I'm on a cat story mailing list (Flippy's mailing list), and these three emails came between Aug 3 and Aug 9. I'm so happy how it turned out, that I thought I'd share the story. After the first one, which was forwarded to the list upon request, I really hoped there would be follow-ups so we could all find out what happened. Read on:
Email #1:
A few days ago I received an email through my stopdeclaw.com website from a man thanking me for the information there. He added that his cat, "Mister Mistopheles", that he adopted declawed as a kitten, had developed a biting problem and would be killed on Saturday (7/27 - the authorization form had already been signed).
Apparently, the cat had bitten his wife and was in quarantine at the vet. I was told by the vet that this is routine procedure even though the cat's rabies vaccination is up-to-date. He also informed me that the cat had exhibited no problems at the clinic.
I exchanged several e-mails with Mister's owner in a desperate attempt to help resolve the problem and save the cat's life. I made several suggestions and included contact information for Dr. Dodman at Tufts for a behavioral consultation. None of my suggestions was accepted. Other than having him killed or having me find a home for him, the owner is not interested in other options. In fact, he has already ordered a Sphynx! [EDITOR'S NOTE: this man should own a dog if he wants more controllable behavior, or not have a pet at all!!]
As you can imagine, our exchange got pretty heated with the end-result being that I was told that if I really cared I should come and get the cat that day and I could have him. I am in Minnesota. The cat is in Maryland.
If I possibly could, I would take this cat in a heartbeat as I've had several biters and have been able to correct the problem over time. As most of you know, I am at my limit (legal and otherwise) with my 25. I am absolutely frantic over this. In a last ditch attempt to save this cat's life, I was able to convince the owner to give the cat a reprieve for two weeks. A friend of mine has generously offered to cover the cost of boarding for that time, so the cat was not killed on Saturday and will remain at the vet for two weeks while I try to find a permanent home for him.
From the information I was able to gather, Mister Mistopheles is a very affectionate cat that loves to be around people. From the answers to my questions regarding his behavior, I believe that several things might be happening: One, the owners handle him a lot and don't recognize the signs of overstimulation. Thus they don't stop when Mister has had enough. Two, from the description of a typical day in his life, he doesn't seem to get much playtime, if any at all. He is an only cat. Three, the two women (wife and mother-in-law) he has for company during the day have health issues and it's possible that there is stress in his environment. In the photos, he looks to be overweight, but has no known health problems. He is currently on Amitriptyline for the biting, but the owner states that it has had no effect.
I am desperate to find this kitty a home and hope that someone here or someone you know is able to adopt this cat and save his life. Miracles do happen via the internet - it happened with Jack and Juls and I'm hoping it can happen again.
Please do not post or e-mail suggestions or ideas about things the owner could try as he has made it crystal clear that he is not listening. Time is very short - we have bought Mister a little bit of time and he needs a home. We will do what is necessary to facilitate any transportation logistics.
You can see pictures of Mister here: Mister Mistopheles
Thanks in advance to everyone for helping to save this kitty. He does not deserve to die.
Megan