On top of everything else...

A friend from my networking group asked my help in finding a home for 2 older diabetic cats.

They belonged to her mother, who passed away. Katy wrote an ad that I said I'd get out to my feline diabetes forums (this and House of Fur are the only ones right now).

If any of you can think of a place where this could go, please let me know. I have said I won't go to FDMB because of the extreme cruelty I experienced there when I was most in need. But if these cats could get placed through there, I'd consider the bad karma to have been balanced out.

The ad is below.

Thanks,

Elizabeth

Seeking a home for two 12-year-old, diabetic male cats. Jimmy and Arnie are affectionate and laid-back. Their owner (my mother) passed away last winter and the family has been caring for them in her former home, but the cats are very lonely and no one in the family can take them in due to allergies. The cats are brothers from the same litter and are big cats, both fat and large-framed. Arnie (23 pounds) is mildly diabetic and in fairly good health. Jimmy (21 pounds) has been diabetic for several years and his health is more frail. The family is willing to cover all of Jimmy and Arnie's expenses, including food, medicine, litter and vet visits, for the rest of their lives. For more information, please contact Leslie Dykstra at lesliedykstra@aol.com or 703-273-9755.

didn't. this show up on DCIN today or yesterday?

carl

Yes, Karen got in touch with them immediately and they ran with it. Many thanks to Karen, as I didn't even know DCIN existed.

Elizabeth

I presume DCIN is "diabetic cat information network"? I've never heard of it and is it a good site?

-Judy

Diabetic Cats in Need. They evidently find new homes for diabetic cats who need them.

Elizabeth

Was started by someone on FDMB a couple of years ago (Venita). It's a small group. They rescue diabetic cats from shelters, help find homes for ones that need it, and do a lot of fostering. I hope they can help - they have already posted the boys on their site (and they are beautiful! An orinch and a black.)

I've never heard of them either. Sounds like a good group. Oh, I wish I could take them. Orinch and black are my two favorite kitty colors (as though you all didn't know). :) Keep us posted about these boys.

Jamie

OMG, I do wish the UK had something like this. I'd be twisting Mary and Derek's arms off!

Judy bean

karen

great job contacting dcin on this. i should have thought of that except i saw it there before i read it here...

they also provide funding to beans and sugarcats who are faced with the horrible decision of either taking kitty to a shelter or "pts" because they have no money to afford treating diabetes.

for a small group of volunteers, they do some really "huge" things.

carl

did they find a home? makes me so sad to think of my big girl, jose, aka bigcountry, lost without a place to go.

No, they sort of got lost in the shuffle at DCIN. Since they're not in immediate danger, there's no urgency to their case, while many other cats are facing life-and-death scenarios.

It's very sad, but at least they have each other, a home, and people stopping by to care for them twice a day.

Elizabeth

Are they receiving insulin? How sad.

-Judy

They've got medical care, including insulin. They've got everything they need except people. The family will pay medical expenses, vet visits, food, and litter costs for the rest of their lives. They just need people.

The woman who told me about them is violently allergic to cats. I've seen her react to cat hair, and it's pretty bad. Otherwise she'd take them in. Others in the family have the same problem.

Elizabeth

Judy, if you twisted our arms off you would have to come over once a week to change the litter box!!

DCIN does some wonderful work, and through the FDMB can arrange a "transport train" to drive the cats across the country to new homes. Any offers?

NO Judy, they dont send them across the pond!

Mary

Hi all. I just joined and this message was at the top of the page, and I was interested to see it was about Jimmy and Arnie and DCIN.

I'm Venita Wood, I founded Diabetic Cats in Need. Our blog is at http://www.dcin.info. Our Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/DiabeticCatsInNeed.

Many here have accurately described what DCIN does. And it is true that Jimmy and Arnie got lost in the shuffle. The case manager told the family that we would courtesy post them, which generally means that DCIN "promotes" the cats once, as opposed to our active promotion of the cats on our "adoptables" list.

But I intend to contact the family for an update. I am not quite sure how the "care for life" promise would work out. I think any adopter would have to be prepared for that to discontinue at some point.

Thanks for the opportunity to post, and do stop by our sites if you haven't been there before.

Venita

Hi, Venita-

K, a woman I know from a networking group, sent the group a distress call about these cats, which led me to contact her and subsequently ask for help here. That eventually resulted in DCIN's post. (Your contact and K are sisters-in-law.)

I recently saw K at a very large, impeccably cleaned home that had two small cats living in it. She had the most extreme allergic reaction I have ever seen. Otherwise, she would take the cats in herself. Apparently the rest of the family has comparable allergies.

I do think the family has more than sufficient funds to care for the cats over the long term. In fact, if you ever place the two cats, you might ask the family for an additional donation to DCIN. The worst they could say is no. (But that's just the scheming part of my brain speaking out of turn.)

Anyway, welcome to Sugarcats, and thanks for all the good work you do.

Elizabeth

Hi Venita!

Nice to see you here. This is where "it" all started with me.

Carl

I have heard that a non-allergic family member adopted Jimmy and Arnie.

Venita

WOW!

Well done to all concerned

Mary

Fantastic news.

Jerri