It’s been a bit since I’ve posted, so it’s time to catch everyone up. We just sent our a Holiday email to all our donors thanking them for their support. We also got a new donor this week which always makes us smile. The big news is: we received notice from the El Paso Community Foundation that they are partially funding our grant submission, “Mandarin’s Toolbox”. We submitted the application last July and had requested assistance for about four major project areas. This was one of our first ever grant requests and, I think we were overly ambitious. We had asked for help in the following areas:

Name	Estimated Cost
Infrastructure	$2,740
Emergency Care	$3,000
Grant Software	$2,000
Ad Campaign	$1,000
Total	$8,740

The infrastructure request was for new cat trees, littler boxes and a couple of cabinets to store all the towels and blankets we use to care for the cats. Emergency care was for help in vet bills for newly arrived kitties with serious problems like Toby, Stella, Cooper and Glen. The grant software request was to acquire a subscription to one of the software firms like Instrumentl or Foundation Directory. This request is now not necessary as we recently were given free access to Foundation Directory Essentials. The software allows us to search for possible grants to help the kitties. The last item on our request was some seed money to run a small ad campaign which would have included business cards, flyers to be posted at vets and other locations plus a small number of giveaway items.

We don’t yet know how we can use the $2,000. The grant paperwork will be released to us on the 29th and then we can make some plans. If the grant is unrestricted, the we’ll procure at least one new storage cabinet and one new WLO cat tree or similar quality goodie. The rest of the funds would then be allocated where the need is greater — and as always vet bills need to be paid. If the funds are for one specific line item of our request, then the funds will go entirely for that item.

So stay tuned and next week will provide us a clear picture on how we’ll be able to use the grant funds. No matter how the money is allocated, we want to heartily thank the El Paso Community Foundation for their confidence in us and their support for the well being of all Mandarin’s Retreat furballs.

This week ended with a whimper and a sob as we paid the $1,800 vet bill Thursday afternoon. It was a multiple cat invoice and it was painful paying it. It covered Hamlet, Mishka, Carmello, Toby and a stray (now Cooper). Hamlet and Toby were in for shots which were not too expensive. However….

Mishka was never truly a healthy kitty. She and her sister Sabrina came to us starved, covered with bugs and barely alive. Tony, the magnificent cat paramedic and practice manager at our vet saved them both from certain death over a week long ordeal of attempts at a rescue. Through hand feeding, vet care and loving attention, they both survived and sister Sabrina seemed to thrive. Mishka, however, while she got healthier and bouncier, never really got to 100% well. Over the four years she was with us, we spent a couple of thousand dollars testing and searching for diagnosis but to no avail.

Last Friday, Sabrina came to Mrs H and insisted as only a cat can, for Mrs H to follow her. Sabrina led her to her sister who had collapsed in a box. We cleaned Mishka up and put her in medical isolation and watched her closely. We thought she had had a seizure and we knew from experience cats could recover quite well if they were kept in a quiet, warm environment. She got better little by little but we still took her in to the vet and she was placed on fluids and kept overnight. One of the vet techs and our long time friend watched over her so that she was never alone. We were called Wednesday morning and told Mishka had suffered a severe setback over the night. We left for the vet also carrying Carmello, as he was feeling poorly.

Once at the vet, we saw that Mishka had had enough. She now looked pretty out of it and didn’t have the strength to hold her head upright. She was ready to cross over the Rainbow Bridge and join Muffin, Penelope and Cody. We granted her request and let her join the others.

While we were spending time with Mishka, one of the vet techs came into the room and asked for a moment. A man had just come in with an old cat who he had fed for a couple of days. The man had explained he could not keep the cat due to his own heavy kitty load and had called everyone – Animal Services and several rescues – to take the cat and no one would or could. The tech, who had known us for years, asked if we could talk to the man.

The stray ginger was a mangled, dirty, skin and bones cat. The man said he ate for 30 minutes the first time he put a food bowl out. The cat was friendly and had a clipped ear indicating he’d gone through. What this old cat’s story was we didn’t know but the kitty needed help. After a few looks between Mrs H and me, we told everyone we would take the cat.

Talking with the vet we decided to leave the kitty overnight along with Carmello, who needed some testing. The plan was to run the full gamut of tests on the stray and see what our options were. We returned to Mishka, said our last goodbyes and returned to the Retreat to rearrange our kennel space and make a comfy spot for our new arrival. The next afternoon we picked up Carmello with his meds and the yet unnamed stray. Our new kitty, who we later in the day named Cooper, was in a surprisingly good health according to the tests (minor kidney issues and anemia, not surprising for a starved outside cat) but he was very old. The vet though he was upwards of 14 years old. I told my wife, “Well…that’s why we have the Retreat”. We’ve since discovered that Cooper is almost deaf and can’t see well at all. It’s so much better for him to spend his last days with us, being loved on and pampered.

Now for the reckoning with the vet. The combined bill for two other cats for shots and the tests for Mishka, Cooper and Carmello was $1,803.04. This bill put us deep in the red and the Retreat’s credit card squeaked in pain. Our October vet bills were now almost $2,800 and our donations have come nowhere close to covering the cost. Please if you are able in this year of hurricanes, tornadoes, and other disasters – lend us a hand. Any donation at all will be greatly appreciated and help us keep our promises to these sick and elderly cats. Mandarin would give you a big thanks and a even bigger purr if he could.