A big THANK YOU from Freddie

Hi, I'm Freddie! I'm a Feline Rescue foster guy who you may have seen featured on the Facebook page to raise funds for my medical care in December. I want everyone to know that I’m alive and feeling better than I have in years!

I’m grateful to supporters and volunteers for their help and their belief in Feline Rescue’s core values and mission to a lifelong commitment to each cat,and also that cost is not a factor in the decision for whether to provide medical care to a Feline Rescue cat. Volunteer experience and veterinary partner expertise are more priceless than the freshest tuna, if you ask me!

I’m enjoying a pampered life in a foster home. I receive the best of care. I’m playful, silly, maybe even a little bossy - just as any self-respecting cat should be. It’s wonderful to feel strong again. I explore. I get treats. I take naps. I do all the things people love their cats to be able to do.

Before Feline Rescue I had a loving home with a person who tried to get me treatment for diabetes but wasn’t able. When my person died, I was brought to the impound in December 2017. I was depressed and critically ill. No one there knew I had been an unregulated diabetic for over a year. When the nice impound people saw that my glucose level was 522 and I was in diabetic crisis, they asked for rescue group help.

When Feline Rescue volunteers brought me to Southview Animal Hospital, they never imagined how ill I was, the care I would need, or how much it would cost.

I was severely emaciated, dehydrated, and my ketones were super-high. My phosphorus and potassium were dangerously low. I got pancreatitis, and my calcium levels were dropping, all because I was starving before I was found alone. I developed fatty liver disease and a long list of other health issues. You’d think I was going for a world record! I was so weak I couldn't walk or lift my head. My condition was touch-and-go. Just when the team thought there was no hope, I would show some improvement.

I spent several weeks at the hospital. Tube-feeding became part of my life for months. I was on many medications. My medical team and volunteer friends put in countless hours tending to my extensive needs. Step by step my health improved and I built my strength back up. I was able to come off nearly all my medications. Regulating my diabetes was a big challenge but has become much easier. I kept the humans on their toes! They were so excited to watch me transform from a defeated looking wreck into the incredibly handsome dude you see pictured here.

Thank you to all who helped me and who improve the outcomes for cats in need. Many people joined together to make my recovery possible with their donations, time, and love. I could have been just another cat who didn’t make it. But here I am, snoozing on the couch in a warm home without a care in the world.

Story by Karen Dulski
Photography by Kris Kaiser