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Never Give UP!

5/10/2023

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Never Give UP! A lesson I've learned well...
The Calico cat, pictured above with her sisters, came to us from a box left in a Pet Food Express parking lot, some three years ago. The fourth one, bless her, was just skin and bones. (I'd heard the expression, but had never seen a cat represent it so tragically)
I took them directly to an understanding vet, who took a quick look and reassured me that the three weren't in imminent danger. The poor emaciated one died on the way home.
AnnaBelle, on top here, was in the best shape.  Melanie, on the left, was thin, but viable. Sunflower, or Sunny, lower right, had a terrible skin condition: red and scabby all over. She had very little fur left on her back half.  Melanie and Sunny were blind. Their ophthalmologist said that having been fed dog food had was the probable cause: their rods and cones had disintegrated.
​The three ate well, and came back to life slowly.  Sunny's skin improved, but remained irritated.  
We have a great holistic vet, and tried acupuncture, different herbs, western and eastern, and more, but...improvement, but not cure.  

Sidenote:  Blind cats manage very well.  One of ours went blind years ago, and it was some time before we realized it! And they do NOT need to be confined indoors! No reason to deprive them. I've never known a blind one to go far at all! And my two kittens born without eyes were the best tree climbers! The one pictured below is Stella.


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This is Stella, livin' the life! She and her sister were born without eyes.  
Anyhow...I knew that cats often had food allergies, usually because their food is so bad. We feed a raw, healthy diet, but still..it's mostly chicken based: chicken is much less expensive than other proteins. I'd tried to feed Sunny separately, but it took a lot of doing: we had to put her in a cage to see that she ate only her special food...got tired of that and lapsed. 
Soon enough, we said "basta!" Need to fix this.  We started feeding her a turkey based food.  In Chinese medicine, turkey is cooling, and chicken is heating.  Her skin, again in terms of Chinese medicine, was the result of an imbalance of heat to cool in her system. The excess heat (yang) also caused her ongoing gastric distress. Sooo...we took the drastic measure of giving Sunny a shot of steroids. It was hoped that this would cool her inflammation and give the other treatments time to work. 

And it did!! No way to tell how much of Sunny's improvement is due to the change in food, and how much to the steroids, but....Sunny is a NEW CAT!  She is loving the turkey, eating well, and has changed in so many ways! She's more engaged,  responsive, active (no more under the covers all day) affectionate...more fluid in her movements, more interested in life in general.....far less panicky when she's picked up...just a joy to see!
Her body is no longer covered in scabs, she's no longer scratching, and her fur is coming back! You can imagine how thrilled we are...and how we wish we'd did the food & steroids sooner.
I'm so grateful to our doctors, and to Sunny for her endurance and patience.
Happy days ahead for Sunflower! 

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PS: Any contributions  toward Sunny's medical expenses would be welcome! donate button at top of site!
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Resurrection!

4/26/2023

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​I have waited...and now can say with confidence that Coco has survived, and is thriving!
I'm still stunned by this miracle!

(was it Einstein who said that one can live as if everything is a miracle, or as if nothing is?) 

Coco did indeed regenerate his red blood cells a third time...with the help of angels on earth: my holistic Dr. Anne Reed, his chiropractor Dr. Margaret Holiday, and especially the medical intuitive who has let us know, over the years, just what's wrong with many here, and what to do! I've learned a lot about how the body works, especially the organs, and am in awe. There is so much we do not know...and a lot we should know and don't. 

Coco's ultrasound had shown tiny tumors all over his liver, which had caused the (great amount of) bleeding into his abdomen. 

The intuitive suggested, among a lot of other things, getting a tincture, Blushwood Berry, which, she said, would help reduce the tumors. Maybe it has, along with everything else...Gemmotherapies, acupuncture, homeopathics...etc. Thank goodness Coco has been receptive to all these treatments! 

Today is April 26, over two months since his last "crash". Coco is eating like a horse, eager for meals, no more vomiting...happy and serene. At his next checkup, we'll draw blood and see where his hematocrit is. His holistic vet says his pulses are strong, and he is literally "in the pink", so we haven't done labs to since February.  His gums and tongue are pink as they oughtta be! 

Grateful?? YOU BET!! 
We still have a lot of bills to pay! if you can help, please to to www.beeholistic.com and hit the Donate button!!
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Coco! Da Wonder Cat!  Chapter two!

3/29/2023

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The second time Coco crashed, vomiting and becoming lethargic, his hematocrit was 12% The vets said that he could not sustain life at that level, and that there was noting more to be done.  If he didn't retain a healthy level of red blood cells after a transfusion...well...
I don't remember just when Coco started seeing our holistic vet (one of them) for acupuncture and advice. He also heard from a wonderful communicator, who told us that he was not digesting, and advised a supplement protocol.  He was still with the foster, with me visiting him daily. Still, he crashed a third time. This time his hematocrit was a mere 8%. We decided to do another transfusion, and took him to Berkeley Dog & Cat where they said his blood type was available.  When we got there, we found out that they did not, in fact, have his blood type. (ask me another time where they get the blood) By this time he had been at Abbey Pet Hospital and  Berkeley Dog and Cat  for most of the day.  A trip to OakVet, where they said they did have type A blood, would mean another eight hours or so, and, the last time he'd seen the internal medicine specialist there, the doctor told us that they'd not do a transfusion on a cat with such a low red blood cell count. They told the specialist (shoutout to Dr. Megan O'Sullivan) at Berk. Dog & Cat that they would, but I wasn't convinced....and, as he had regenerated his red blood cells before, I decided to not put him through another eight hours of stress.
We took this dear, beautiful, Long-suffering one home, and.....stay tuned!
Hint: he is still VERY much with us. Find out what we did!
Please help us with his medical costs, if you can, at www.beeholistic.com!

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Up for air

3/10/2023

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This is Coco. His story to follow!
Ironic it is, that when you need help, financial of otherwise, your crisis has you so focused, stressed, and preoccupied that you can no more ask for it than you can fly.
Every case, every emergency, is different: the medical mysteries are the most fraught. Along with more garden variety ailments, I've had a new cat, plucked from the streets after showing up at one of my colonies. He baffled the experts, and was sent home to die...twice, by allopathic-only doctors.
Good thing about being stubborn, you don't give up. Experience tells us that there's always more to know, to do. And yet I waited to get the ultrasound which gave us the last piece of the puzzle for Coco...that his liver was bleeding, from its entire surface! I should have known better than to wait. The vet had said that if there were masses, and we wanted to do chemotherapy, there was no reason to get the ultrasound...and we would not have elected to do chemo.


To back up, Coco had been in a good foster home, very close to me, and had been doing well for three weeks. Then one morning the foster called, saying that he was vomiting and breathing fast. ER at once.  
Bloodwork showed that he was extremely anemic, and he got a transfusion. His hematocrit (% of red cells in blood) was too low to sustain life. It bounced back to 20% after the transfusion (25-45% most say is normal) and held at 19%. We crossed fingers and took him home. He did fine...!! However, the cause of the anemia was still unknown. He did carry the feline Immunodeficiency virus but the vets said that that alone should not have caused him to become so anemic. I've had plenty of FIV positive cats with no problems...
So it was wait and see...
​There's a lot more to this story...Much more! Amazing and wonderful. But enough for today!


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Hoo-boy!!

11/10/2022

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PictureChillin on top of the big cage!
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Taking charge in the kitchen!
Behold the new Joe Lee! Now Happy Joe Benning! I'm constantly reminded that miracles happen every day...was it Einstein who said that we can live as if everything is a miracle, or as if nothing is...? 
In my last post I was seeking a new home for Happy Joe where he could be then only cat, as he was attacking the others here. Out of fear, and a misplaced need to dominate. LONG story...
I thought I had found the perfect home for him, but was mistaken. He was sent back to us, after doing his best to fit in; to be the cat they wanted.  This betrayal by the adopter set him back severely, and he was ready to give up entirely. 
He had been getting support from two incredible communicators, and one of them soon agreed to adopt him! Thing is, she was across the globe, so he would stay with us, and she would work with him to restore his will to live and his ability to trust and to love. It would take volumes to tell even a part of his story.
This communicator is world-renowned, and it's an indication of how deserving and unusual Happy Joe is that she adopted him! She worked with him closely, and....what I thought would take years was accomplished (not fully yet, she says) in just a few months.
After HJ Benning came back, we had to keep him in the big outdoor cage so as to keep the others safe, and from leaving! We sat there with him as much as possible (it was summer, yay) and brought him into the house for visits. The visits got longer and longer, and now...he has almost complete freedom.  The changes, from his arrival to now, have been constant, and many! And astonishing.  He and his journey are unprecedented in my experience, and, I believe, in that of the communicators he's worked with. As in any profession, there are differing levels of ability...he got the best of the best, I'm certain! One of them does not even work professionally; she's a writer....but Happy Joe so impressed her that she was compelled to help him. And she did! He was also the most communicative and willing animal she'd ever spoken with. And with the most interesting and unusual history: maybe I can get her to write the book HJ Benning deserves to have written about him!!
The story will continue, but for now HJ Benning is able to feel safe and loved. Thank you, dear ladies! Thank you for keeping the faith, Mr. Happy Joe Benning!!
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Catching Up! Big News!

2/13/2022

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Let's start with a pair of CUTE KITTEN photos, shall we? Sasha and Ginger here were found in a garbage can (with rats for company) Not uncommon, folks.  Good news is that they hadn't been there long; were in fine shape, except for having lost their mother. They did just fine here! In fact, they are the only kittens in memory who didn't pick up a cold, or ringworm, or...a bit of runny poo initially, but hey...considering what their diet may have been...Cutest ever! Gorgeous and sweet. Ginger, on the left here, was born to rule. Smart? Oh yeah! And Sasha,  gentle and lovely. It was great having them...and I flirted with never letting 'em go...sooo many frogs were kissed, until the prince(s) came along.  A woman and her daughter, living in a fairy-tale castle in Marin, with a second home, a farm, in Sebastopol. JACKPOT!  They send frequent photos, and the girls are living their VERY best life!! Thank you, ladies!!
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Another great 'save'! This lad showed up at one of my colonies with a "Get Me Out Of  Here!" attitude. No collar or chip, no "Missing Cat" posters around, no posting on the County Shelter site...after due diligence, I brought him home, and a friend is fostering (to adopt, I'm sure!) He had been neutered and ear-tipped, as presumed 'ferals' are...but he was no feral, not had been.  He's young, smart, and as you can see, gorgeous! You have to wonder, what misunderstanding brought him to my colony at the vacant lot on Ventura Avenue.
Another young one showed up there too, who was also ear-tipped! He is not willing to let me get close. Someone has either been trapping in the area, or dumping TNR (trap, neuter, return) cats there. Yes, it happens.  And I can understand that the trapper may have thought the cat couldn't go back to where s/he was trapped, and that they'd be fed well at my colony, so...welcome, little one! A lively black/white tuxedo. /he's the second from the right in this photo of the colony. And yes, they're eating my own raw diet! They have the safety of the fully fenced vacant lot, and I can keep a low profile: feed them on the cement; no bowls, save for the water dish (in white by the fence)  to attract unwanted attention from folks who may be hostile. Gotta say though, everyone I've met there has been friendly and supportive! Nice folks!
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Aaaaand, Happy Joe Lee still needs a home.  I'd love to keep him, if he'd only stop attacking the other cats. Needs to be an only cat. Joe is super glad to meet new folks...super eager to please, and of course gorgeous and vibrant.  He's still in the cage, and I bring him up into the house every day, keeping an eye on him. He's neutered, FeLV and FIV negative...and maybe three years old.  even if you can't adopt, come meet him! he loves company, and the cage gets OLD.
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And last but not least, some of  us from the Animal Hospice Group (animalhospicegroup.com) practitioner certification classes are forming an auxiliary group, Animal Natural Death Support Group.  We will be available to chat with and support folks who are interested in allowing their animals to die naturally, or in just learning more.  Death itself is not painful! Pain can almost always be managed. End-of-life care is an area of veterinary medicine which has been sorely neglected! (as is nutrition, alas) I'll let you know when the group is up and running, and am available to chat before then, if you are wondering how to effect the best outcome for an animal at the end of her/his life. Happy to hear from you at any time! 510-994-1704.
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And ending with another lovely photo! Our most recent adoption, Ginger (not in photo) and Sasha, here, with her new friend.! Another perfect home...with perfect adopters! Gotta keep the faith! 
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Meet Our New Arrival: Colette!

2/6/2022

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We have a lovely new arrival! Colette! She was found by the 580 freeway in Richmond, and is as sweet as can be! She's about six months old, maybe a bit younger. And I know it's not about looks, but she's beautiful, with tiny tufts on her ears! She is being examined, spayed, chipped and tested for FIV and FeLV as I write this ! (Feb. 7, 2022) Colette is very gentle and really affectionate, with all comers. She is looking for a safe indoor-outdoor  home
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Back From Hell & a Matching Grant!!

11/13/2021

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Silky Joe Lee and Bettina Lee. Silky on left (after Barbara Lee) Bettina by my side. Pearl on my lap.
​Where to start? Got a call from a distraught woman. Her sister had developed dementia, and had been moved out of her house.  The cats were in bad shape, she said; shut down and traumatized. She had taken them to the wonderful (!!) Mau House Cat Hotel in Richmond, but could not keep them there. I resisted, having so many others needing care, but she was so desperate....

I'm SO glad I took them! When I got them home, I found them to be filthy and withdrawn, though the back one was full of nervous energy. He had not even made eye contact at Mau House, just kept his head down. Bettina had severe mobility problems. both were incontinent.  They would not have done well in any other shelter, that's for sure. 

I got Silky neutered, and got them both baths. Due to Bettina's condition, no surgery for her was advised.
Bettina is withdrawn and passive, but Silky, though affectionate, loses it at times and bites. Bites hard. I got one in the ankle, and have been barely able to walk for the last week. Am being very cautious now. 
There's always hope! It will take time for these two. Bettina gets acupuncture, and they have both seen our chiropractor.

There's a lot more to say, but GOOD NEWS is that one of our board members has put up a MATCHING GRANT of $1000.00!! 

If we can raise that amount by December 31, she'll match it. Please help us to reach our goal for this generous matching grant!




  • You do not need to have PayPal account to donate online.
  • For debit or credit card purchases, the correct format for expiration date is mm/yy.
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Hospice for Animals: 'Bout Time!!

8/30/2021

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End of life care is an area of veterinary care long neglected! I have  been dismayed by the premature termination of our animals' lives when they start to go downhill. We can and must do better. They can enjoy life even with a terminal illness, just as we humans can! 

My friend and mentor, Gail Pope,  of BrightHaven (brighthaven.org) has a saying: "Living well through the last breath". And indeed, our animals can! Gail, founder of BrightHaven, has been doing animal hospice for over thirty years, and has seen almost all of the animals in her care through dignified, pain-free natural deaths. Euthanasia has a place, but is not necessary in most cases.

I have seen many animals through a natural death, though not for nearly as long.  As with humans, the animals almost always shut down, go into a coma state, and pass easily.

Introducing Animal Hospice Group! (www.animalhospicegroup.com) TAKE A LOOK!!  Gail has teamed up with three other great  teachers to create a course in end of life care: palliative care and hospice! It is an extensive series on on-line lectures, with reading material and discussion groups. Just wonderful!! And it fills such a huge void in animal care! Tell your friends! And a great deal of the subject matter concerns ways in which to assuage vets' and human caretakers' fear of death. Grief counseling is included in the extensive curriculum. I have completed the course work, passed the exams, and am now a CAHP: a Certified Animal Hospice Practitioner. 
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Death is not painful. Some conditions can be painful, as with humans, but not death itself.  


 At the end of the course, students become certified to guide folks through end of life care of their animals. I have guided three friends when they chose a natural death for their animals, a cat and a dog, and they were grateful, and happy to be with their animals until their natural end.

Again, TAKE A LOOK: animalhospicegroup.com. You'll be glad you did!!

With love,
Cynthia
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TNR! How does it work, and not work?

7/7/2021

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Here's a good article from the LA Times about Trap, Neuter, Return programs. Not a magic bullet solution . The problem is as always with the humans...Read and share...we have a long ways to go. 
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2019-12-22/opinion-u-s-cities-are-overrun-with-feral-cats-and-magical-thinking-isnt-the-solution
Below are the eight, mother and babies from two litters, who got lucky and off the streets. Most are not lucky.
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    About Cynthia

    ​The founder of Bee Holistic, Cynthia Burke, has been caring for cats most of her life, volunteering with such groups as the wonderful Animal Balance, and Fix Our Ferals, now Animal fix Clinic. In 2009 her own non-profit was formed..

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