Pets4Vetsoftheozarks

HAPPY GOTCHA DAY, FRED! 🖤

Today was a bittersweet day at Pets4Vets of the Ozarks as Fred headed home with Irene and Richard!

Fred will have a feline sibling waiting for him, but before he begins this new chapter, I wanted to share a little of his story.

When Fred first came to us, he was a completely different cat. He was painfully thin, nearly hairless, and suffering from severe dental disease. His mouth was full of infection and abscesses, and he was clearly miserable.

Initially, we did not believe Fred had stomatitis, so we tried a more conservative approach. Unfortunately, his first dental procedure wasn’t enough. The infections continued, and despite our best efforts, his mouth simply would not heal. Eventually, we made the decision to move forward with a full mouth extraction.

And I am so grateful we did.

Since his full mouth extraction, Fred has absolutely blossomed.

The frightened, shut-down cat who spent his first three months hiding at the rescue slowly started to disappear. In his place emerged a sweet, affectionate, goofy boy who finally felt good enough to be himself.

The timing wasn’t a coincidence.

A few months ago, Irene started coming to visit Fred. Little by little, she earned his trust. She brought something out in him that no one else could. Watching their bond grow was one of the most incredible things I’ve witnessed during Fred’s journey.

I truly believe they were meant to find each other.

Over the last eight months, I’ve grown incredibly attached to Fred. The medical cases always have a way of sneaking into my heart. The ones who need daily care, medications, extra attention, and a little help learning to trust again often become some of my closest friends.

Watching Fred transform has been amazing. His beautiful coat has grown back. His confidence has grown. His personality has emerged. If you compare his intake photo to the handsome boy who left here today, it’s hard to believe they’re the same cat.

While I’ll miss him terribly, there is no greater goal in rescue than seeing a cat find the family they were waiting for all along.

Congratulations, Fred. You waited a long time for this moment, but your happily ever after was worth the wait.

Thank you, Irene and Richard, for seeing the wonderful cat hiding beneath all that pain and fear.

Enjoy your new life, sweet boy. 🖤

Today’s rescue adventures include:

🐈 Alex going to the vet for a urinary follow-up because while his urine is still slightly pink, he is thankfully feeling MUCH better overall. So clearly there’s still some inflammation happening, but we are definitely moving in the right direction.

AND THEN…

There’s Gremlin.

Miss “I p**p approximately 47 times a day and none of them are emotionally convenient.”

I have officially decided to run a PCR panel on her because at this point I NEED answers. We’ve tried food changes, probiotics, Giardia treatment, sensitive stomach food, wet food, dry food… honestly at this point I feel like we’ve tried everything short of hiring her a gastroenterologist and a therapist. We’ve done the regular f***l panel, so it’s time to get serious.

Specifically, I want to test for Tritrichomonas foetus because now that the Giardia is gone, there’s clearly still something lingering. I really need to know what we’re dealing with and whether it could still potentially spread to other cats.

The problem?

Now that I ACTUALLY need a stool sample, Gremlin has apparently decided to become the first cat in history to simply stop p**ping altogether.

This cat has had loose stools for what feels like the last seventeen years.

But today?
Nothing.

I am currently sitting here watching a litter box like I’m waiting for concert tickets to drop.

Meanwhile Gremlin is staring at me like:
“Sounds stressful. Couldn’t be me.”

And honestly, I really do not want to put this semi-feral gremlin into a carrier if I can avoid it, so right now my entire afternoon depends on one tiny cat making one very important life decision.

Rescue work is truly glamorous.