Calm and quiet for recovery

I would like to tell you a story about an amazing cat named, Mikey.  I first met Mikey on a “meet and greet” interview prior to my caring for him.  His Mom, Shirley, had told me he was very special and I found out why when I met him.  You see, Mikey only has three legs. He lost his right rear leg to disease, I believe.  He was adopted by Shirley right after his surgery. She knew she had a special cat and he knew he had a special forever home.  When I met him, it was love at first sight.  He is beautiful, smart and loves to play games.  His favorite is to find hidden treats in the house after I leave.  This is a game that his mom came up with to keep Mikey mentally stimulated while she is at work and he really has fun with it.  I didn’t see Mikey on a regular basis, but whenever I went to see him he would always greet me at the door.  He would circle my legs rubbing on them and meowing for me to feed him.  We had a good time on our visits. Recently, Mikey and Shirley have endured a tragic experience.  Their apartment was consumed by a fire that took everything.  Nothing was left.  Shirley told me that the last thing she saw was Mikey running into the closet in the master bedroom.  She was certain she had lost him.  It wasn’t until much later in the evening that a firefighter approached her to say they had found Mikey.  Can you believe it?  This three-legged cat had managed to get to the balcony of a burning apartment and  jump three stories to safety!  Three stories! Words could not express the relief that Shirley felt knowing that Mikey was alive! She had been posting on Facebook that night to keep her friends and family updated on the events.  I happened to check her profile and was stunned at the news.  I prayed there would be some way I could help Shirley and Mikey.  It was a week later when Shirley called me and asked if I could take Mikey for a while until she had found a new home.  I jumped at the chance to help. I have been posting his progress on Facebook and love to report to him when he gets feedback from his fans.  Mikey is a bit vain, you see.  But, one look at him and you understand why. That noble head, the calm serenity you see in his face and his whole demeanor which simply says “I’m here and I’m alright”

Now you’re probably thinking, “Wow!!  That is some amazing cat.  Not only did he survive the loss of a limb, but he was able to save himself from a fire.”  He is a Super Cat!  Mikey was found clinging to the branches of a large bush.  He had some fire damage; whiskers singed off, tip of his nose burned, tips of his ears burned and his pads… oh, his pads.  They were all burned and raw.  He suffered from trauma and smoke inhalation, but he soldiered on.  He went under the care of Dr. Torchia at Nippers Corner Veterinary Hospital.  They cared for Mikey for the first and most crucial week.  Cleaning the pads,  feeding him special food for cats who have endured a trauma, administering antibiotics and pain pills.  He became their hero, a symbol of the quiet, humble pet that tolerates all the poking and prodding necessary to bring him to health.  Now it was time for Mikey to go home.  But, where was that, exactly?  Mikey’s home had been burned to the ground.  His mom stayed in a hotel for a short period, but that couldn’t last forever.  This was were I was allowed, by the powers of the Universe, to step in and help out.  Shirley called me and asked if I could take Mikey until she had settled in a new home.  It was the answer to my prayers.  I had wanted to do something for Mikey and Shirley, but just didn’t know what that could be.  Here was my answer!  When she asked me it was a no-brainer.  Of course I would take Mikey.

That began the journey we are now on to get Mikey back to optimum health.  I set up my guest room as the infirmary.  If you ever have a pet that has undergone a traumatic experience, be sure you have a place he can stay that gives him peace and calm.  These two elements are crucial to recovery.  You don’t want a lot of foot traffic through the room that could startle or disturb the pet.  They need to know this is their safe place.  Mikey enjoyed having his space, but I soon learned that he needed lots of quiet time.  So much so that he would wedge himself up under the bed to be in the darkest, quietest place in the room.  I had to remedy that because I needed access to Mikey for administration of pain pills, antibiotics and the tedious task of cleaning his pads and dusting them with medicinal powder.  Through trial and error, I devised a blockage to the area under the bed and Mikey settled in to his crate.  I found that he really preferred the crate to be entirely covered, sort of like a cover over a bird’s cage. One indicator of good health in any pet, especially one having endured trauma,is a regular pattern of elimination.  When Mikey first came to stay with me it was Thursday.  The vet said if he had not had a bowel movement by Saturday, he would need an enema.  Oh how I wanted for Mikey to avoid that!!  But we just couldn’t get things moving.  After that visit, I explained to Mikey the importance of his going on his own.  I made sure he had plenty of water, often holding the bowl up to him so he could drink.  I gave him canned food along with his kibble, because it has more moisture and should aid in elimination.  Sure enough, two days later he went on his own in the litter box.  We had a little celebration for that!  If you ever are caring for a cat that has any kind of injury to the foot pads, it is best to line his litter box with shredded newspaper.  Any kind of litter will get caught in the injured area of the paw and can cause infection.  My husband used our paper shredder and we made bags of newspaper shred for Mikey to use.  Now Mikey is eating on a regular schedule, he tolerates the pills he has to take and is a Superhero regarding the care of his pads.  My husband holds him and I carefully spread open his foot and clean between the main pad and his toes.  Then I dust his feet with a medicinal powder, occasionally he has to wear baby socks if the pads have sloughed off a great deal.  He is such a trooper.  He doesn’t fight or wriggle or throw a hissy fit.  He calmly allows me the ministrations seemingly aware that it will bring him closer to perfect health.  When he is in his room resting, I play a meditation tape for him. It’s one of my favorites by Dr. Andrew Weil, it’s a meditation on healing.  Hey, I’ll try anything to make this big guy happy and comfortable.  Most important is keeping him calm and allowing for recuperative rest.

There is one more thing I would like to add about Mikey’s care.  The use of flower essences for restoring balance in a dis-eased system.  I believe in a natural and holistic approach to health in people as well as animals.  I believe that the body is meant to be in a state of health and will do it’s best to keep that balance.  We are responsible for caring for ourselves in a manner that encourages and promotes optimum health.  Our pets can do the same with their health.  As a pet owner, it is our responsibility to keep our pets healthy and free from disease.  When a traumatic event, such as a fire, occurs we use all of our resources to restore balance.  In Mikey’s case, the veterinarian used all of her knowledge to heal Mikey to the point where he could go home. When he came to me, I had the advantage of an existing relationship with him.  He could trust me and he knew I was there for him and I had his best interest at heart.  I followed all of the Dr.’s protocol and I added the use of Bach’s Rescue Remedy for Pets.  Bach’s system of healing with flower essences is one of many that have been scientifically tested to work with all kinds of animals.  The system is based on the body’s natural balance of wellness and the use of different flower essences to regain balance should it be upset.  Bach’s Rescue Remedy is considered an emergency remedy indicated for use in animals who have undergone a traumatic experience.  This could be dogs that are afraid of kenneling because they were born into a puppy mill, dogs that are used for fighting, dogs that are overbred and stressed as a result, or a pet that goes through a natural disaster, such as Mikey and the fire.  The combination of flower essences produced and distributed under the trade name Rescue Remedy is widely considered to be the single most important remedy in healing animals.  It has been described as ” a first-aid kit in a bottle”  Often it is all that is needed to “rescue” them from their predicament and restore normal functioning.  It is used routinely by vets to calm pets prior to examination, before and after surgery and many other treatments.  It is often the first line of approach because shock is a major factor in many conditions affecting animals, and because as many as 90% of animal problems are fear related and can be helped by relaxation. I have been dosing Mikey with four drops of Rescue Remedy with crab apple essence to instill calmness and to help cleanse his blood.  When I told his vet, she said she uses it all the time with animals that come to her and are stressed or anxious.  She said it was a good treatment for Mikey.

Right now, at this very moment, Mikey is resting in his crate.  He greeted me this morning with a friendly “meow” demanding his breakfast!  It was the first time I have heard Mikey talk since he came to me three weeks ago.  I could have cried.

Mikey with socks