A few months ago an old, skinny stray cat was brought to Louisville Metro Animal Services. Shelter workers could tell right away the gray cat was dehydrated, quite elderly, and completely blind. In addition, this bony kitty had a respiratory problem and was severely underweight.
However, the cat was ear-tipped, which means that he had been neutered at Alley Cat Advocates, probably a long time ago. Workers at LMAS stabilized him with water and food, then contacted Karen Little, executive director at Alley Cat Advocates, and she picked him up. Otherwise, his fate would have been euthanasia.
“Dreamer can’t go back outside. A blind cat like this won’t make it on the street,” was Karen’s assessment. “He needs hospice care.”
Karen has identified a problem that our city needs to resolve: how to provide foster care for elderly, frail community cats who have used up eight of their nine lives. “Fospice” (think foster + hospice) is the new term for this kind of animal care.
“Fospice” (think foster + hospice)
With fospice care, elderly and terminally ill cats like Dreamer are able to receive comfort, love, and care in their final months, a service usually reserved for humans. Just like our pets, elderly community cats deserve a happy end to their lives too.
Karen reported at a recent meeting, where she brought Dreamer for a visit, that he has regained about one-third of his weight and is stable.
If you know of someone who is interested in providing a fospice care for Dreamer or another elderly community cat, please contact Alley Cat Advocates at 502-634-8777 or contactus@alleycatadvocates.org.