Prayer Request for a Starved Cat

From Joan:

I'm not sure why God keeps sending me cats in need. Within the past 4 years, after my cat Tailblazer died, 2 strays have adopted me (one feral, grey female & one tan male). They are now plump outdoor cats with an igloo shelter. February 9, 2011 I opened my door and a skinny long hair grey cat walked right in my house, crying for help. I took her to the vet. No microchip or collar, although the collar could have fallen off. She purrs when picked up and obviously had a good home before her suffering started. My vet thinks she might have been accidentally locked up somewhere and water ran through a crack or door (for months). She is a young adult (teeth are not worn, but rear teeth have some plaque, indicating she was fed soft food at one time). She weighed only 3.5 pounds. Step by step he tested her. Feline leukemia. Fecal sample. Both negative. Heart, liver and kidney function tests are normal. Blood smear for cancer was negative. CBC was all normal, except her white blood cell count was twice what it should be. Her hair is even somewhat shiney. Cleaned her ears. No mites. Gave her two different antibiotic shots and sent her home with a 3rd antibiotic to be given twice daily. He also hydrated her subcutaneously because she was dehydrated. Eyes have no discharge, although the nictitating membrane covers the corner of her eye at times, esp. in the evening when she's tired. No vomiting. However, runny diarrhea and everything goes right through her quickly. I'm feeding Purina EN canned cat food, special food for her intestines. After 5 days she still is diarrhetic, although it's now like gravy instead of runny like water. My vet says she has NO fat and No muscle left. He's older and very experienced and has only seen 2 other cats this starved in his lifetime and they were dying. She can walk around and jump up to bench level. She wants to jump to counter height but knows it's too high for her right now. She follows me around the house when at liberty and purrs whenever she's touched, held, petted. The entire vet's office was amazed at her wonderful personality.

My vet said she either has an infection or lymphoma. We're treating her for infection obviously and hoping for the best.
I put a 4' x 4' x 4' exercise pen in the entry/hallway of my house, with newspapers on the floor, a big bowl of fresh water in one corner, a litter box in another corner, a bed on a heating pad in the third corner and the 4th corner is for her food dish. I hung a feathery toy from the center that hangs down to the floor and gave her a ball and another toy in case she ever wants to play (not so far). I have a stuffed bear I use behind my neck when I sleep and I gave her that to sleep with. She uses it for a pillow or lies against it. It probably has my scent on it. My 15 year old female Jack Russell Terrier is curious and gentle with her, but right now avoids her (she probably smells ill). I made her a sweater out of one of my husband's socks; the navy blue ribbing folds down into a t-neck and the black/white pinstripe sock is cut out for her front legs to go through; I cut it off at her hips. My neighbor serged the edges of it because it was fraying from when she grooms herself. It hugs her body to keep her warm and let's her feel hugged, but it's not too tight. I pick her up and hold her often when home and talk to her. At first I called her Smokey, then Grace, then Mercy, then Viva, now Flora (the Greek goddess of flowers which I love and when I garden my other cats follow me all the time). In fact my cats follow me when I go to the mailbox down the street and when I walk over to neighbors, then wait for me and walk back with me -- very unusual behavior for cats. Other cats in the neighborhood visit me when I'm outside; one of my neighbors thinks the other cats told this sweet, little cat to come to my house. Another neighbor says I'm like an underground railroad for animals, since I've picked up many lost dogs and returned them to their owners.

This little cat needs prayers for her recovery, which will take some time. She definitely has the will to live and the personality to charm anyone. I've posted her on a number of online lost/found pet sites and also am running an ad in the local newspaper. Her food and vet care has been very costly but my vet gave me a 20% discount on all the diagnostics. Last night I added FortiFlora to her food, which helps the probiotics in her intestines, which is why her name now is Flora.

Those of you who have lost cats, have hope that someone has taken in your cat and is giving it good care and lots of love, even though they don't know how to find the owner. Something happened and it's hard not to know what, but this cat is surviving against all the odds and is grateful for the care and love she is receiving. I'm hopeful that she will gain weight and survive and have a good, long life - even though I was not wanting another cat. By the time she's healthy, I probably won't want to try to find another home to adopt her, but if her true owners appear and she wants to go to them, how could I stand in her way. I want what is best for her and I hope your lost cats have also found someone to care for them. I hope you will adopt one of the cats at the humane society or cat shelter who need a good home. Friends who have extra collars, harness, big litter box are going to look for them to donate to this cat, to save me the added cost of buying those items. I want a harness for her so I can take her on walks in nice weather once she is back to normal weight/health. She is a little miracle because my vet doesn't know how she even has energy to walk. Oh, she runs to me when I call "kitty, kitty", too, if she's exploring my house, probably looking for more food. I'm sorry you are separated from your cats. I had 2 dogs stolen years ago and that was very hard; I didn't stop looking for them until they would have been so old they couldn't possibly be alive anymore. Cats can apparently live a long time without any food. Fortunately this one hadn't started living off her organs, which would have been her next fatal stage in starvation. She's an inspiration for life.