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It Took the Network to Find Tashi Sanctuary – Part 2

November 26, 2008, 10:52AM MT

By Lori Skaggs

A paralyzed kitten receives the help of five non-profits and countless people across many states for a chance at life.

A paralyzed kitten receives the help of five non-profits and countless people across many states for a chance at life.

By Lori Skaggs, Best Friends Network Volunteer

Read about the efforts by Best Friends Network members and others in the rescue community to find Tashi a rescue in Part 1.

Later in the day, I received the email that all of Tashi’s fans were praying for. Jonathan said that Tabby’s Place would consider Tashi. The Intake Committee was meeting the next day and he asked that I complete an additional form. Thank God, I’d been carrying around all the information on Tashi for days, just in case. My hand was shaking so hard while I was completing the application that I’m surprised anyone could read my writing. I emailed the form and other documentation back to Jonathan, sent an email to the fan club members, posted a request for prayers on the Forum and waited.

On my way home that night, I spoke to my mom. She said she’d been thinking a lot about Tashi and that if we couldn’t find a suitable facility, she would take him. She already had one incontinent kitten, what was one more? After the conversation, I knew that Tashi would not have to lose his life just because he might be considered by some to be “unadoptable.” While it gave us breathing space, the end wasn’t in sight quite yet.

Late the next day, I received another email from Jonathan. The Intake Committee wanted some additional information and Dr. Collins (Tabby’s Place’s vet) wanted to speak with the vet who had done the initial x-rays and exam on Tashi. Of course Jonathan couldn’t promise anything, but how could you resist that darling face?

So I called the vet’s office, told them who I was, and that I was calling on behalf of Sue regarding the paralyzed kitten the vet had examined. I told them that a cat sanctuary in New Jersey called Tabby’s Place was considering taking the kitten, but that their vet wanted to discuss the kitten’s injuries with the vet who had originally diagnosed his condition. They thanked me for the heads up and then the waiting began once more.

My next correspondence from Jonathan indicated that the vets had talked and that there were some concerns about the ability to manage pain that Tashi might have. If we wanted to continue the process for Tashi to be admitted to Tabby’s Place, we needed to have him examined by a board certified neurologist. I thanked Jonathan and told him I would let him know our decision.

We were so close and yet so far from having a haven for Tashi. I knew that a neurologist would be expensive. We discovered there was only one board certified neurologist in all of Columbus. While working up the courage to call his office to find out if we could even come close to raising funds, I emailed Dr. deHaan to find out what she knew about the neurologist. She assured me that he was very good and would be honest about Tashi’s chances for a quality life.

So I called, explained the situation and was connected with the person who coordinates care for rescues. I was relieved when she told me how much the exam would be. It was high, but within reach. Tashi would be able to visit the neurologist.

That evening I called Sue and told her what had happened. During our first conversation I had told her about Best Friends and what wonderful care they provided. I knew she was excited about the possibility of Tashi finding a home there and I could tell by her voice that she was disappointed that Best Friends hadn’t worked out. Then I told her about Tabby’s Place and how promising it sounded. I assured her that the organization had been fully checked out and recommended by members of Best Friends. I also let her know that if this didn’t work out, my mother had offered Tashi a home. Then I told her that we had just one more hurdle to get through and I explained the need for the visit to the neurologist.

The day of the visit to the neurologist arrived. I was so excited; I’d seen photos of Tashi and I’d talked to Sue on the phone, but I’d never met them in person. Tashi did not disappoint.

He was such a happy kitten with a very strong personality. He charmed me through the carrier and continued to enchant everyone in the office including the vet tech and the vet.

Fortunately, the news was fantastic. The vet determined that Tashi had suffered a broken back, but that the break was mostly healed and stable. While there wasn’t much that could be done to correct any issues, there was really no reason to believe that Tashi couldn’t enjoy a quality life and there were no indications that he was in any pain whatsoever. Just before we put him back in his carrier, Tashi scooted himself over to me on the exam table. I put my arms around him and he sank into my chest with a huge sigh.

At that moment, I really understood how this group of people had changed the world of this four-pound kitten. We’d raised money for his medical bills. We’d prayed that he would have a chance to grow and fulfill his potential. We’d talked about him daily and we’d sent him our love. Tashi belonged to so many people at that moment and we all could rejoice that he was healthy and thriving. Now, if Tabby’s Place would just agree.

It wasn’t long before I had my answer. When I saw the message from Jonathan in my email, I was both afraid and excited to open it. When I finally got the courage up, I read, “I am very pleased to tell you that the Intake Committee has agreed to accept Tashi…”

Tashi had a rescue!

I was relieved until I realized we now had to figure out how to transport our sweet baby boy from Columbus, Ohio to Ringoes, New Jersey.

I sent the good news to the Tashi Fan Club and posted an update on Prayers, Healing and Support. Then I sent an email to Denny, a Tashi Fan Club member in Pennsylvania, asking if he might know of some folks that could help with Tashi’s transport.

No sooner had I received a response from Denny that he’d probably be able to do much of the Pennsylvania transport than I received an email from another Tashi fan offering to donate air miles so that I could fly Tashi directly to New Jersey. That was not all - she also offered to drive Tashi and me from the Newark airport to Tabby’s Place.

After the long weeks of anxiety and concern about finding the right place for Tashi, the short period of time between his acceptance at Tabby’s Place and the actual day of travel flew by quickly. Angela Townsend, the development director for Tabby’s Place, contacted me for additional information for a press release on Tashi’s story. After that, we emailed each other almost daily to coordinate Tashi’s arrival. During that time, Tashi's admirers changed our offical name to Team Tashi. I just seemed more appropriate as it was team work that sealed Tashi's future.

Finally, the Saturday of our fight arrived. While waiting for our departure, I let Tashi out of his carrier to do a little exploring and playing in the airport. He continued to charm new admirers with his spunk and attitude until it was time to board the plane.

Becky met us at the airport with a large sign welcoming Tashi to New Jersey. It was barely five minutes until Tashi’s carrier was in her arms while I waited for my checked bag. A quick change of the pad in Tashi’s carrier allowed Becky to hold Tashi for a bit and it was love at first sight. Tashi spent the last few miles of the drive to Tabby’s Place cuddled in my arms. My time with him was growing short, so I took all the snuggle moments I could.

Upon arrival at Tabby’s Place, we pulled in just in front of Ginny, one of the staff members. I had hardly gotten out of the car before she took Tashi from me and went running inside announcing his arrival. Introductions were made with hugs all around and the immediate admiring of Tashi began. We left our baby boy with the vet tech to get settled in and Jonathan gave us a tour.

With each moment that passed, I felt more comfortable with leaving Tashi behind. When the tour was almost over, we stopped back in to check on Tashi and found him on the floor surrounded by many loving people reaching out to pet him, talking about how cute he was, and just enjoying getting to know his personality. When Becky and I left, Tashi had curled up on some soft blankets in his cage in quarantine, ready for a good long nap.

It’s amazing to me that I’d known this little kitten for such a short period of time and yet, he’d become one of the most important beings in my life. He was my first thought in the morning and the last one at night. First, because I was worried I wouldn’t find a home and then it was about leaving him so far away with strangers.

Tashi has given and continues to give me and everyone else he meets very special gifts of love and his kitten enthusiasim of the world around him. I have been blessed with countless new friendships and the deepening of existing ones, as so many people pulled together to find a haven for Tashi.

Since arriving at Tabby’s Place, Tashi’s story has continued to spread. Several online papers have written articles about him, including one in the United Kingdom.

The most miraculous part of Tashi’s story is that because Tabby’s Place has the resources to provide him with top medical care, Tashi may one day walk on his own. Whether or not that ever happens, he will be loved just the same. Just a short few months ago, we were concerned about finding a place that could care for him and now we may have the opportunity to one day see our baby boy walk!

Not too long ago, people would have said that the best thing for Tashi would be to have him humanely euthanized, but thanks to organizations like Best Friends and Tabby’s Place we are learning that even paralyzed kittens have a right to a life filled with love, happiness, and hope.

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

1. You can help support the life-saving missions of Colony Cats, SOS Ohio and Cat Welfare:
- Colony Cats
- SOS Ohio
- Cat Welfare
- Colony Cats will be gift wrapping at the Polaris Barnes & Noble on November 28th 9 am – 1 pm, December 5th 5 pm – to 11 pm, and December 20th 9 am – 2 pm.

2. Extra room in your heart and home for a furry purring companion?

Colony Cats has plenty of cats ready for adoption Adoptable Cats

3. Having difficulty finding a placement for a homeless animal? Be sure to check out the Best Friend’s No More Homeless Pets Animal Help Resources and Resources for Rescuers

For more information:

• See Tashi's story on ZooToo 'Hind' Over Matter
• Read the original post about Tashi on the Prayers, Healing and Support Community

• Paralyzed kitten from Ohio finds home in Ringoes

Lead Photo courtesy of Becky
Other photos courtesy of Beck and Lori Skaggs

Comments

Posted December 02, 2008, 3:3PM by Mommacat

We're having a blast with Tashi here at Tabby's Place now :-) I feel we are so lucky to be a part of his story & life.

Posted December 16, 2008, 7:49AM by TamayasLori

sophistikathryn,

The most wonderful person that provided me with the air miles went way above and beyond for Tashi. She actually sent me her reward miles account information and let me make the reservation. I don't recommend that you do that.

However, I do know that there are ways for people to donate air miles to nonprofits such as Best Friends on a regular basis and BF would be able to help you with that info. If you want to do something more grass roots and help transport animals like was done for Tashi, I recommend that you let some of your local rescues know that you might have air miles available for emergency transports of animals and they they could contact you in such an emergency. You can also always scan the BF Forums for emergency needs as well.

Some things I learned. Not all airlines allow pets in the cabin. If they do there is usually a limit. Pets must remain in their carriers and the carriers under the seat at all times. The only carriers that seem to fit under seats are the soft sided ones so the animals being transported would need to be pretty small. The air miles for this particular trip covered my ticket, but I still needed to purchase Tashi's and there were some fees involved that had to be paid for as well.

My suggestion for keeping yourself safe would be to get the information on the person that is flying with the pet, the day(s) of the flight, the pet's name, etc. and make the actual reservation yourself. Then you can email the e-ticket to the person escorting the animal.

I don't know how you use air miles (or even if you can) for an animal that is traveling in the cargo hold.

I hope this helps and bless you for offering to do this. I know that I was much more relaxed knowing that I could be with Tashi, literally door-to-door and I know that it made his foster mom more comfortable as well. Luckily, NJ isn't that far from OH and one of Team Tashi had already offered to give Tashi a lift through most of PA, but it would have been a much longer trip for Tashi and he would have had to be passed to several different people on a transport so having the ability to fly with our darling boy made all of us so much more relaxed.

Please feel free to email me through the Network email if you want to discuss this in more detail.

Lori

Posted December 10, 2008, 12:25PM by skya

I am literally weeping with joy for this precious little life and all the love that he inspired. Thank you for reminding us that there is so much good and love in this world. I'm so happy that Tashi is not in any pain.

Lots of love and hugs to Tashi and all of his heroes!! >^..^<

Posted December 11, 2008, 12:29AM by PennyEvie

Thank you to every single person, involved in any way in Tashi's rescue and new home. God Bless Everyone of You. Lots of love and prayers being sent to Tashi, especially healing prayers. God Bless You Little Tashi.

Posted December 15, 2008, 4:14PM by sophistikathryn

What an awesome story...

I was interested to read that someone had donated frequent flyer miles to help Tashi make his trip. Does anyone have more details about this? I travel with my job and often have more mileage awards than I know what to do with. I'd love to be able to help facilitate travel when urgent needs arise.

Thanks!

Posted December 11, 2008, 3:20PM by crazysleepingcatlady

That's our boy!

Tashi was definitely Lori's "starfish"..................we lived for our daily Tashi updates. This truly has been an honor unlike anything I've experienced.

Again, I can't say it enough, this experience has been phenomenal, not only for Tashi but for everyone who played a part, big or small.

With this approaching season of giving it is especially warming knowing that Tashi now is thriving in the loving care of everyone at Tabby's Place. A big "thank you" goes to everyone at Tabby's Place who ultimately made a lot of this possible.

I truly think that this will help to open up more doors for and educate people about those animals who aren't "quite" perfect to realize happy, healthy and loving forever homes.

Mom of Niki
Honored Member of Team Tashi

Posted December 15, 2008, 4:39PM by crazysleepingcatlady

I can mention something to Lori to see if she can answer your question about donating frequent flyer miles!

What an awesome gesture on your part, sophistikathryn. You rock!

I know that the wonderful person who donated her ticket to Lori and Tashi played a big part in being able to get Tashi out to Tabby's Place much easier and the fact that Lori was able to accompany Tashi was absolutely wonderful.

Mom of Niki
Proud member of Team Tashi

Posted December 16, 2008, 3:15PM by topcat_1952

Although I had the privilege of seeing this whole article "pre-pub", my heart was greatly touched to read it once again and be reminded of how God used a number of folks who refused to write off this little one and, instead, get involved and truly cared.

Now, instead of ending up in some freezer as just another unwanted cat, Prince Tashi is not only living a wonderful life, but inspiring other people with the message that every life is worth saving - no matter what condition they are in. Oh that more people would make the decision to adopt a homeless kitty or dog instead of leaving them to wonder if this might be their last day on earth.

Thanks to all the Team Tashi folks - may there be more and more like you - and thanks Lori for writing such a heart-warming story. This needs to be a Hallmark Movie!

Posted December 19, 2008, 9:19AM by Joy

sophistikathryn,

Karol Taylor handles airline miles donations to Best Friends and she'll be happy to explain it to you, even if you want to donate them to another group. You can reach Karol at karolt@bestfriends.org.

Posted December 03, 2008, 9:0AM by Noraandkids

For all who were so involved in saving little Tashi, you are all heroes. So many would have considered him a loss, but now he will be an ambassedor for all the special needs babies and his story will save some lives. What a beautiful boy! And he does have a lot of mobility in his hind legs.

Lori, you continue to amaze me. Mom just has to get more active.

Nora

Posted December 11, 2008, 10:32AM by TamayasLori

D2or3,

I would go with the info from Tabby's Place on ZooToo. When we had Tashi here in Ohio, he had two exams, but neither of them as indepth as what Tabby's Place had done to decide how best to help Tashi. That is the latest news and as I'm sure you know, diagnosis can change with additional testing.

Thank you all that have posted to this article. Tashi has allowed me to learn so much about myself as well and special needs animals. He is truly alive today because of Divine Intervention and the willing help of so many on the BF Network and the various organizations that helped get Tashi to a safe place.

I recently heard that he's enjoying playing with another kitten named Carter at Tabby's Place and continues to thrive and grow.

Lori (Tashi's OH escort to NJ and personal writer)

Posted November 28, 2008, 11:59AM by mindusmae

Oh Lori,

Your love and commitment to Tashi is truely an inspiration. What a lucky baby to have you working so hard for his care.

You are amazing, girl.

Min

Posted December 09, 2008, 10:0PM by D2or3

The story on ZooToo said the kitten "was born with a congenital spinal chord condition that paralyzed his hind legs." But the Best Friends' article here said the neurologist determined that Tashi had suffered a broken back. I wonder which it is???

Posted December 28, 2008, 11:11AM by Noraandkids

I just have to comment further on this subject. The miracle of Tashi has inspired so many. Just maybe some of those will take the plunge and adopt a special needs pet. My heart has been with them all my life. My first special needs cats were neurological deficits. Precious was just that, very precious. She was very severely neurological and had a short life, but I remember her like yesterday. The 40+ years just melt away. She could not take more than a few steps without falling, but she managed to play with the other kittens.

Sis and brother lived long, happy lives. Sis was tiny and more handicapped than Brother who grew into a large beautiful cat that was just a little wobbly. They remain a bright spot in my past.

Most recently, Princess and Sweetheart joined my family two years ago this coming May. Princess has some mild visual and neuroligical problems, but she is like a flying cat in my room. Sweetheart is a Manx Syndrome cat who is totally incontinent, but I have learned how to deal with her problems and she really lives up to her name.

There have been many other special needs animals in my life, cripled orphan foals, dogs with seizure disorders, elderly animals, I've had many. And if a place couldn't have been found for Tashi, he would have come here. But Tabby's Place can do so much more for him, I'm thankful he went there. I'm glad to have been a small part in this most wonderful miracle. And Lori is the ultimate in three generations of rescuers. I'm very proud to have lived to see my daughter so involved in this ultimate experience in rescue.

Long live Prince Tashi. Many are watching your story and learning what special rewards love can bring.

Nora

Posted December 18, 2008, 10:30AM by lovemybabies

sophistikathryn

If you go to your airline that you have air miles with most of the major airlines have information on how to directly donate your air miles to a charity of your choice.

And I do believe they can be donated at least on some airlines for the transport of the animal (cargo). I know they are doing this with the campaign to save the Puerto Rico Beach Dogs.