From lurker Bradley C:
Two and half years ago you and the BJ community showed me incredible kindness and helped me raise the funds to care for my dying cat Binkley. He had kidney disease/failure, and thanks to you and the community he had another 6 months with me, most of them good. I am eternally grateful for that time with him, and the suffering he was spared.
Now I face another challenge, and have no choice but to reach out for help again. Last year I went on a little quest and found the furry family from which Binkley came, and found a new companion. His name is Calvin, after the comic strip, because all he wants to do is play.
The good news is his life is not threatened, the bad news is he has already developed serious problems with his teeth, causing him to drool uncontrollably at times. Left untreated this will eventually turn into real problems for him, and it’s already a bit messy. But walking dogs and working with musicians has not left me a wealthy man, and my family is currently hurting. Which leaves me scrambling to find ways to help him.
Thankfully the costs this time are much more modest, and fixing this will have a real impact on his quality of life. (Mine too, but he’s what matters here.) So hopefully it is not assuming or asking too much to reach out to you and the BJ community once again. I’ve set up another GoFundMe campaign.
Thank you again, so much, for your help before, and thank you for any help to come. I feel almost ashamed asking like this, but his well being matters infinitely more than my pride.
brad
I just saw the tweet about this, I am humbled and grateful. One small positive note, it was actually 8 months more with Binkley, I miscounted. He made it just past Thanksgiving. And every moment was valued.
Yutsano
@brad: AWW WHAT A SWEET BAB! If this is still running by Monday hopefully AL will redo a post on Calvin at a time when I can help.
EDIT: As in help.
Not that weird typo I put in there.
brad
@Yutsano: He’s sweet when he’s sleepy, otherwise he’s always in motion. He was born in Feb last year so he’s still a kiiten in his heart.
Also, he’s some degree of nephew to Binkley. My mom did some digging and found Calvin for me as a bday present.
blackcatsrule
Bradley C, I had my kitty’s teeth cleaned about 6 months ago and it made such a difference in his quality of life! Donated so your kitty can feel better soonest.
BlueGirlFromWyo
@Yutsano: Second the hope that this is reposted next week. I get paid Wednesday and would love to help that pretty kitty.
Yutsano
@BlueGirlFromWyo: My deposit drops on Monday. I do have room on the credit card but reserving that for other uses for now. That could change depending.
jacy
Done –dental health makes a world of difference for kitties. :)
eric
done and done.
eclare
Done
cleek
done
geg6
I would love to but have to wait until our new kitty, Cleo, goes back for her follow-up vet trip on Monday. I have no idea what that is going to cost. She is going to get some shots and who knows what else, depending on if they found any exotic illnesses in our little garage kitten rescue. The fleas and mites are all cleared up, though, and that’s good news. Once we have that clean bill of health, we’re introducing to Koda and Lovey, so that should be interesting.
And not ever having had a cat, I’m guessing they need tooth cleaning like the dogs do? We have chew toys and dental treats for the dogs that seem to have done a good job on keeping the dogs’ teeth in good shape. Are there such things for cats?
brad
@BlueGirlFromWyo: It seems his face is hard to say no to, in the hour or two this has been up we’re already halfway there. There won’t be a need for a repost, most likely. I’m already wondering if there’s a way I can use his apparent powers for a charity, those two pics only begin to touch on how adorable the little monster is.
cain
I gave. All the best to Calvin! Can’t wailt till I get my own kitty(ies)!
Mary in Ohio
Such a beautiful snowshoe kitty. He’s lucky to have you.
Mary in Ohio
@geg6: They make catnip flavored Greenies
jacy
@geg6:
Depends on the kitty — Chance, my Turkish Van, ended up having to have most of his teeth pulled by the time he was 12. Spike lived to 15 and never had a problem with tartar. Just get regular check-ups.
Gex
His well-being matters to me too.
mad citizen
We had a Male cat who had to have one of his top fangs removed, and he was fine after, relatively speaking. He had other physical issues and some mental ones as well, or just too much cat-ti-tude.
brad
At this rate the goal will be hit before I’m done walking dogs today, thank you all so much. Here’s a few more glimpses of him. The second is a vid of s game he plays with his cat dancer.
https://instagram.com/p/BlWYYz-BqH1/
https://instagram.com/p/BasOrasjKwU/
Another Scott
Donated. Good luck!
Cheers,
Scott.
satby
@geg6: I never had problems with any of my cats teeth, but I tend to feed mostly dry food which doesn’t stick to their teeth. They get wet food as a treat, but dry food and lots of water available is how we roll.
One cat who had a broken jaw that had healed ended up with chronic infections in his teeth on that side though. And just like with humans, it gave him heart problems. This was after he was adopted, so I never found out about it until later.
gvg
I think dry crunchies are supposed to be better for teeth cleaning yet wet food is preferred and may be better for kidneys, so a mix or alternating might be playing safe. Some cats have bad teeth, get cavities or are crooked in ways that catch food, just like people teeth. I have never seen cat greenies, but they do have cat “toothbrushes” which are actually a rubber finger glove with bumps and a cat toothpaste with a cat preferred flavor so you sort of play with your friend and encourage him to chew on your finger with the treat goo on it while you rub his teeth. All I can say is some cats think it’s great and other refuse. When I describe it, I realize how weird we cat lovers are sometimes.
Mnemosyne
@geg6:
If you can give her some good-quality hard food and crunchy dental treats, that will help, but cats don’t really chew on things the way dogs do, so there aren’t really toys you can get.
If you start her young (i.e. immediately!) you can teach her to tolerate having her teeth brushed with a kitty toothbrush and cat (NOT human!) toothpaste, but keep cat psychology in mind. Unlike a dog, she needs to know what’s in it for HER because she doesn’t have an instinct to please you. Cats require way more bribery and rewards than dogs do and they are extremely stubborn, so you have to set your mind to doing it and not relent. If you can get her used to it, you’ll save a lot of money on dental bills later on.
geg6
@satby:
Cleo seems to favor the wet kitten food but will crunch on the dry, too. As of right now, we’re still giving her cat milk (who knew?) as the vet thinks she’s still pretty young but mostly weaned. Her eyes are green but she doesn’t have adult teeth yet. She weighed less than a pound when we found her, but fattened up pretty quick since we brought her inside.
@Mary in Ohio:
That’s exactly what I was hoping for! My pups eat their Greenies every day and, between those and some chew toys that are meant to clean the teeth, we’ve kept the plaque at total bay on them. I’ll have to check that out next time I’m in Petsmart.
Cheryl Rofer
@geg6: Many cat treats are designed to clean teeth. Look for the American Veterinary Dental Association (or something like that) seal of approval.
Mnemosyne
@geg6:
I thought this video about teaching your cat to let you brush their teeth was pretty good:
https://youtu.be/4KPmWOQydfY
Eljai
Calvin has such pretty markings!
TomatoQueen
Done and done, Calvin’s lovely.
brad
Thank you all so much, we’ve blown past the total and he’ll be getting some new toys and treats, too.
One question I have, to pick up on what said before, is whether anyone has any ideas how to use his adorableness to help a charity? I have to think if he can inspire such a response here his cute little mug can be used for greater good. If anyone has any knowledge or ideas, please do share. He and I have some karma to share back, if we can.