It Took the Network to Find Tashi Sanctuary – Part 1

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

The saying, "It takes a village to raise a child," is quite appropriate for Tashi's story which began in late July or early August this year. When found at a Columbus, Ohio feral colony, Tashi was alone, injured and in pain, with no sign of a mother cat or siblings. At first, it was thought that he had a neurological issue, but it was soon discovered that he was also incontinent. After several exams by local vets, including a board certified neurologist, it was concluded that Tashi's back had been broken, but was healing. No one involved with Tashi's rescue will ever know for certain if his injury was a birth defect, an accident, abuse, or caused by being tossed out of a moving car, but that really didn't matter. What did matter was that Tashi was alive, doing well and needing a home.

Long time volunteer for Cat Welfare in Columbus and Tashi's foster mom, Sue, knew it was going to be a daunting task to find a forever home for a paralyzed, incontinent kitten but she wasn’t ready to give up without a fight.

Too many times in Sue’s past, she’d been able to find homes for kittens and cats with disabilities. She’d successfully placed those who were deaf, blind, three-legged or couldn’t walk quite right because of a neurological problem, but a kitten that couldn’t control his bathroom issues was at a totally different level.

So, what to do? The answer was networking. Sue contacted other friends in the Columbus animal rescue community to see what options the little kitten might have.

One of those contacts was, Kristine. She has worked with the feral cat population in Central Ohio for years and is currently on the board of Colony Cats. She contacted Dr. Melanie deHaan of SOS Ohio, who suggested that x-rays might give an indication of what was causing the paralysis and incontinence without it costing much. Kristine also contacted me, knowing that I was a Volunteer News Writer for Best Friends.

Sue had the x-rays done through her own vet and it was discovered there was a curvature of the kitten’s spine in the area near his shoulders. It was not determined at that time what the cause of the curvature was, but the vet believed that both the paralysis and incontinence were permanent disabilities. What was clear was this little tabby kitten would need lifetime care for his special needs.

Acting on behalf of Colony Cats and Cat Welfare, I forwarded all the medical information, background and pictures we had on him to Best Friend’s Animal Help and then I posted a request for prayers on the Network Forum, Prayers, Healing and Support. While waiting for a response from Animal Help, several Network members began tossing around names. We’d all gotten so attached to this baby that calling him the “incontinent kitty” just didn’t work. Tashi, a Tibetan name meaning “good luck” and “prosperity,” was chosen.

Shortly thereafter, Animal Help contacted me with the disappointing, but not unexpected news, that the Incontinental Suite at Best Friends was at capacity. The coordinator assured me she would send out the information to some other contacts in the Ohio area, wished me good luck, and asked me to please contact her if I had additional questions. I took a deep breath, thought about little Tashi and his precarious situation, and knew I had to do something. There was just no way I could possibly let this baby down.

I sent an update email to several other Best Friend Network members and asked them to let me know if there were any rescues in their area that might be able to adequately care for Tashi’s special needs. Within two days, I had a short list of rescues and sanctuaries that sounded promising, but I had to be sure. After all, Tashi no longer belonged solely to a handful of people in Columbus, Ohio. He was rapidly gaining a large following of virtual admirers. This was becoming a big responsibility and one I was honored to take on.

I visited the websites of the top three locations and found them all to be well maintained sites with good information about the organization, the animals in their care, current articles and events. However, one stood out just a bit more. It had nothing to do with the pictures of the staff and volunteers, nor the descriptions of the cats. It was just a feeling deep inside that drew me to Tabby’s Place.

Once more, I went back to my Network friends from the now christened “Tashi Fan Club” and asked if there was anyone able to give references on the three candidate organizations. I was not about to be swayed by pretty pictures or nice writing when I had a fan club to answer to.

So, my Network friends emailed their Network friends and questions were posted in Network community forums and we had references for two of the three organizations. A very dear Network friend, Katherine, offered to make a visit to the Michigan sanctuary if needed; however, I asked her to wait because one of the references that came back on Tabby’s Place sounded very promising. A Network member, Becky, had compared Tabby’s Place to the Best Friends Sanctuary. She called it, “An East Coast Best Friends for cats.” If you’ve visited the Best Friends Sanctuary you know there could be no higher praise for Tabby’s Place.

Tabby’s Place’s website described the sanctuary as a “cage-free…one-of-a-kind facility…for cats in hopeless situations.” This sounded very promising. I continued reading and discovered that they consider themselves a safe haven for cats with special needs. Yeah, this was sounding better all the time. Then we struck gold.

Just three months before, Tabby’s Place had found a home for Bags, a cat who had been at the sanctuary for three years because he was paralyzed and incontinent. Now who did this remind me of?

The email flew that day between the Tashi Fan Club members that had appointed themselves to the committee for finding Tashi a home. What finally did it for us was the floor plan with the virtual tour. It looked perfect. It sounded perfect. They had a medical clinic onsite with a vet and vet tech. We read the back issues of the newsletters. It was getting better all the time. We read the entire story of Bags, and other than the fact that Tashi was only about four months old and Bags was an adult, the situations were so close that we knew the staff and volunteers of Tabby’s Place would know how to take care of Tashi.

The only thing that was left to do was contact Jonathan Rosenberg, the Director and Founder. What do you say, when you’re pleading the case of a tiny kitten? How do you get across how much this little one means to you without boring the reader? I knew that if Jonathan was like the rest of us in rescue, he would hear numerous heartbreaking stories every day. We had to draft that first communication very carefully. Finally, the email was done, the pictures attached and I clicked send.

Several days went by and there was no response. Should I send a follow up email? Should I call? It was a huge dilemma, balancing contact, without being a pest and ending Tashi’s chances with Tabby’s Place. Finally, I decided to resend my original request.

To be continued in Part 2

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

1. You can help support the life-saving mission of Tabby’s Place:
- Donate
- Volunteer

Tabby’s Place
1100 US Highway 202
Ringoes, New Jersey 08551
Phone: 908 237-5300
E-mail: info@tabbysplace.org

2. Extra room in your heart and home for a furry purring companion? Tashi is currently available for adoption, as are many other adoptable cats from Tabby’s Place.

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:
• 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 Angela Townsend, Tabby's Place
Story Photos by Lori Skaggs, Best Friends Network Volunteer