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tnrmakessense

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Update on Bowie @ 22/02/2020 - We've just dropped Bowie off with the local SPCA Humane center who have agreed to take him in due to his injuries. He'll be in quarantine for 10 days then at some time after that, I'll be able to adopt him into our family of humans and cats and we'll just have to pay the adoption fee. He'll be neutered, get his shots and injuries fixed. I'm both elated and apprehensive. But the poor guy- every time we saw him he had more injuries. He disappeared for 3 days earlier this week - I knew something had to be wrong for him to stay away that long. When he returned he had a badly swollen leg from the wrist into the paw. He could hardly walk. His ear was more chewed up and he had more scratches on his face.
He stayed close the next day but then that night while in his kennel he was attacked by a Raccoon that wounded him on his chest!

He'll be an indoor cat when we get him back. I expect there will be a few tantrums from him and/or the other cats we have but I'm sure they won't last long. Bowie has already been in the house a few times and there were no fights.
This morning, we had Bowie in the house, in a large carrier for a few hours while we waited for the SPCA to open. One of our cats, Shadow who is really laid back, stayed with him, close to his carrier, for a couple of hours, sending him calming vibes. He soon settled down and had a snooze.
I'll add more when I know myself.
That's WONDERFUL news. Dealing with outside kitties so often is making a choice between two less than perfect options. Sounds like you absolutely did the right thing.(Had to pause as I typed this because a former feral who is brain damaged, deaf, and riddled with issues just clawed me in the side to get my attention. Ah, the life of a rescuer......)
 

tnrmakessense

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I know you're right, Jefferd18 and thanks for all your kind and informational comments. But you know, I sometimes second guess myself... Do I have the right to do this to him? To get him neutered? Does any human caregiver have the right to mutilate another sentient being just so it can conform to their way of thinking and acting? If we all did this to our cats, there would be no more cats after one generation... They'd become extinct. Is this what happened to the dinosaurs?
OK... Joking aside, We had to get his wounds taken care of. It broke my heart to see him so beat up all the time and I knew the only real way to stop him fighting - and to stop our house smelling like wrestler's jock strap was to get him neutered. (My aplogies to any wrestlers reading this) We asked around all the vets in the area and they were all quoting astronomical prices - This is why we'd left it so long. However, if he HADN'T been injured, the SPCA Humane center wouldn't have taken him in. I guess the Lord works in mysterious ways...
I'm very grateful to them for their help in this matter and I'll be paying that forward and volunteering there if they'll have me.
If it's any comfort, I've done this (rescue and T/N/R) for 30+ years and still feel HORRIBLE each and every time I take someone in for surgery. Of course it's the right thing to do but that doesn't mean that I don't feel guilty as hell for causing them to be scared and experience pain. I only exhale days later when they're back to their normal behavior.
 
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Storm Shadow

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Thanks guys, for all your support. I know I'm doing what's best for Bowie.
The latest update is that he's still in quarantine and will be till March 3rd. We called into the SPCA adoption center yesterday to check on his progress and we were not allowed to see him (because he's in quarantine) but were told he's doing fine, eating & drinking, etc. However, they did say it could be two months before we can get him back. I can only assume this is down to the extent of his injuries and any possible infection (he did have a respiratory infection) he might have.
On the plus side, my wife and I have submitted our application to be volunteers there so if accepted, we'd be able to visit him before he's released.
However, they have dozens, if not hundreds of cats there (and dogs) waiting to be adopted. We got to cuddle a few of them. One of them jumped into my coat! My heart goes out to them all but we have to stop at Bowie.
 
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Storm Shadow

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A tentative update on Bowie and a question...
We haven't been able to see Bowie yet as they've kept him in quarantine, which leads me to speculate that his condition is worse than I thought. You can see his picture here on the shelter's Facebook page - Ohio SPCA & Humane Society - Just scroll down the page till you find him - They've called him David Bowie - we just call him Bowie. The shelter has told me that he's doing well, eating & drinking OK, his eyes are open now and they've wormed him. Other than that, I have no other info.
The Shelter has 300 cats and nearly 100 dogs! And most of those are open to be adopted.

But I have a question regarding FIV. I've already read some people's thoughts on the forum about FIV cats. I don't know if Bowie has this yet or not, but knowing how this is passed from cat to cat, through deep bites, I'd be more surprised if Bowie did not have FIV...
How much of a risk would we be putting our own 3 healthy indoor cats in, if Bowie does have FIV and we adopted him into our home? Another thing we would have to consider is if Bowie would need regular (expensive) vet visits and medication, which we simply cannot afford.
I really did want to adopt Bowie, but not if it's going to put our own cats at serious health risks. However, when I took Bowie to the shelter, I told him it was so they could make him well, so he could come back and live with us. :-(

Can anyone allay my fears so I can honor my pledge to him?

His photo on the shelter's Facebook page is quite aways down the page so I've attached it here for you.
 

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FeebysOwner

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You have to do what's right for you and what is comfortable, but there are many members on this site who have multi-cat households where some of the cats have FIV and some do not. If you are interested, you can take a look at some of the previous threads from members in the following link.
Search Results for Query: FIV

Btw: I don't know if your link above was to go directly to Bowie, but it didn't and I didn't know where to go from there to find him.
 
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