Starting in 2013 Toni’s Kitty Rescue began to rescue and foster several senior and sometimes fospice cats each year. This year, TRK was honored to help fospice cat Eddie find a home.
Fospice cats like Eddie are very old (Eddie is 17, which is 88 in human years), and may only have a few weeks, or a year or two to live. They usually require ongoing medical care. The goal is to give the senior a safe, quiet, comfortable home for as long as the fates allow.
Eddie’s foster Mom, Jennifer Baker, tells his story:
“We heard about Eddie through Toni’s Kitty Rescue’s Facebook page. They put out an urgent notice asking for fospice care for Eddie, saying that he had been dumped in a shelter after being in a home for 17 years. They said he was special needs because he took medication for his hyperthyroidism.
As soon as I read about Eddie it broke my heart and I knew that I had to do something. I talked to my husband, we slept on it, then the next morning we called TKR and said that we would be happy to take him home. The only problem was that we were leaving the next day for a week long cruise so one of my girlfriends stepped in and said she would bail him out and foster him for the week we were gone.
When my girlfriend went to pick up Eddie she was so worried because he was so sick that they had to put him on antibiotics. Her first voice mail message to me about Eddie was that he hadn’t eaten in a couple of days, that he was so skinny, and that she honestly didn’t know if he was going to make it past a couple of days. Our hearts sunk. We felt so helpless since we were heading out of town and my girlfriend was possibly going to have to bury this precious baby.
However, Eddie responded well to his antibiotics and by the time I picked him up a week later he was doing well. He was on the skinny side which is somewhat acceptable considering his hyperthyroidism.
TKR and Toni have been a great support. They take care of Eddie’s vet appointments and medication! When my friend picked Eddie up, he had a little cold so they took care of that vet bill and antibiotics as well. They have been so good to sweet little Eddie.
It has been about 11 weeks since we brought Eddie home with us. He has put on weight and his coat is much softer and shinier. He is still having issues getting along with my other 5 cats, but we are hoping that it will work itself out.
Eddie is such a sweetheart. He has a loud purr and drools when you love on him. He is a voracious eater and is always there when it’s feeding time. I have to feed him separately though because I grind up his medication and mix it into his food.
I am so glad that we were able to step in and help him in his time of need. He has been a wonderful addition to our home and we are glad we were able to step in and help like we did. ”
TKR is so happy that you were able to step in and help Eddie, too, Jennifer. Many thanks to you and your family.