Karlee
(Click here for Karlee's original photo)
Karlee was found in the median of I-65 near Kimberly. Sheila Carlee was on her way to work and spotted a kitten in the median's tall grass. She stopped and saw a kitten about 6 weeks old that was wounded and could not walk. Sheila called Susan Simpson who works at The Bank. (Susan and Sheila work with TEARS) Susan called her co worker and Director of Friends of Cats & Dogs Foundation, Jodie Standridge to request assistance. Jodie advised them to take the kitten to Brookwood Animal Clinic to see Dr. George Raymond, Birmingham's house call vet.
Everyone at Brookwood fell in love with Karlee. She was so little and so pitiful. Dr. Raymond x-rayed and determined to treat her injury as spinal cord trauma. (There were no breaks or fractures). Also, lots of penicillin for her open wounds. We all realized that Karlee didn't have much of a chance. She couldn't use her back legs at all and her bladder had to be expressed by Dr. Raymond in order for her to urinate.
After many days, Karlee needed some at home TLC. Dr. Raymond instructed Jodie on the delicate procedure of expressing the bladder. Jodie is caring for Karlee including bottle feeding, therapeutic massage on her back legs and lots of cage rest.
She is also fostering another kitten, Davis--his photo is here .
Within a week, Karlee was walking--actually using her back legs--picking them up and not just dragging them.
Dr. Raymond referred Karlee to Birmingham's own Cindy Grant, DVM CCRP(Certified Rehabilitation Practitioner). Dr. Grant works with B'ham's board certified veterinary orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Milton MS Diplomate, ACVS .
Karlee's first rehabilitation session was on 8/17/05. She did great and Dr. Grant instructed on exercises to do at home using a special mat and rubber ball.
Everyone is pulling for Karlee to regain her bladder function. The prognosis is that she just needs some more time, given the trauma she has experienced. When she completes her therapy sessions and regains bladder function, (and is well enough to be spayed & has recovered from any spay surgery), Karlee will be available for adoption via FCDF.
As of October, Karlee hasn't regained her bladder function. But, that's OK because she's so sweet & gentle that it is easy to express her bladder a couple of times a day. She is using the litter box for bowel movements. She is playing and playing with the other cats. She hates to be alone and the others love her and look after her. She has regained the use of her back legs --not perfect but much better. She still scoots around the floor and can pull herself on the bed with her front paws. She should have one more therapy session to see if we can futher improve her mobility in her back legs.
NOVEMBER 2nd -- Karlee saw Dr. Grant for the second time and exhibited unbelievable improvement in walking. Dr. Grant gave more exercises for Karlee to do at home. Dr. Grant says Karlee shows great promise.
NOVEMBER 5th -- Karlee found her forever home. Sheila Carlee, Karlee's angel rescuer, referred a couple to FCDF as adoption candidates for Karlee. They are Gary and Twila Tyree. They fell in love with Karlee and adopted her. They will continue her exercises, and therapy visits. And, of course, they promise to send us updates and
photos of a precious creature that touched all lives that she come in contact with.
Karlee's new "parents" sent us this update (December 2005):
My husband and I wanted to write and tell everyone how lucky we are to have taken the most loving and wonderful kitten into our home. Thank you Jodie!! We adopted Karlee, the kitten that was found on the side of the road and for awhile they didn’t know if she would live. She has been fighting to live and get better ever since that day in mid August. Karlee now has two adopted sisters; China and Misti (see pictures). Misti is solid black just like Karlee and thinks that she is her mother.
There were several weeks of getting to know each other and now they are all three racing through the house and climbing on our six foot cat tree, yes Karlee is climbing. She basically pulls herself up but more and more we see her using her back legs. We have some therapy to do but we are both absolutely sure that she will be able to use her legs well enough to jump short distances in a short time. Karlee and Misti sleep with us each night but China has not yet joined them. I think China feels a little left out so we are trying to spend equal time with her. We tell her that she is special because she is our only gray cat.
For those of you who know Karlee’s story, you will be excited to know that about a week and a half after we adopted her, her bladder function returned.
We went to visit the Physical Therapist and she told us that Karlee has definitely made progress since the last visit. We have another appointment the first of February, so we will let you know.
She is a little miracle cat and we are so thrilled to have her in our home. We will try to update you when she takes her first jump or starts walking 80% of the time.
Garry and Twila.
Keep checking this page for more Karlee updates!!
Home
Nehemiah St. James is an 8 month old Rat Terrier, pure blood.
Recently I bought a house with a nice backyard and immediately began to pondered the idea of having a companion for my 6 year old dog Buddy. After 6+ years Buddy finally had a backyard but with no one to share. I went through all the guilt, the doubt and confusion
of bringing another dog into "Buddy's home." But after wrestling with
the idea, I knew that adopting a dog would be my best option. My parents had and it worked wonders for their Boxer, Jack. Well I browsed numerous adoption sites and stumbled upon the fcdf.org site.
After losing our beloved Irene to old age in October, we decided to try to find two new cats to love. Through the Birmingham News classified ads, we found the FCDF web site, where Sheba and Reba were waiting for us.
Chloe was rescued by FCDF from a life on her on. She is now happy, playful and much loved as a part of the Weber family. They were looking for a Calico and couldn't be happier with this girl!
This sweet and loving smooth coat Saint Bernard (proudly named Dottie) was
emaciated and depressed when she was rescued by FCDF volunteers. She was
just beginning to give up hope when her prayers were answered. She is now a
permanent member of the Mobley family. She is thrilled to be eating a
special weight gain diet and is looking better than ever. Her human parents
love her dearly and she idolizes her Saint Bernard siblings (also rescues).
Her start in life was rough, but the rest of her days will be filled with
healthy food, romps in the grass with like minded Saints, and plenty of
love.
Oreo, a kitten that survived Katrina to find a home in Birmingham finds yet another new life. In March, he sneaked outside at his new Birmingham home, only to be hit by a car. His new home could not afford to take him to the vet but they knew his leg was broken as he could not walk--he had crawled home. When they got in touch with FCDF, they were told to take him to the vet where an x ray told them Oreo's knee was broken in two places & he would require expensive surgery. The surgery was more costly than FCDF could afford to spend on one kitten. A tough decision had to be made.
Lucas, a rescue Saint Bernard, meets Bailey, a tiny kitten adopted from the Shelby County Humane Society. Lucas was rescued in Colorado through Colorado Saint Bernard Rescue. We guess that he is about 9 years old-he was 3 or 4 when he joined the family. He has a special love for kittens. He knows that babies need to be handled with care (Lucas provided love, warmth, and affection for another cat in the family who was orphaned at two weeks of age and is now a healthy, spunky adult). They say that Saints are “Gentle Giants” and Lucas fits this description perfectly. Bailey is growing up in a home with 2 Saints and 3 other cats. He is a sweet and fearless ball of energy and has learned to enjoy playing fetch with his cat toys. This skill is especially ironic in a house where neither dog seems to understand the game. Both are treasured members of the family, and both help comfort and socialize FCDF fosters in the Mobley home!
Andy, now renamed Pete, an 8 week old (as of 11/30/05) precious angel who had a tough beginning in life just found his forever home today, 12/3/05. Andy's mother died leaving him and his two littermates to fend for themselves on the streets. His two littermates froze to death in mid November. Andria Vann and her sister, Tiffani rescued Andy just in time and brought him to FCDF. Since Andria saved him from freezing to death, we named him after her. FCDF provided Andy with vet care and lots of love.
In February of 2005, we adopted a sweet little furry boy named Sammy who had been fostered with the Widners. How little we knew then how our lives would be enriched!
Sometimes in doing volunteer work with animals, we see things that we can't change. I'm sure we have all felt like giving up, as the pet overpopulation problem and suffering is immense. And, then, we are sent what surely must be an angel who renews our spirits and our commitment to our calling of helping some of God's best creatures. This is Miss Emma. She is one of our most recently rescued angels.
Sweet Noah was rescued by an FCDF volunteer. He was spotted in the pouring down rain a few years ago. (Hence the name Noah). The entire side of his face was "torn" and bleeding. We thought he had been in a fight with a dog. It turns out that he had such a bad ear infection that he had scratched himself almost to his own ruin. After vet care and lots of love, Noah was the perfect guest in his foster home. He was so pitiful when first rescued, but with love and good food, he trusted again. Noah was adopted by a wonderful family, Steve & Cindy Sawyer. Steve actually knew FCDF's founder, Maggie Dix. Steve's son adopted Lance, also on this page!
Ember, started her life by being thrown out of a car in Hueytown, AL. A kind person that works for a vet rescued her and brought her to FCDF. Fortunately, she had no major injuries -- just extremely thin and of course, was upset -- she was just a tiny baby. FCDF provided vet care and lots of love. As you can see, Ember is now a big girl and living in Wisconsin with her new family, the
Arredondo's where they love and continue to spoil her!
The big, gorgeous boy Herbie & the petite beauty, Isabelle look like siblings. They are not. Herbie was rescued from a life on the streets with a fan belt stuck around his neck and legs. He was timid and scared until FCDF rescued Isabelle next. (She was rescued from Ruffner Mountain). Herbie and Isabelle are inseparable--they adore each other. Plus, they look exactly alike. Isabelle brought Herbie out of his shell and taught him to trust, love, & have fun again.
Lance, (a "Sylvester" look-alike), was brought to FCDF after living on the streets. He was a big boy, but totally emaciated when he was rescued. FCDF provided vet care and lots of love, not to mention round the clock feeding so he would no longer be a "bag of bones"; in fact he had no muscle mass. Lance was in honor of Lance Boutwell, who donated the funds to pay for Feline Lance's vet care.
When Lance was healthy, (& neutered), he was adopted by David Sawyer who has provided a wonderful home. As you can see, Lance's favorite relaxation spot (the sink) has not changed--he loved the sink when first brought to foster care with FCDF and he loves the sink at David's home.
Angel, now renamed Daisy was brought to FCDF before dawn one morning. This 3 yr old dog was lying on a street in Birmingham, too weak from hunger to move. FCDF provided lots of TLC and vet care so Daisy could regain her strength. She appears to have had numerous litters of puppies and a (healed) broken leg for which she will always limp.
Jackie, the black cat, and now renamed Sassy was rescued by FCDF from the engine of a car at Jack's Hamburgers in Homewood, Al. She was only 5 weeks old. FCDF provided vet care and bottle-fed her. Sassy was adopted to a minister, James Gibson and enjoys being with Jim almost as much as her new playmate, Midas! Sassy knows her life with Jim and Midas beats being on the streets.
I want to thank FCDF (Friends of Cats and Dogs Foundation), for contributing so much happiness to my life in the form of a big furry dog named Clyde! Clyde had a rough start, before his foster mom found him, along with his four litter-mates. They were wandering the streets of 4th Avenue South. They were alone, hungry, and hairless due to mange. Thanks to her and the help of FCDF, Clyde and I found each other and nothing has been the same since!! As you can see by the picture, Clyde is anything but hairless and hungry now. His favorite pastimes are swimming, patrolling for squirrels, and going for car rides (If you ever see a red Jetta around Highland Park or Crestline, look for a big, yellow dog hanging out of the back window – it’s Clyde).
This is Mya Jane of the Buttermilk Sky; Mya for short. Her parents were a feral Siamese and a feral calico. She was trapped by FCDF when she was 5 weeks old. She is definitely one of a kind. She makes us laugh every
time we look at her. Chasing butterflies is her chosen specialty; luckily, she is rarely successful in her endeavors. She is very affectionate and playful and gives lots of attention to our 2 aging cats. She has been a wonderful addition to our family - we adore
her!
This is Nelson (Nelson Muntz). We adopted him from Friends of Cats and Dogs a year and a 1/2 ago. He was our foster for FCDF and my husband just fell in love with him. If you were to meet Nelson, you would understand why he is so lovable. He has the funniest mannerisms, he gives you his paw when you scratch his head, and he turns his head this way and that when you talk to him. We say he is like a one of the Muppets. It is as if he understands everything you are saying to him.
We adopted Honey (Honey Bear) from FCDF
over a year ago. She is the sweetest little dog. We currently use her as a teaching dog, in schools and libraries where the children learn how to care for animals. She loves it when the kids all come up to pet her. She just smiles and wages her tail. She is an extremely gentle dog with people and just can’t get enough attention. People are always drawn to her when we go to the park for a walk.
I just wanted to let everyone know that Daisy Mae is doing well and is very happy with my sister and her husband. They had her spayed a few weeks ago and they sometimes take her to the Petsmart doggie daycare in their area for socialization. They walk her daily and give her lots of love and toys!!! They are currently looking into obedience classes although she is such a sweetheart and easy-going dog to have. Attached is a photo of Daisy (on the right) and one of my dogs, Scooby (on the left), hanging out together. They are almost twins with the exception that Scooby is older.
