First Surgery, Done

Not a pretty sight, but he’s purring!”

It was a long surgery, but Cecil got through it with flying colors. He’s now recovering in his foster home and getting back to being a goofy kitten. The surgeon said she was pleased with the surgery, but the little orange one may need additional procedures depending upon how the incisions heal. There is considerable swelling right now, but the pain meds and antibiotics seem to be working… he was on his back playing with his toys today, oblivious to the giant cone around his head! You’d think having something around his neck would bother him, but the elizabethan collar hasn’t brought back the memories of his old injuries.

The Medicine Bag

Cecil’s medications and instructions

Pre-Op Day in the Garden

Cecil enjoying the day before his surgery, 5/23

New Cecil Video

No, he doesn’t (usually) walk on two feet or ride a skateboard, but he’s darned cute anyway! Now if I could just get him to hold still for a few seconds so you could see his charming little mug…

It’s on for May 24th!

AMC opthalmologist, Dr. Susette Aquino with Cecil, and intern, Dr. Joshua Eaton (l).

Cecil had his consultation with Dr. Susette Aquino, the opthalmology specialist at Manhattan’s Animal Medical Center today. He was the perfect patient, sitting still and only crying a bit at the end of the exam. I’ll expand on this post later tonight, but the good news is Cecil is a good candidate for reconstructive surgery and, we’ve got an appointment for May 24th! More later…

Cecil getting a lift from his surgeon

Another positive negative!

Just got the results for one more test… Cecil’s fecal! That’s got a nice ring to it…Cecil’s fecal Anyway, he’s negative for worms and the elusive, nasty parasite, giardia. We’re on for his visit to the eye doctor tomorrow and are keeping our paws crossed that it doesn’t rain “cats & dogs” as forecast!

Friday is “Eye-day”

Cecil has an appointment on Friday, May 12, with the opthalmologist. He’s going to see Dr. Susette Aquino at the Animal Medical Center. Dr. Aquino comes highly recommended and has been working with the AMC’s previous chief veterinary opthalmologist, and familiar to BARC, Dr. van der Woerdt for the past year. Cecil is getting more rambunctious every day, no doubt making up for his lost kittenhood. I hope he can hold still for the doc!

Raising Funds on the UWS

A couple of us took advantage of the beautiful weather and set up a small table for the “Cecil Fund” on the upper westside of Manhattan yesterday. Got to talk to some terrific cat lovers and made a little bit of cash selling cat toys and distributing literature. One of our favorite kind of donors, and usually the most generous, is the “stealth” giver. While you’re straightening the table or talking with someone off to the side, they swoop in and drop a 10 or 20 dollar bill in the jar. No discussion required, no questions asked, just a simple act of kindness for the animals. Thank you to all the Cecil supporters who have made donations via the Network for Good on the BARC Shelter website too. We’ll get a personal thank you to all who have given your names and addresses.

Off to the vets

After a few days of antibiotics, unlimited food, a clean bed, new toys and TLC, the tiger was ready for a first vet visit. Dr. Schwartz at BARC looked the scruffy one over and found 1) a slight heart murmur, 2) “circling” behavior that may be neurological, 3) eyelids only partly formed, and 4) two undescended testicles! Cecilia is a boy, henceforth to be known as Cecil. The GOOD news is he had no fever, no ear mites, and is a very sweet cat who is making a quick recovery from some nasty neck wounds. Dr.Schwartz took blood for a complete work-up and the next day we learned Cecil is negative for Felv/FIV, and Toxoplasmosis. He does have a very high white cell count, so, the antibiotics continue. Fortunately he doesn’t even notice the pill sitting on top of his wet food and scarfs it right up.

Thanks to a Cecil supporter, he was able to see the board-certified, feline vet, Dr. Arnold Plotnick at Manhattan Cat Specialists. Dr. Plotnick who has done many surgeries to correct a condition of the eyelids called entropion, told us Cecil’s problem, called agenesis, requires the skills of a veterinary opthalmologist.

So, we’re networking, fundraising and working on the next step for Cecil. Stay tuned!

Cecil’s Very Good Friday

On Good Friday, 414/2006, two passersby heard a rustling in the planted border alongside an unoccupied building belonging to St. Cecilia's Church in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. There, all by itself in the ivy, was a little kitten. It was the orange tiger's lucky day because these women were cat people and didn't hesitate to tempt it into captivity with some tasty food.

Once safe and secure inside with a soft bed and more good food it became apparent that something very bad had happened to the kitten initially named "Cecilia" after the church where she was dumped so cruelly. Encrusted eyes and fleas aren't unusual in cats and kittens rescued from the street, but this little one also had some awful injuries that can only be called abusive or at the very least the result of severe neglect.

After a bath, gaping and infected wounds were revealed under the clumps of hair and scabs. A gentle shaving showed a complete "ring" encirling the neck, most likely from a cord or wire cutting into the skin. The eyelids appeared to turn in causing the fur to rub against the corneas leaving them slightly scarred, but the kitten was able to see. Bathed, de-flea-ed, medicated, and loved, the next step is to get to a vet!