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01
"The $10,000 Purr - The Teddy Story"
"One day we got a call, about a small orange kitten that had been picked up wandering the local university campus with a severe limp.
(Trigger Warnings: Some medical discussion and non-graphic animal injuries)"
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02
"We pick up the most "Just so gosh darned happy to see you" cat you've ever met... with a _very_ broken arm. It was recommended the arm be amputated, since he was so young he would adapt quickly."
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03
"Here he's groggy post-op, with his arm removed-JUST KIDDING, they discovered his jaw was fused shut from badly healed jaw injury and they couldn't intubate him to do the major surgery... but hey, at least he got neutered! Right? Teddy is thrilled.
The vet recommended no brace, because only Teddy would know what position was comfortable for his arm."
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04
"He slept a lot that first day, and since I was on Christmas vacation I spent a lot of time with him. I was terrified... what if he was in pain? What if he couldn't eat?!
He cuddled a lot while recovering."
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05
"The next day he is walking around, alert and looking for something. Making a whining meow, clearly distressed. Is he in pain? I'm panicking. Can he not eat and he's hungry?! Then our other male foster kitten, a black kitten named Joey, walks in..."
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06
"Teddy leaps and squeaks with joy, and starts to play with Joey (both of them shown here a bit after this). He was looking for his friend. I watch for a bit, then go to my room to hide and sob for a bit in relief."
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07
"Later he finds me a lays on me, and starts to purr... that purr is going to cost be big... This is when I make the choice that Teddy will be a permanent resident. He's going to have life long medical challenges. Whatever he needs, I'll make sure he gets. I soon discover that insidiously inserting himself into other creatures lives is his _thing_."
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08
"Now he's cuddling with a foster kitten from another litter? I mean, this wasn't too strange, Anya has always been kind of friendly. Not like our actual cats, who don't really care for the "strange" cats that come through the house."
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09
"Here Teddy monopolizes my arm, while Tink enjoys the heated blanket at a safe distance from the weird strangers.
Our pet cats are mostly the fault Tink, their mother. She's named for a bell she had on while abandoned and pregnant outside... yeah, people can be frustrating.
Tink gave birth outside before my fiancee managed to catch her and the kittens, and bring them into the house. This was a couple of years before I entered the scene."
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10
"Pekoe here will lay next to me, but keeps her distance from the kittens an usual- Wait, pardon. I'm sorry, pekoe, sweety... are you aware that isn't your mother?"
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11
"I suppose I can't blame her. Can YOU tell which is Teddy, the 3 month old kitten, and which is Tink, the 5 year old mother cat?"
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12
"Every morning I would feed teddy in my office, and every morning he would hop on my desk to make a mess and walk on the keyboard... this time I baited him with a sweater to distract him. It worked for a little bit..."
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13
"Feeding is tricky, he needs wet food that he basically SMASHES into his mouth. He leaves a huge mess, and needs cleaning every day. It's a lot of maintenance, but it's worth it for him to be happy. Here he plays in a filthy bathtub (recently cleaned some cat appliances, so it's extra grungy)."
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14
"Some weeks later, and his fur comes back in nicely. Here he's slowing down D&D prep... I'll live. My party may not, but I'll be fine."
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15
"Dinner time boys? Ok, let me get you something! I know it's tricky for you teddy, but I can give you a bit in your bowl. Joey, show him how normal eating works!"
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16
"Joey. Joey please. Why are you like this?"
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17
"Time passes, we settle into a routine, everything is fine. A lot of work, but fine..."
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18
"He even gets close to "my" cat, O.M.G. Cat. OM does NOT like other cats. I live in fear...Don't you understand we're both in danger, Teddy?!"
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19
"Another shot... Teddy, why are you getting closer?!"
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20
"WAT"
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21
"WAT?!
(Note: OM is NOT a fan, but she's getting cuddled so... the dude abides I guess?)"
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22
"Then the story takes a turn. Teddy is growing up a fine boy, but his adult teeth shrink his mouth opening even more. Feeding is harder, and he often sticks out his tongue to be more comfortable."
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23
"It's cute, and his kinda a gross cuddler sometimes... but we're a bit worried...
I mean, sometimes it seems like his tongue gets stucks, and we have to help him get it back in? What if something DOES happen, you know?"
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24
"We take him to a dental specialist for a CT scan, who confirms that he has ankylosis tmj (meaning his left jaw joint bones have grown together into a single mass, so his jaw can't hinge). We're given options, and basically told that unless there is an emergency we shouldn't get surgery because it might make things worse.
The specialist seems very vague and hand wavy, and I'm incredibly frustrated. I didn't do all that traveling and drop 2 grand to be given shrugs and told about rumors you've heard. I give up and plan to live with a special needs cat for good."
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25
"Then a few Sundays later... disaster. Teddy cuts his tongue while eating some of the hard food downstairs. He does NOT stop. It's like a murder scene. He's happy enough, but the blood loss potential scares us.
I make the call, we pack up and start the two hour drive to Cornell, the only emergency vet that may be able to do anything."
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26
"There he's given great care, and they give us the all clear and appointment to see on of THEIR specialists. That appointment is MUCH better, and they specialist REALLY knows her stuff. I'm not getting talked down to, we actually talk about the joint, real options, how things will be affected, how the side effects will play out... this is great.
I'm being given the information to make an informed decision, not being told what what I want by someone who's decided to make the decision for me. True professional care, and I am immensily relieved....
The estimate is LESS of a relief, but not a shock. Total cost of surgery (if you include the previous $2k we already spent on the CT scan).... $10,000. (I'll spare the details of the surgery, in case that might set anyone off)
Me to Teddy: "Child, you better grow up and be the cat equivalent of a Doctor of Medicine... I expect to be taken care of in my old age."
We setup the appointments."
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27
"Teddy gets the surgery and recovers amazingly! The very next day he's eating hard food and recovering faster than anyone expected.
The staff is a little miffed they don't get to visit him anymore... apparently he was quite popular...
Here he is resting with his strangely shaved face, protective cone and feeding tube (he didn't need it it turns out, but if he DID need it for getting medicine not having it would have been life threatening). His shaving makes him look cranky, and he doesn't like the isolation from other cats, but I hang out a lot so he's happy."
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28
"Cone off, his tube is held (kinda) secure by this cloth velcro collar. It's gross, and we can't wait to get it removed. He's mostly doing fine, but he does scratch at it, which we have to stop."
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29
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30
"We clear him for going into the rest of the house with close monitoring. Here he is having TV time with Joey, watching Movie Squirrels. (great youtube channel for cats https://www.youtube.com/c/MovieSquirrels)"
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31
"Oh yeah, the "Nut Bar" episode, a fan favorite. Ok buddy, now dad wants to watch his redneck car show..."
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32
"Teddy.... are you watching the car show too? I'm not sure you'll like this as much."
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33
"I GUESS I WAS WRONG. He loves the Model T episode. My son has good taste."
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34
"Eventually the other cats stop fearing the cone once they're used to it."
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35
"Two weeks later and the tube is out, and the cone can come off. Look at my tiny headed son! Adorable goblin boy. He eats well and it seems like he'll be ok.
We have to keep up with physical therapy to prevent the jaw from refusing. He's not a huge fan, but he'll live. HE BETTER, or I'm going to be a ruin."
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36
"So that's the story of Teddy, and how he sent me to the poor house. All this happened while our rescue was stuck in limbo with government bureaucracy, and weren't allowed to ask for any kind of financial help. If I hadn't had an emergency savings, Teddy would not have survived.
We'll recover, we always do, but I'll never forgive the bureaucracy for putting another cat's life in danger needlessly.
Thanks for reading!"
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37
"The rest of the images are dups that I can't remove (thanks imgur), so if you don't want to hear about the rescue or anything we do feel free to skip those!"
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38
"As I mentioned, my Fiancee and I run the Full Hearts Cat Rescue. Our mission is to help people help cats that have fallen by the wayside, especially in neglected communities that are struggling with their cat populations.
If you want to help then visit https://fullheartsroc.org/ to find out more! Donations always help, and there are other ways besides money that you can help."
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