CORWIN

When you receive an email such as this one, your heartstrings get tugged big time: “We have been feeding and nurturing this stray orange tabby who's been coming to our home every night. We wanted to provide him with a cozy home thus brought him into a separate room last night, Feb 4th. Today, Feb 5th, we made a call to Cascade Animal Hospital and brought him in for an overall physical exam, needed vaccinations, and prevention. Unexpectedly, we were notified that he was diagnosed FIV+. We are deeply saddened since we are multi-cat house (we have already rescued 5 cats). This tabby is a sweet guy who never scratched or hissed at us when we caught and brought him in. We are willing to provide any extra donations and fees for this pumpkin to find a very good fur-ever home for him. It really pains us that we cannot keep him due to FIV status, as we love him and wish him the very best for his future. It was very sad that he never came to us when blizzard hit; we thought he was frozen to death somewhere but SO happy once he came to our deck once the snow was gone. I think he will be so happy at your rescue if you are able to help.” So of course, I replied and let his rescuer Annie and John know that we would be more than happy to help, we just needed a bit more time to have space for him; we are very careful not to overcrowd, even in our free-roaming facility. Because he was hanging out in their bathroom, they were elated he would soon be able to have all the space he desired, though I saw a photo of his set-pup and it was pretty cool, all things considered:) And on March 11th, 2024 I was able to welcome this kitty I dubbed Corwin (whose name means ‘heart’s friend’) into our program at Crash’s. Externally he appeared to be in pretty good shape, though I estimate that he is approaching senior citizenship given the condition of his teeth and the completely normal, early-stage aging change of lenticular sclerosis occurring in his eyes. His right ear was a bit frayed on the edges, and his left ear had been tipped at some point in time (TNR), but no infection was present. He had been drooling quite a bit at Annie’s, most likely due to moderate, yet focal, dental disease that I treated with systemic antibiotics; I almost think in part he was a ‘happy drooler’, as there is nothing more that this boy loves than human attention:) I ran a full senior panel (plus urinalysis and fecal sample) on him at intake and discovered that he had an internal parasite known as Giardia, and an inflammatory condition of his bladder, known as Feline Idiopathic Cystitis. Oral medication will eliminate the parasite, and I will reassess his urine at his one-month recheck visit, but since I packed up his special chair and sent him to Crash’s, we haven’t noted any issues with his mouth—or the other end:) "Corwin is an awesome cat!  He is everything a family with kids would love.  He's super friendly, very gentle (with the exception of a soft love bite here and there), and has a history of cuddling up with the 2 little girls of the family that rescued him.  He's been hanging out up high on the apple crates the last few days, but comes down for a few minutes of our attention, treats, and meal time.  He is not aggressive towards the other cats, but does seem to prefer his space yet.  I could see him getting along with one or two other cats in a less active setting.    Because he has such a great personality, I don't see him staying with us too long!"