just enthralled... he always comes up and sniffs her with his eyes wide. Mabel could just care less... though I think they all are feeling a little bit neglected, as they're used to more attention from mom.

I don't think it will be too much longer before Hope is starting to get herself into trouble, kitty-style. She's very courageous, especially in the face of the other cats, people and even noises. She will just sit there while the other cats approach... lets people pick her up... and didn't even flinch when I cleaned up the mess around her bed in the bathroom with the hand-held vacuum! Right now, she has progressed from the food dishes to finding her favorite ball toy in the living room. Three of the other cats are all watching from literally a foot away... but she could care less.


She's just beginning to learn what it means to be a kitten.... and I'm trying to learn to let her do it on her own.


If you would like to CHIP IN towards creating a future for Hope --by helping to cover her extensive vet bills-- please know that ANYthing from $1 to $100 will help!

If you have PAYPAL, simply click the orange"ChipIn!" button to the right OR use THIS LINK. If you would like to mail a donation, just shoot me a message via Lindsay@hafproject.org for my address.

THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!!!!!!

Hope is definitely coming alive! I have been trying to slowly socialize her... to humans, cats, toys, cat food... all of the aspects of her new life that are foreign to her. This morning, for the first time, she actually started playing with me! I had her on my lap on her back and she was batting at a feather toy that I use to play with the other cats. It may seem like a small victory, but I've tried playing with her in previous days and she has just sat there, too scared to even play. She is also becoming a lot more restless these days. You can tell she is getting stronger and stronger... both physically and in spirit.

Speaking of spirit... last night she was sleeping on my chest (in my recliner) and something woke her from her deep sleep and caused her to instantly bolt to the floor, then scurry under the couch! Her splinted leg was caught between two parts of the couch (it's a reclining sofa with many metal pieces) and she was quite scared! It seemed like forever, but I got her leg unstuck and tried to get her back out right away so she would not get hurt. Turns out, *I* was the one who was hurt when she -in her piqued fear- bit me something good! I don't blame her, though... *something* scared this poor little baby like I have never seen! Oddly enough, she settled down before I even stopped bleeding and I was able to reach in and get her out safely. I have been meaning to replace this couch for months now, so I am hoping to get this beast out to the garage tonight. Once that happens, I won't have a problem putting Hope down to roam around her new castle... something I know she is dying to do. I just don't want her to get further injuries doing so, especially when her leg is just in the very first stages of healing.

Aside from trying to keep home from roaming (too far), the main challenge has been to keep her splint dry and clean. Thus far, Hope is making it to the litter box 90% of the time. However, being on her rear leg, she tends to drag her splint (which is pretty absorbent) right through whatever she has just deposited in the box as she leaves it. I feel like a true momma as I clean up her backside & splint (with baby wipes, no less)! I may begin to leave a plastic covering on her leg when I leave her in the bathroom, but we'll see... the vet said that would be an option, but not for too long at a time. I'm sure she will have to have the splint changed at least once or twice at this point.... we'll find out when she has her first check-up next Wednesday.

Until then, please continue to pray for little Hope and her recovery -- physically, mentally and spiritually. She certainly has the *will*, so as long as she is given a way, she will do just fine!!

If you decide you would like to CHIP IN towards creating a "way" for Hope, please know that ANYthingfrom $1 to $100 will help! It ALL adds up and 100% will go towards covering her extensive medical bills.

If you have PAYPAL, simply click the orange"ChipIn!" button to the right OR use THIS LINK. If you would like to mail a donation, just shoot me a message via Lindsay@hafproject.org for my address.

THANK YOU!!

After seeing how little movement Hope has --as well as how scared she still is-- I have decided that she will be residing in my bathroom when she is not with me. While I realize this is not the best way to reduce her fear and get her used to her new environment, it is my HOPE that this will give her leg the greatest chance to heal. Ultimately, I am HOPEing that the ends will justify the means.


I have given her all the comforts of home within just a few steps. HOPEfully she will make a speedy recovery and -in just a month's time- be running around and playing with the rest of her new kitty family.