Meet Mr. May!

 Cooper

Age: 23 months

Weight: 12.45#, slightly overweight

Gender: Neutered male

Demeanor at the vet's office:  Sweet boy!
Feline Friends: Angus, Mozart and Hogan

Ever know a cat described as charm and love itself?  Well, I’m that kind of cat – My name is Cooper.  In September of 2011, Dad responded to an adoption ad for a Maine Coon.  They were directed to a pet store in another town.  There I was in a middle cage, surrounded by other kittens, looking lost and confused.  The caretaker pointed me out to Dad, who held me to gauge my temperament.  I was calm in his arms and when we went into another room with other people, I clung to him for security.  

 Mom wondered what was wrong with my eye and paw.  I had an accident in the bathtub where the caretaker kept me and other kittens.  Fortunately, I was brought in for medical attention.  My eye doesn't fully close while I'm sleeping, but my vision is OK.  The Pet Store adoption area was like a circus and Mom felt sorry for me.  Although I was no Maine Coon, Dad loved me on the spot.  Before the paperwork was completed, I was in Mom's arms outside in the car.  Once home, I was sequestered in the upstairs suite as is customary when introducing a new cat to a cat-home.  

E-cats re-checked my vision; my paw had ringworm so I was treated for that.  Mom and dad would play with me in my room, change clothes, and go back to my new brothers.  I saw one brother in particular through the door as it opened a few times.  When I was free to meet my brothers, the door was opened and I rushed out.  Hogan (Ho-ho) was waiting for me.  He jumped on me and we ran down the steps together.  We've been together ever since.  

I have two older brothers, Angus-10, Mozie-8.  Hogan is two, and I will be two this month.  My older brothers and I don't interact much, but you can find me with Hogan.  In fact, I smelled like Hogan's breath for the first few weeks out of my room!  Hogan is long and lean; I am sturdy and small.  We zip through the house together and I can match Hogan step for step.  On occasion he tests his mettle with me but it always ends in a stalemate of licking each other.  

Despite my damaged eye, I am the #1 flycatcher in the house.  They just don't escape me!  Even when I'm out on the Catio, I carry my fresh catch into the house for inspection.  My favorite toy is a blue mouse on an elastic string.  I carry it around and deliver it to Mom's side of the bed, and Dad's desk in his office.  I also love Nasty Santa - he's not naughty, but he's been stitched and washed a number of times so I'm grateful he's still intact.  My brothers and I seem to time-share all the cat beds, people beds, people chairs, windowsills, and cat trees found throughout the house.  Now that we're older, Ho-ho and I don't fit into most of the beds together.  There's a large one atop the armoire.  When Ho-ho and I are sleeping there together, it makes Mom so happy as he and I are still very close.  Dad loves to take pictures of me and that is why you see me as Mr. May in this year's calendar.  

Cooper and Ho-Ho, snuggling

When it is feeding time, you will see me prancing in the kitchen, back arched, wrapping my boa of a tail around the neck of my brothers.  I just get so excited!  I'm a good eater; Angus and I eat whatever is served.  As they call Hogan Ho-ho, Mom and Dad call me Cu-cu, which morphed into Cuckleberry.  If I don't get my bowl fast enough, I "meow" which is more like a long, piercing squeak.  Hence, I'm sometimes called Squeakleberry.  

I nurse Mom's earlobe around 4 a.m.  Despite the early hour, she recalls the caretaker's stories of my early life and she hugs me tight – glad that I’m hers.  When I drew blood on her earlobe, I had to be weaned.  Now I simply snuggle and purr on Mom.  When company comes over, I run and hide.  Mom calls to me and tells me when they are gone.  I have a very sweet, shy nature, tho I'm known for stealing things from off of dad's desk.  

Dad makes juggling balls.  On occasion, a ball was found in different areas of the house.  One day, five balls were missing.  Dad looked everywhere and couldn't find them.  Eventually, they were discovered in a pile under the table in a corner where the TV is.  I guess I was putting my "babies" in a nest.  Dad knows to hide them from me now.  I can hear mom and dad chuckle from time to time when they look at my small stature and laugh as they recall that they were told that I was a Maine Coon.  Grateful to fate, they are very happy to have me.  All I ever wanted was to be loved - and I am.

Cooper, happy and loved!

Samson's Story: Rags to Riches

Samson, day 1, September 2012

Samson's wounds and hair loss (see his rat tail?)

Do you think you would ever say that becoming a stray was the best thing that ever happened to a cat? We didn’t think so, either, but in Samson’s case, it may be true!

Samson was a stray Persian-mix cat, approximately 2-3 years old, that was found by one of our clients in September 2011. He was un-neutered, loaded with fleas, missing half of his haircoat, and covered in wounds. He had 4 torn toenails and was terribly thin – only 5.25 pounds. He also had significant dental disease. After a negative Feline Leukemia Virus test and a negative Feline Immunodeficiency Virus test, the people that found him decided to keep him. We treated his wounds, his fleas and his intestinal parasites and neutered him. Due to his fragile condition, we did not vaccinate him at that time.

Spots of ringworm glowing under black light

Samson in January 2012, still fighting ringworm...

Once his wounds had healed, he broke out with ringworm – a skin fungus that he likely picked up while he was outdoors, but may also have had prior to becoming a stray. Samson turned out to have one of the worst and most persistent cases of ringworm that we have ever seen – he was covered with lesions and had to be medicated with oral medications and medicated baths for almost 7 months! We use a black light to look for fluorescence on the hairs when they are infected with ringworm. Poor Samson looked like a glowing leopard!

Samson's uncomfortable mouth, filled with gingivitis and calculus

Now that he has finally fought off the ringworm, he has more than doubled his weight (10.6 pounds!) is healthy enough that we have been able to vaccinate him, and he is staying with us Tuesday for a dental cleaning and oral surgery to fix his mouth. Unfortunately, after looking at his dental x-rays and probing his teeth with a special probe, it is clear that all of his teeth are diseased except his canines. Perhaps it is genetic, as it is in many cats, or perhaps his time as a severely malnourished stray had some effect on his oral health, but either way, after talking with his owner about options, we will be extracting all the diseased teeth, today. Fortunately, cats are still able to enjoy their food with only a few teeth left, and Samson will be much healthier without all the bacteria festering in his mouth.

Samson, May 2012, ringworm free!

Samson has been so lucky to find such a patient and loving home where he is well-fed and well-cared-for and his new owners are willing to deal with his multiple health issues.