On a cold, snowy afternoon I found this poor bedraggled cat.  His nose was raw, he was filthy dirty, skinny, sick, declawed, & out in the cold.  I could tell he was friendly by the way he meowed & looked at me, but at first try I wasn't able to get him in the carrier.  I set out dried kibble & came back later with a humane trap.

This time the cat was ready to go with me & let me get him in the carrier.  We went straight to the vet, where he got vaccines & a checkup, & tested FLV & FIV negative.  His filthy, irritated ears were cleaned, & tested negative for ear mites.  His teeth were in bad shape, but the vet estimated he was at least 10 yrs old.  I set him up in a large comfy crate at CR!FR HQ & he basically slept & ate for 4 days.  I decided to call him Jimson.

On the 5th day, I brought Jimson back to the vet for bloodwork.  His breathing was laboured & radiographs showed he had pleural effusion (fluid in the membrane surrounding the lungs & heart).  The vet drained 230 cc's of fluid!  I was told that this condition could be caused by diabetes, cancer, cardiac issues, etc. & that Jimson's prognosis wasn't good.

I brought Jimson back to CR!FR to give him a little more time to experience warmth, affection, & yummy food.  He began to perk up & it was clear he was a really sweet cat.  He purred a lot & loved attention, especially vigorous ear rubs.  He was content to nap, eat, cuddle, & watch the other kitties play.

Three days later he was back at the vet for an other pleura drain - around 200 cc's.  I knew it wasn't a cure, & it was expensive, but I wanted him to enjoy comfort & warmth a little while longer.

I had hoped to restore this sweet cat to health & glory & find him a loving home.  Sadly, 5 days later poor Jimson passed away in his sleep.  I'm glad I was able to give him 11 days of love & care & he didn't die out in the cold & snow.