Puma's Diary

(For the beginning of her story, please scroll down to the bottom of page)

4/28/09

Enjoying some sunlight

7/2/07

Almost asleep!!

11/26/06

It has been some time since I updated Puma's diary.  Puma is doing great, as always.  Her new vet, here in the Seattle area, just loves her to death.  He knows of her entire story and she gets to see him yearly for check-ups and blood work.  She seems to be losing a little weight, which is good.  I believe it has to do with her new sis-fur, Abby.  They some times chase each other around and tackle each other.  Here is a recent picture of her.  She and I moved to the Seattle area 2 1/2 years ago.  All her brothers and sisters were adopted out when I left.  She has been an "only cat" until February of this year.  When I rescued Abby.

5/30/05

12/26/03

9/1/02

Puma is a semi-normal kitty again.  It has taken ten months for her recovery.  She plays hard with her brothers and sisters nightly.  She loves to jump in my lap now, and purr for rubs and scratches.  She has her days where I can tell that she is in a little pain.  On those days, I will give her a dose of steroids.  That seems to help.

12/29/01

Puma got to see Dr. Beckett tonight.  I took her in for her last follow up visit.

Personal message from Dr. Beckett

  "Please tell every one of your Cat BB friends, THANK YOU!  I was so amazed to see postmarks from Georgia, California, etc!  I had no idea who I was getting cards from until I opened them and saw that they were from Puma's fan club!  (He came in the examining room with a stack of Christmas cards from everyone, and showed all of them to Puma!  I saw a few, they were so wonderful!)  It really made my Christmas!"

I want to tell everyone from the Acme Pet Cat's Window BB, THANK YOU.  He said that he received 35 cards so far, and they are still coming in!  He is the talk of the ER and Puma is a super-star there!  Everyone wanted to see Puma!

He had her walk for him, and she did great!  He was very happy with her progress!  She does not need to come back for anymore follow up unless she has any problems.  She will do great.  We do not see any problems with her post-surgery at all.  He did give me some shampoo and oral medicine.  Around her surgical site, the skin is very dry.  He said that it was probably from the solution they use to sterilize her skin before surgery.  He said to go ahead and give her a bath, then start her on this medicine.  She will be fine in a few days.  Oh joy!  I get to give Puma a bath!  I have given kitty baths before, just not to her.  This will be interesting!  Otherwise, she is in great health.  She is "on the move" lately because she is feeling so much better.  She only takes her steroids when needed, which has not been very often any more! :-)

12/9/01

She is doing wonderful!  It has been almost three weeks now, since her surgery.  Her hair is starting to come back at a rate of speed that I didn't expect.  There have been a few times, when I was outside in the yard, that I came in the house and she didn't realize that I was "inside".  I have busted her running down the hall!  She didn't think anyone was inside at the time.  It was hilarious!  She would "see" me and start limping again.  Her Doc said that we need to encourage activity, well she is doing it all on her own now!  She has been jumping up on the couch now.  She has no problem with the other kitties.  "They" had problems with her at first.  They were being very nosey.  I think that they did not know what to think of a half-shaved kitty.  She stood her ground and let "them" know that she is back and not to mess with her.  Puma is now out of the "cat-isolation" room (spare bedroom that is the "cat room").  When she gets worn out, I will see her go back to the "cat room" and lay down for a nap.  No one seems to mess with her.  She still has a limp, but that will go away in time.  I am so glad that she has pulled through this with such flying colors.  Dr. Beckett had been the most wonderful Vet that I have ever known.  He has done wonders for her.

11/28/01

Puma was laying directly in front of where I was sitting on the floor tonight.  I had the chance to take this picture, and I took it.  Sorry if it grosses some of you out.  As you can see, with the new haircut and all, there are many scars on this poor kitty.  The scar on her back is from whatever happened to her before we rescued her.  That scar is directly over her slipped/pinched disk area.  The other former scar, on her hip is definitely directly over where her hip ball was damaged.  And lastly, her new incision.  You can see where Dr. Beckett started his incision at the end of her prior scar.  All the other little white "spots" are scars of some sort too.  I really would rather not know what happened to her in the past.  It would break my heart. 

Well, she got her stitches out yesterday.  She didn't even flinch when they were removed.  Although she threw a "fit" on the way there!  She was meowing in the car like no tomorrow (guess she thought she was going to have surgery again or something.  She is usually quiet in the cat carrier, in the car) and trying to claw her way out of the cat carrier.  Dr. Beckett said that now is the time to really encourage activity.  Her suture site is no longer swollen at all.  I have now put the two scratching posts back in her room.  I let her "out" with the rest of the furrballs when I get home from work.  She comes hobbling down the hall, takes a cruise through the family room, in to the kitchen, then in to the dining room and gets tired.   After about 30 minutes, she wants to go back in to her "safe" room.  That is fine.  I let her go back in her room for the night.  She is progressing.  She is a very strong-willed kitty.  Every day, she is putting more and more pressure on her leg when she walks.  She goes back to see Dr. Beckett right before Christmas.

11/25/01

Puma is doing wonderful.  She is still isolated in her own bedroom, until she gets stronger.  She is now putting weight on her right leg and actually walking on it!  She is eating, drinking and using the litter box just fine.  She gets her stitches out Wednesday.  I think after she gets her stitches out, she should be able to have the run of the house, like the others.  I'll keep y'all updated.  

11/21/01

11/21/01 - Puma is home now!  I took her in yesterday morning (11/20).  Her surgery did get delayed until 5pm that night.  They had several emergencies come in and she got bumped.  No big deal, I was assured that she received a bunch of attention throughout the day.  Dr. Beckett called shortly after 6pm last night.  He said that Puma was awake and already up and trying to walk around!  Dr. Beckett explained the surgery to me.  Even before he started on her, he said that he was not going to replace her ball, in her hip, he was simply going to cut it off.  I have done some research and this method is used a bunch in doggies (small ones) with hip problems.  The tendons and muscles hold the joint in to place allowing the leg to move freely and still function like a normal hip.  I forgot what the "medical" name is.  He stated that he has done this procedure numerous times for felines.  They bounce back much faster.  Anyway, he said that there is a ligament that had to be cut, once she is opened up, to get the ball of her hip out of the socket.  Well, he said that he searched and searched and finally found it.  It had already been severed by her previous injuries!  Her hip was dislocated in the past and put back in without any more treatment.  I am so glad that we went ahead and did this surgery for her!  He said that the surgery went great, and she will be up in no time (a few weeks or so).  He stayed with her for the first 15 minutes after surgery to make sure she was ok.  He said that as soon as she woke up, she was trying to walk!  I went to "visit" her last night for a little while.  I could tell that she was happy to see me!  I left her a little care package and promised her that I would be back today to get her.  I picked her up at noon today.  She needs to go back next Wednesday to get her stitches out and get a check up.  In the above pictures, you can see the "old" scars on her.  She has a great amount of scar tissue.  Whatever happened to her BEFORE I got her must have been very horrifying!  And she made it though that, so I know she will come through this surgery with flying colors!  She has an entire bedroom to herself now.  Nothing to jump on either.  As soon as I got her out of the carrier, she went for her litter box (small, short-edged one) and went to the bathroom!  That is a great sign.  I cleaned her little rear end for her after she went.  She didn't seem to mind :-)  She also took a drink of water too.  It breaks my heart to watch he try to walk.  She hurts when she tries to put pressure on that leg, but she is doing it.  When she gets tired, she just plops down where she is at and rests.  I have covered the entire floor in her room with old comforters for padding.   Her Doc said that he would rather not give her pain meds to take home as it can make kitties vicious and not act like themselves.  But, he said that if I think she needs them, let him know and I can go pick some up for her.  I am going to try to watch her as much as possible these next few days to see if she needs them.  She will heal faster without them, but I do not want her in any pain.  She seems to be doing fine right now.  She is parked close to her food and water.  I shut the shades in her room and turned on some soft Jazz music.  She was starting to fall asleep, so I left her alone for a while and decided to update this page for y'all.  I'll post more later this holiday weekend about how she is coming along.  I knew that it would be harder on me than her!!!!!  I love the little girl so much.  Once she is all healed up, she will be much better and hopefully pain free!

11/7/01

11/7/01 - Her new vet was wonderful!  The ER / clinic was awesome.  Very clean and organized.  Everyone was so nice to Puma.  Especially the Doc, Dr. Beckett!  He let me go with him and Puma to get X-rays, showed me around ICU and some of the operating rooms, and I got to meet some of the patients (All the while Puma was in his arms when we were walking around.  She was just "checking" things out having a great time, and totally comfortable with him!)  Before he looked at her, he said that he could tell, by the way her hips are shaped, that she has had some major trauma.  Before we started talking about her spine problems, he showed me what everything was on her x-rays.  I could see all of her organs and even food pebbles in her tummy!  Internally, she is healthy as a horse.  She HAS had major trauma though.  She has a slipped disc in her spine, her tail had been broken, and her right hip is all messed up.  Starting with the slightly slipped disc, in the place where she has the large scar on her back.  It has the beginning of arthritis setting in right below it.  She is starting on steroids (prenisolone) to reduce the swelling around the disc and hopefully it will go back in place.  Unfortunately, surgery is not an option for the slipped disc.   Then there is her tail.  Her bones fused back together, not exactly straight, but I don't care.  It doesn't hurt her and she looks kind of cute with a "kinky" tail.  Her tail has a personality of it's own.  Lastly, her right hip.  This was the horribly bad news.  She NEEDS surgery.  The ball in her hip has been fractured at one time.  When it healed itself, there were bone fragments around that area.  Every time she takes a step, she is scraping bone fragments on the inside of her hip joint, where the ball of her hip meets her pelvis area.  Well, there is also arthritis around that area too, which could be very painful for her.  Dr. Beckett said that this is his "specialty", the bone structure of felines.  She needs to have that ball in her hip replaced within 6 months.  Preferable in a few weeks, after she has been on steroids for a few days so her swelling will have gone down some.  He said that he has done this many times for kitties.  They all have come though with flying colors.  He also said that this will not fix her disc in her back, but he thinks that getting rid of all this hip pain will help her "heal" in her back.  She may have to be on steroids for a while,, but that is ok.  Double-Stuff takes steroids shots every three months for allergies.  She is having surgery on 11/20/2001.  I plan to take off 11/20 and 11/21, then have the Thanksgiving vacation to be with her.  It works out!  She goes in at 8am on the 20th, and she may/may not get to come home that night.  Depends on how she is doing and all.  The Doc also said that he will call when he is stitching her up and have me come down there.  This way I can be there, with her, when she wakes up.  They believe that is the best way, if possible, for a dog or cat to wake up out of a long surgery.  I think it is wonderful, and I will be there!!!  This is major surgery, and she is well worth it!  She has been through way too much in her 3 years.  Yes, she is around 3 years old, NOT 1 year, like my other vet "guessed".  I know that I will probably be a basket case that morning of surgery, but I was very impressed with the place and the people.  She will be in good hands!  I will keep y'all updated!  Until then, she is restricted to no jumping, at least while I am at home.  LOL

11/2/01

11/2/01 - She has really started to "play" with everyone in the past few weeks.  Her and Misty will run a few "laps" around the house, then she gets tired and sore.  When she tries to jump, lately, she is meowing out in pain.  There is something "not right" with her back.  Whatever happened to her before I adopted her (the large scar on her back), it is hurting her.  She WANTS to play hard with her sisters, but she has to stop herself because she hurts.  I have made an appointment for her with a feline back/surgeon specialist.  It is next Tuesday (11/6/01).  I am taking her to an ER for cats and dogs.  24/7.  There are 17 vets there and each one of them have their own specialty plus emergency med too.  Hopefully I can find out, through a few x-rays, what is wrong.  Maybe she has a slipped disc?  I honestly don't know, but until then, I really haven't been doing a lot of playing, because she hurts herself while playing.  I will keep y'all updated about what I find out and what I can do for this little princess.

10/21/01

10/21/01 - Puma has really adapted to "indoor" life well.  She is actually starting to "get involved" in playing with Missy, Misty, and Storm.  She is still a little unsure, and doesn't get too close to them, but when they are playing, she is always close by.  She has a meow of a lion.  Her voice will carry.  When she wants a treat, she lets me know by meowing very loud and long.  She also has sprouted from a small string-bean when I first got her.  She now weighs double what she weighed when I first got her.  She is a very muscular kitty and I love her dearly.

9/4/01

9/4/01 - She is really starting to fit in well.  In the picture on the left, if you look really close, she looks like she is smiling!  The picture on the right shows her face really well.  Her markings are really coming out since she is eating better quality food now.  She went back to the vet yesterday to have some "kitty-acne" on her chin looked at.  While she was on the examining table, I believe I finally discovered why she bites me when I pet her on her back or hind legs.  We saw a massive scar across her back about midway.  It is about 3 inches long by 1/2 inch wide.  Her hair is long enough to conceal it, but the lighting was just right to see it.  There was no hair growing on this scar at all.  I gently brushed her hair forward to get a good look as the Doc walked in.  He took a look and said that she was in a pretty serious accident (or abuse) by the looks of it.  (It could have had something to do with her being attacked by a Shepard, I was told by the rescue group)  It is a wonder that she is walking and using her hind legs.  I know now where not to pet her.  It doesn't hurt her, the Doc checked and made sure, she just doesn't like to be petted there for more than one or two "pets" at a time.  There is a lump on her back right above this scar.  Doc said it is probably scar tissue and/or bone that healed wrong when she was injured.  This poor girl has been through a lot in her 11 first months.  I know I cannot change her past, but I will make sure she has a happy and healthy rest of her life!

8/29/01

8/29/01 - Puma is doing great.  She is fitting right in.  I am learning where she likes to be touched and where she does not.  Believe me, if you pet her anywhere close to her rear/hind quarters, she will lash out and bite, pretty hard too.  Her bites are the kind that are right on the edge of drawing blood.  We have heard her voice, on many occasions.  She has that "Russian Blue" tone to her voice.  One thing that I did notice recently about her is that she knows her name already!  Life is good.

8/26/01

8/26/01 - Not the best picture of her, as it is getting difficult to get any of her lately.  She is on the move constantly now.  When she is not sleeping, she is exploring.  The rest of the group is pretty much leaving her alone now.  When they get too close, in her 'personal space', she will start to literally huff her breath out at them (you can hear her, it is so loud).  She will do this a few times then start to growl until they back off.  When I get home from work, I call her name and she comes running from where ever she is.  In the evening, she "hangs out" in the family room with me and the other six cats.  She finds her own little "spot" on the back of a couch or under a table and "watch" all the nightly activity such as kitten wrestling, Heidi spitting on the kittens when the get in HER space, ice hockey in the kitchen (the three kittens batting an ice cube all over the kitchen tile), and so on.  Nothing seems to effect her, except when some one gets too close to her.  I am sure that in time, she will be a little more comfortable.  She spends her nights sleeping at the foot of my bed.  I have woken up the past few mornings and she is still at the foot of the bed!  She does have a bad habit of biting really hard when you are petting her too hard or touching her the wrong way.  I do not swat her back when she bites, I just say a firm "NO" and leave it at that.  I have noticed that right after she bites (and it is not a little bite, she means business), that she will cowl down, like she is expecting to get hit.  Obviously, in her past, some one has abused her.  I feel that with a lot of love and patience, she will grow out of that bad habit of biting and she will learn, in time, that I am NOT going to hurt her.  In two short weeks, she has learned to co-exist!  That was a lot sooner than I ever expected!  

8/19/01

8/19/01 - Wow!  What a difference in 24 hours!  Soon after I updated this page yesterday, Puma came out!  She wondered out in to the kitchen and the family room.  She found her way to the other litter box, food and water that is in the laundry room right off the kitchen.  For about two hours, she laid under the kitchen table, on the rug, just "watching" all the other cats.  Not one feline bothered her either.  They went about their business of playing, eating and sleeping.  Business as usual.  She just laid there and observed everyone.  She wasn't scared, like a week ago, when I first got her.  Puma was actually totally calm and relaxed today.  I can see now how she really does want to be part of the family.  I am so happy that she is starting to have some of her own little "adventures" outside her room.  I forgot to tell y'all something very unique about her.  She has to be part Russian Blue.  The skin on her back is all blue.  She is starting to "talk" to me, and her meows are the cutest sound!  The picture above (on the left) is her laying on my lap, very content.  She stayed there for about 30 minutes before deciding to jump down and do some more exploring.  The picture (on the right) is her getting ready to lay back down, under our kitchen table, to do some more "observing".

8/18/01

8/18/01 - Puma ventured out of her room today!  I was in my home office, working on my web site, and I "heard" little paw steps on the carpet.  I turned around, thinking it was Missy (because she always comes in and lays on my desk while I am working), and to my surprise, it was Puma.  I reached down and gave her some head rubs.  Oh, she really liked that.  By the time I got the camera ready, she was strolling out of the office, back in to the hallway.  I got this picture when she was sitting in the hallway, thinking about extending her adventure.  Instead, she turned around and went back to her room.  But, this is progress!!!!  

8/17/01

8/17/01 - Puma is doing very well.  She is getting more comfortable with her surroundings.  When I go in to her room, just to see how she is doing, her little motor starts right up and she "begs" us to pet her.  If cats could smile, she would have a huge one streaming across her furry face.  You can just tell how happy this little one is, especially happy not to be in a cage anymore.  She is a VERY tame feral.  There has not been any fights, just a few "hissing" matches.  And when these happen, she seems to always be the winner.  She has now started sleeping and relaxing in the basket in her room, as you can see from the pictures posted today.  The door to her room is always open now.  The other cats file in and out of there all day and night.  She has yet to take another adventure outside her room, but she has all the time in the world for her own adventures.  I am just happy that everyone has accepted her as part of the "family" and that she has accepted me.  

8/12/01                           8/13/01

8/12/01 - This is a special one.  I was at the local animal shelter, working with a rescue group on 8/12/01.  They were so overwhelmed with the amount of cats, there were three cages in the middle of an isle.  I couldn't help myself.  I wondered over to take a look.  Each cage had a short "bio" hanging on their cage.  I saw "Uma" and thought she was so beautiful.  Her bio read - "Hi.  My name is Uma.  I am a spayed female about a year old.  I was rescued off death row from the kill shelter, pregnant.  I'm very sweet.  I would love to go home with you."   This was Saturday morning.  I talked to the rescue group person, who had fostered her, for a bit and I was told that she was pregnant when they found her on the streets of downtown Fort Worth.  She had many small and large scar all over her back and sides when they rescued her.  They let her have her kittens, then she was spayed.  She was a tiny thing.  Very "petite".  I told them that I wanted her and filled out all the paperwork and my check to them (the no-kill rescue group).  Her name was now "PUMA".  She had already been spayed, de-wormed, tested for FIV and Leukemia (negative, of course), and flea treated.  I took her straight to my vet.  My vet was so sweet with her.  He said she looked great, a little malnourished, but great.  She still had her stitches in from her spay!!!  These were very overdue from coming out.  He took those out immediately.  She did have ear mites, so she got this new shot that they give.  It kills any parasites in a week.  I though "Yeah!!!  No more ear mite liquid in-the-ear meds!"   She is now home, in her forever home.  She has her own room, until she is ready to come out and meet the "crew".  She has been eating and drinking fine.  I have been opening the door, to her room, when I are home, to let her see the other cats, and vise versa.  There are some hissing matches, but everyone seems really calm.  She stays in her room, but I am sure that when she is ready, she will venture out. 

This page last updated 10/07/09