Who You Help with Your Purchase

On May 1st I was given a four-week old kitten a fellow rescuer had found abandoned in her backyard. Since this little lady had to be fed every few hours, and this rescuer was in college, I agreed to take her in.

From the instant I held her I knew she was something special. She was adorable, trusting, and oh so loving. Within minutes she had curled up under my chin for a nap.

When she was up, she never acted like a four-week old. She wanted to play with the big kids, running and tumbling with my other cats, curiously swatting at strings, and pummeling small toys.

She was a brave one, who wasn't scared of anything, including my 14-year-old dog Lulu. And there was nothing to be scared of. Lulu loved cats (she lived with three after all) and had a motherly instinct you just want to bottle up.

Honeybee, as she was named, loved to hang out with Lulu. She followed her around like a little sister, slept on Lulu's bed when she was tired, and ran around the backyard investigating everything Lulu did.

On Thursday morning, May 15th, I woke up, fed Honeybee, and then put her on Lulu's bed to play. I turned around to head to the bathroom and within 30 seconds heard Lulu squeal. When I turned around she was sitting (she had been laying down before) and Honeybee was gasping for air. I grabbed my keys, got in the car, and took her to the nearest ER, Veterinary Emergency & Referral Group. There I was told by Dr. Stronger, that Honeybee had suffered some kind of head trauma. The doctor thought Lulu had either accidentally stepped on or fell on her (Lulu unfortunately occasionally loses her balance because she only has three legs).

They put her in an oxygen incubator within intensive care and for the next four days she slowly improved to the point that she was off oxygen and eating via syringe.

On the fourth day, Lori, a nurse at the ER, agreed to take Honeybee home with her in order to continue working with her, as well as to offset some of the costs of the ER (the bill had hit $1,500)

Over the next few days, Honeybee continued to improve. She was starting to walk again, eat on her own, and really respond to stimuli around her. By Friday the 23rd, Lori told me that if things continued to improve I'd be able to take her home the following week. I was elated and couldn't believe I had found such a generous and kind soul as Lori.

On Saturday, May 24th, Lori gave me the tragic news that Honeybee had passed away. She had been fine all day and sat patiently in her carrier on the drive to the ER for Lori's shift. When they got to the ER and Lori went to take her out, Lori discovered that she was gone. The ER vets performed CPR, but it was too late. It's believed that a blood clot suddenly killed her.

There couldn't be a more tragic end to this little dumpling's life.

When I came up with the idea of making shirts to offset rescue costs I was hoping this story would have a happy ending, but unfortunately when you take in the city's strays occasionally tragic accidents occur.

Each of the independent rescuers in Brooklyn can tell you a similar story of taking on hundreds and even thousands of dollars in vet bills to help the strays that come into their homes before finding them permanent families. Not all of us have freak accidents, thank god, but we all deal with stomach bugs, upper respiratory issues, eye infections, and much more. When we take in cats, we almost always also take on medical expenses. These shirts will help us offset these expenses.

Comments

[Frizz]

I am an independent rescuer in Arizona. Your story really hits home. Thank you for all that you do and may you have many more great ideas to assist independent rescuers in the future. Your T-shirt design is wonderful.
Frizz

[J N Petzak]

I'm an indy rescuer/advoCAT in CA and so touched by Honeybee's photos and story. I lost a beloved kitten inexplicably as well, probably to FIP. May you and the other colony caregivers there be much blessed and may many who have been touched by Honeybee's story be able to help the many other cats in Brooklyn.

[Lizzi]

That is so sad about Honeybee...she reminds me of the litter of seven 3-week-old feral kittens I rescued a year ago:
http://www.chicagocanine.com/photos/litter/kittens5.jpg