Archive

  1. Sam

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    Sam is our beautiful Siamese. He is 17 years young, and still plays with his brother, sister, and our two dogs. He loves to play change the sheets, but his true love is snuggling with us. Sam was a shelter cat we rescued, (or we were rescued) in Los Angeles. He was on a ledge in the cattery, asleep sitting up, but when the handler went in the area, she patter her shoulder, and Sam jumped into her arms. We knew instantly that he was meant for our family. As a military family, we have moved over 15 times, taking all of our animals either y driving or flying with us. Sam has seen a lot of this country.

    My wife, Laura, has fibromyalgia, and Sam is the ultimate therapy cat for her. He knows, sometimes before she does, when she needs to sit down or lay down, and he immediately lays down on the part of her body that is hurting, he has always done this, and they have an incredible bond. Our sons, Jacob and Nicky, also have a special bond with Sam. He is always there for them when they have a bad day, or aren’t feeling good. Just holding Sam and talking to him, and hearing him talk back can make everything better. Sam has been with our family for 14 years, and we cannot imagine life without him. He is a little cross-eyed, and has a bit of an overbite, but that only makes him more lovable.

    I can remember, when Laura came home from surgery one day (an emergency appendectomy), still sore, but anxious to see her kitties. Sam ran out of the bedroom, and jumped into her arms, he was ready for her to be home, and needed to make sure she was ok. Everyone we have met, in all of our travels, all of our different homes and cities, have fallen in love with Sam. He has converted more non-cat lovers than anyone we know, simply by giving of himself, his love and affection. We have people praying around the country for our precious Sam, and are hoping, with your help, to have many more years with him. He is, quite simply, irreplaceable, and a vital part of our lives, our children’s lives, and his brother, sister, and two dog siblings.

    Hearing that Sam has cancer, and that is a higher grade than was originally projected, has devastated our family. Sam has been a trooper, talking after surgery, and eating and drinking on his own. He is a fighter, and as long as he wants to fight, so will we. We need him and he needs us! We love him.

    • The Fujioka Family
  2. Nick

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    My daughter, Laura, found Nick in our neighborhood one afternoon after she had come home from school about 10 years ago. He did not have a collar and was chasing a pick-up truck as it passed in front of our home. The owner of the truck stopped and explained to Laura that he did not want this cute dog to follow him out of the neighborhood and down to the highway. Laura got Nick to follow her down our driveway and into the house. Soon thereafter she put him out on the deck along with Shayne, our dog we had rescued from a Springfield shelter. They both instantly got along, as if they were “brothers”. Laura called me at work and told me all about finding Nick. Laura called me at work and told me all about finding Nick, She begged me to let her keep him. I told her that we’d need to try hard to find Nick’s owner, but when all efforts failed, I decided we’d keep Nick and incorporate him into our family. He has provided a tremendous amount of love and devotion over the 9 years we’ve had him. My son, daughter and I have enjoyed him beyond description (as have my brothers, when they come to visit) and think he’s the best dog imaginable. Now that my son and daughter are grown and have moved on, it’s just Nick and me and home. He’s the best companion I could have ever wished for. We’ve been through thick and thin together and have a really special relationship! He is the most “human” dog I’ve ever known, in terms of his emotions.

    About a year or more ago, Nick developed a “fatty tumor” and recently it has been diagnosed as a Mast Cell Tumor. It has grown very large and hangs down from his belly area. Dr. Pepper at White Oak Animal Hospital ran some diagnostics on him and determined that he is an excellent candidate for surgery. Her hope is that she will be able to get rid of all of the cancer once she removes the large tumor. I am eager to schedule the surgery because there is hope that Nick will be able to survive after his condition is treated with the procedure, but the surgery is out of reach for me to to the cost. I am doing everything I can and working with Saint Seton’s Orphaned Animals, to seek benevolent funding for Nick to get better.

     

  3. Montana Blue

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    Montana picture with friend

    Montana Blue…a big smile crosses my face just typing his name. Our Montana was named after the beautiful western state with big skies nad wide open spaces, which befits his love for running freely, nose to the ground and ears flapping! Montana was our first child – we are now parents of three human children and one other canine. He is twelve now, but as our veterinarian put it, he is a very “lively” twelve.

    There is much to say about Montana. I could describe favorite memories like the time he “treed” a black bear when we lived near the mountains. I could write about his intelligence and how his astute expressions and behaviors communicate volumes. I’m thinking now of the time when he was four years old and, being dissatisfied with life since the new addition of our first baby, left us a bold message to communicate his unhappiness: a large mound of feces on top of our bed! I could tell story after story of the hundreds of times he barreled his way through the front door to go for a joy run, always to return home faithfully. Yes, Montana has always had lots of spirit! Perhaps, however, his spirit can be conveyed best by his most recent life event – the amputation of his left hind leg.

    About six weeks ago, Montana went into the Veterinary Emergency and Surgical Center to have a consultation for knee surgery. What we thought was a ruptured ACL was found to be a bone tumor. X-rays showed the tumor had essentially taken over his leg and amputation of the limb was recommended. The surgery was performed less than a week later. Staff reported that within hours after surgery, Montana was already where most dogs are in the recovery process after a whole week! He came back home the following day and had to be stopped from bolting down the driveway to chase an animal! He barely skipped a beat!

    Unfortunately, test results confirmed that the tumor was osteosarcoma, and thus began our cancer-fighting journey. Montana has had one chemotherapy treatment already It is recommended that he receive five intravenous treatments, which may be followed by an oral medication protocol. Finances are very tight for us right now, so we are doing what we can for him and hoping to prolong a normal, happy and healthy life for him as long as we can.

  4. Misha

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    Misha picture sleeping

    Please allow me to introduce Misha….my beautiful Apple Head Siamese…the love of my life!  I’ve had Misha in my life since she was a tiny kitten.  Misha was a birthday gift from my father, as it turns out the last one he ever gave me as he passed away later that year…so she is loved not only for being so special in her own right, but also because she was a very special gift.  Her name is Russian for ‘Michael’, which was my father’s name.

    Misha is a very smart kitty, she somehow hasn’t figured out that she’s a cat…she’s extremely protective of me and acts like a dog whenever a stranger comes near and growls to warn me until I tell her it’s OK.  She’s always by my side or near me when I’m home…a wonderful companion.

    Misha has a sister two years younger than she…they have been inseparable !  It’s so wonderful that they love each other so much…all the while they have very different personalities .

    Since I have no children my two kitties are my children…I tell everyone  ‘my children have four paws and a tail”!

    Thank you for your consideration in helping my beautiful Misha and Misha sends her love too!

  5. Joe Joe

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    Joe Joe was born May 31, 2005. He has had a rough start from the beginning. After he was adopted, he needed to have an Entropion surgery to repair his eyelid. When he turned two, he was diagnosed with Idiopathic Epilepsy. We have managed to control his seizures with Potassium Bromide. Joe Joe has always been my pride and joy. He was constantly by my side when I was pregnant with my son, Lucas. Now, Lucas is three and he and Joe Joe are two peas in a pod. Lucas is a typical three year old, and Joe Joe is incredibly tolerant. On Tuesday, October 9, 2012, Joe Joe was diagnosed with mast cell cancer. On Monday, October 29, 2012 we go to have an ultrasound of his spleen to determine if the cells have metastasized. If they have not, he will have surgery on his right and left hips to have the tumors removed. The left hip should be no problem; however, the right hip is much larger. If all of the tumor is not removed, he will then begin 15 treatments of radiation. This is all so overwhelming. We can not let the cancer go untreated; however, we are not financially ready for this major expense. If Joe Joe is awarded some financial assistance, I plan on being a support system to other pet parents’ whose animals have been diagnosed with cancer. I am very active in the fitness community, and I would love to volunteer at a walk to bring awareness about pet cancer. I would love to offer friendship and support to others in similar positions.