This morning, Juno’s discharge is still visible, but it isn’t as heavy nor as thick. I can see bubbles foaming out of his nose which shows us that he is kicking some of the infection. Dr. Vicki my feline specialist wants him to stay on the arithomax and we are also going to start giving him an opthamolic ointment that has antibiotics in it. We discussed at length the recent episode of One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest and if she takes these cats back, we probably won’t receive a dime of the care put into them. Did we want to stop medicating him for that reason? No, there is no reason to make him suffer any longer than he already has. I can’t even imagine how he has found any pleasure in eating in the last years when he basically consuming his nasal discharge with his food. I ordered the ointment today through 1-800 Pet Meds

Juno- a happier kitty~

On the Gadget side of things, he had a more relaxed posture this morning. Generally, he is hunched over in the top corner of the cage on top of his carrier. His back has been to me, his eyes large and looming and he never breaks stare. Although it is risky, when I step inside his cage, I keep my eyes closed when I look at him and just talk to him. For right now, he is being fed wet food twice a day, has free feed on dry and I visit his cage only four times in the day, always at the same time, or as close as I can manage. He is growling and staring, but this morning not seeing his rump presented to me gave me hope that he can be worked with.

Keegan- one of “her cats” walked out of the barn enclosure this morning when I opened the door. I thought great! What if he runs? But he just plopped his body down on the ground and rolled over to present his belly for a good rub in the sun. I know that this woman loves these cats. There is no question in my mind that they get love and more love. BUT that’s all they get. They have not had proper care. Five of them have been fed the last ten years, NOTHING but human tuna. Besides all their teeth falling out, they have had to deal with the iodine/mercury and other pollutants within that product with no relief. One kitty is blind in one eye- my guess is from the food. She treats ear mites with salt water- doesn’t use cat litter (to expensive) and uses wood shavings instead. Some woods are highly toxic to cats. I want to run blood work on all these cats to see what we are up against, but for right now, I want them fed proper food and just let them settle into a life, I hope won’t be disrupted in the next 60 days (June 6th) by Oregon law, she can come back and claim them or have me arrested for theft if I don’t turn them over to her. The law is pretty gray in this area. In 30 days which would be April 7th they are “technically” our cats. But, she has 30 days after that were she can come in and claim them. Legally, I found out, I can block her phone number and after the last crazy call, I have done so. But if she shows up and I don’t let her have her cats back they will arrest me and take me to jail. What is that saying? No good deed goes unpunished?

I talked at great length about all of this with Dr. Vicki. She had a similar experience when a couple came into her clinic and told her they wanted her to put down a cat that was sick. They couldn’t afford the medication to make her better. Dr. Vicki asked if she could just have the cat and work to make it better and they said yes. Well the cat got better and when it was healthy again, the couple wanted it back. It was by then acclimated to Vicki and her family- but under the law, she had to give the cat back because of the time frame and no paperwork was ever signed.

Vicki sent me this morning:It appeared in the DVM Magazine

Outrage over ownership dispute, veterinarian’s death plays out on Internet
New York veterinarian Dr. Shirley Koshi dies from apparent suicide; many blame negative campaign against her.

The death of Shirley Koshi, DVM, 55, has caused many in the veterinary community to mourn a fellow veterinarian but also to think deeply about why she apparently took her own life Feb. 16. Some veterinarians have taken to blogs and Facebook pages to address their sadness and concern; others have lashed out on the pages of anti-veterinary groups online that have shown little sympathy for Koshi’s plight.
Koshi opened a solo practice, Gentle Hands Veterinarian, in the Bronx last year. Born in India, Koshi worked more than 30 years in veterinary medicine starting in India, then in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New York. According to local media reports in New York, Koshi may have been dealing with financial problems with her young practice before she died, but an ugly pet ownership dispute was publicly plaguing her as well.
Local reports say the dispute was over a sick cat—apparently a stray—brought to Koshi by a good Samaritan who found the cat in a park. Koshi adopted the cat, but weeks later, a woman, Gwen Jurmark, came to the clinic claiming ownership of the cat, whom she called “Karl.” Apparently the cat was one of several the woman “kept” at the park. Without sufficient proof of ownership, Koshi would not relinquish the animal.
Jurmark filed a lawsuit against Koshi in October 2013 and organized a demonstration outside Koshi’s clinic. The conflict also played out on the Internet. Protestors and their supporters took to Facebook and other sites—specifically, vetabusenetwork.com, which displays this message from its founder, Julie Catalano: “Every day, untold numbers of defenseless animals are left in the hands of some negligent, incompetent doctors who inflict cruelty, injury, and death on our pets—and get away with it.”
The day after Koshi’s death Catalano posted this update to the Veterinary Abuse Network Facebook page: “BREAKING NEWS…. BREAKING NEWS…. DR. SHIRLEY SARA KOSHI HAS BEEN REPORTED DEAD IN NEW YORK CITY. KARL THE CAT HAS BEEN FOUND.” Three of the torrent of comments that followed included:
> “She was bullied to death it seems by crazy people.”
> “Oh wow. So happy for Karl!”
> “Although I’ve never seen it, could the cause of death possibly be Karma?”
This accelerated the already emotional responses from commenters on both sides. Those in support of Koshi—including other veterinarians—have commented, often in outrage, on the site, accusing Catalano and the site’s commenters of harassment and cyberbullying. Catalano’s response: “I welcome any opportunity to expose to the world the level of true hatred, false and defamatory accusations and the dangerous mob mentality of bully veterinarians and their clueless followers who will stop at nothing to get their way and silence any voices of criticism.”
Some veterinary practices such as Family Veterinary Hospital in Sanford, N.C., are asking its Facebook followers to report the Veterinary Abuse Network’s page to Facebook for harassment. A dvm360 reader created a memorial page pointedly named veterinaryabusenetwork.com to honor Koshi. Catalano hasn’t expressed concern online. She seems to be satisfied with the outcome. “All that matters now is that Karl made it out alive and well for which everyone involved is thankful,” she wrote in a post Feb. 19. “This has been a long and strange saga and I am glad that it ended well for Karl.”
In fact, Jurmark gained possession of the cat when it was released from the Animal Care and Control Center after Koshi’s death.