The Blue Dot - A FieldHaven Miracle Story

The Blue Dot at 12 o'clock.

Sounds like it should be part of a nursery rhyme.

In the world of shelters and veterinarians the Blue Dot at 12 o'clock means a negative result on the Feline Leukemia blood test. Many a sigh of relief is heard over the Blue Dot at 12 o'clock because it means a sick cat or kitten doesn't have the dread disease and a healthy-looking one does not have Feline Leukemia lurking about, ready to attack the feline immune system.

The Blue Dot at 12 o'clock make all of us happy at FieldHaven.

The Blue Dot at 3 o'clock is a heart breaker.

When we see the Blue Dot at 3 o'clock it means the cat is positive for the Feline Leukemia (FeLV) . Cats and kittens stricken with FeLV have a very high mortality rate. Especially kittens.

There is a slight chance that cats or kittens with a positive FeLV blood test may fight off the virus. It's not common but it does happen. If you remember my beloved Louise. She was FeLV+ when she was a kitten but she was one of the lucky ones who fought off the disease.

Kittens that are positive for FeLV may look and act very healthy but their prognosis for either fighting off the virus or for living a very long life is pretty dismal. It is a common practice for shelters to euthanize cats and kittens that test positive.

Usually when FieldHaven accepts cats or kittens from other shelters they are tested before the transfer takes place.

Here's where the first part of the miracle in this story starts. Through a miscommunication, 3 4-week old kittens that we transferred from a nearby shelter in late May did not get tested.

That oversight ended up saving 3 little lives.

When we did our intake we blood tested each kitten. The disheartening result was a Blue Dot at 3 o'clock for each kitten. And, as if to emphasize the result it was a very strong positive.

Our first reaction was that we should euthanize the kittens. After all, they were extremeley young and their outlook for a living even a few more weeks was not good.

Three of us looked at each other and offered to take the kittens to their sad fate. But then we looked at them. The image of those 3 tiny lives tumbling about as they played with each other is frozen in my mind.

In the next moment, as if we were all of one mind, we made the decision to give these beautiful little creatures as much love as we could for as long as they remained happy and well.

We set up a place for them in our Isolation Room filled with fluffy beds, toys and yummy food. An X-pen was set up outside and volunteers were encouraged to take them out to play in the grass and sunshine.

We hoped for a foster home for the triplets but it's understandable that someone wouldn't want to take them home knowing they probably wouldn't live long. It takes a special person to provide "hospice" care for kittens.

A foster home turned up in in the unlikeliest of people. My sister Jann had recently lost her beloved Roontay to liver cancer and she was taking the loss hard. When I heard she wanted to foster the kittens, I admit I was very against it. How could she take on these little heartbreakers when she was already deep in grief?

As Jann setup a kitten's dream room filled with climbers and every toy a kitty has ever wished for, the kittens were showered with love by Jann and other volunteers. As they grew they started playing in the flower gardens by the barn. To them it was deep dark forest and they spent hours playing hide and seek amongst the bushes and flowers. They did gymanastic demonstrations in the grass and tantalized Tamra the hound. Happy, happy kittens!

And healthy too! They grew and grew, never had a so much as a sniffle. Who would know that a killer disease lurked in the blood of each of them.

But we've seen this before. The kittens act healthy and we think this is the time they fight off the disease. And it does happen, but I have never seen it happen with kittens who reacted so strongly to the test. They are the ones that are persistently positive and then one day they become sick.......

We didn't want to do another test because we didn't want to be saddened by the reality of another positive test.

But last week we knew it was time to do it. I was driving on my way to the mountains when I got a call from FieldHaven.

It was a Blue Dot at 12 o'clock!!!!

Miracles like this for Dannigan, Tavic and Zuma are made possible by all of our volunteers, supporters and donors. Because it is with all of your help we are able to share this story of a FieldHaven Miracle. Thanks to all of you ......and to Jann for believing.....

Homer (AKA Jacquo-Baire) Home At Last

I recently recieved a letter from FieldHaven adopters, Brian and Kimberly Davy. It made my day. No, let me correct that - it made my week! Thank you, Brian and Kimberly for seeing who Jacquo-Baire really was; a wonderful companion who may not be the handsomest dude on the block but a fabulous friend. I really can't add anything more - Brian says it all below......

Homer, AKA: Jacquo-Baire came to us when Field Haven called my wife and advised they had an adult cat that fit the type of lifestyle we had described for our new addition. I had fallen for the large grey boy called Major and I will say my first impressions of Jacquo-Baire were none too positive. His rough exterior was of immediate concern, torn ears, lopped off tail, tufts of hair and hide loose on his backside, and what appeared to be a couple of behavioral ticks that were of concern. One of the most compelling reasons I immediately adopted him was that he appeared to be one of the least likely to be adopted. His fur was full of the tufts of hair he pulled loose by his own claws attempting to twist around and clean the bottom half of his back, his eyes were nearly pure orange and his coat is all black………………….he is a Halloween Cat, thus part of his name…………………as an indoor only cat in our home he would not be victimized by some holiday pranksters or superstitious foolishness. He also exhibited his claws at all times, front and back, like an old grizzle bear………………….thus the second half of his name………………….he became Jacquo-Baire!

Adoptive parents need to understand that an Adult cat will never truly reveal themselves in a store adoption center environment, there are too many noises, smells, new people, sights and sounds that are all unfamiliar and intimidating to all but the most outgoing cat personalities. Jacquo-Baire was no exception, all but the smallest of hints were all he was going to show us but the reasons to bring him home were larger than any concerns I would have about his personality or appearance. So home he came. We began to get acquainted with each other and as the layers of the onion were peeled back, so to speak, what we found was pure kitty love and more of it than we have ever seen in any of the cats we have had over the years.

We have two cats that are a very affectionate pair and we cannot bring other cats into this environment for fear of losing the wonderful nature of this existing relationship. We had attempted to introduce a feral cat that had adopted us into our home after she was run over by a car, hoping that we could give her a better life than dodging cars in the mean streets of Lincoln. The resulting mayhem showed us that it just wouldn’t work. Jacquo-Baire was to have a companion when we moved my office temporarily to Susanville.

After becoming acquainted with Jacquo-Baire, his little loving heart was all I could see. He was quick to abandon his quirks, adopted Betty Boop, his new feral roommate, and is by my side at all times while in Susanville. He is the quintessential cuddle bug, anxiously awaiting my return to Cabin and lavishes me with doting attention and affection while I am there. His little crippled, cropped off tail is his first line of offense. If I come to Cabin and do not immediately saturate him with lovings, I will feel an insistent tap on the leg from Jacquo-Baire. He wants to greet me by loving the brim of my hat and would soak up all the lovings I can give him……………..non stop. His routines revolve around my schedule but the time I can devote to him are never enough. He knows that when I clean his potty box and pack my duffel he is going to be a couple if not several days without seeing me. He does not try to hide his disappointment and leaving him behind always feels a bit cruel but I know he has a much better life with me than without because at all times I yearn to spend just a little more time with him than I can, he is fed the best and healthiest diet and has the best Vet and medical treatment I can give him. He will never want for anything but to see me more and I the same with him.

I could go on and on about the loving relationship Jacquo-Baire and I have developed, but what I really want to share is not just the relationship and bond we have formed but the love that was found in a place where it may have not been expected. I had thought years ago about purchasing a cat for about 800 dollars, a Bengal, but I would not have known from the onset what personality I would have found in that animal. I could not have ever expected to find such a diamond in the rough as what I found with Jacquo-Baire, a rough looking GentleCat that could win over a Feral stray ruffian and me to the point that all I can say is: “Adopt your next pet…………..Give them a chance to become part of your family. Spay and neuter because there are just too many little lives lost to euthanasia (Execution) in shelters across this country………………ADOPT, ADOPT, ADOPT.” As was so eloquently stated in a movie I saw one time, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know just what you’re going to get”. Adopting Jacquo-Baire was the best thing I ever did, and the best thing Field Haven ever did was to rescue him from euthanasia at the Placer County Animal Shelter. What was lost is now found and although we cannot write the ending…………….Jacquo-Baire, AKA Homer, will enjoy the longest life possible, full of love and joy………………….But it is I that have received the gift!



Brian Davy

2 Angels Named Jen

The horses were fed, the kitties tucked in for the night and FieldHaven volunteers had gone home to dinner on the early September evening when I went to close the back gate before going to my own dinner. In the dusk I saw a flash of a small cat in the bushes by the back gate. Taking a second look I thought I recognized our neighbor's Manx tabby. As I crept closer I realized it really was a kitten and I swore under my breath; some flipping idiot had dumped a kitten in our driveway!

For the next half hour I tried to round up the kitten but he took me on a tour through our arena, the neighbor's yard and the horse turnout then up the bushy tree by the arena. Far up the tree. And, by now it was really dark. I ran to the barn to grab a flashlight and thought what a fine time it was for no one to be around; no Preston, no Jann, no volunteers, not even a stray neighbor driving down Ironwood Lane to help me capture this wayward kitty! And, no cell phone in my back pocket to call anyone. Just me, a flashlight and little tabby barely visable as he teetered in the leaves at the top of the trees.

A big sigh of relief as I saw lights turn down Ironwood then my prayers were answered as the car turned into FieldHaven's driveway. Then out of the car popped our very own FieldHaven angel, Jen Paul! I don't remember why Jen showed up at that moment but I do know she was guided to us.

With Jen holding the ladder steady for me (I really don't do ladders well!) and shining the flashlight up the tree I managed to scoop the kitten into a very large carrier along with a few leaves and branches.

We took the carrier to the Cat Trailer. As I donned the leather gloves to reach into the carrier to pick up what we were sure was a feral fighting machine I looked at the scared tabby cowering inthe back corner and just didn't see "feral" in his eyes. Taking a chance I reached in pet his head. I was rewarded with a purr.

As Jen and I gathered the little guy into our arms I started looking him over using the "nose to tail" method. Or in his case, nose to rear since he had no tail. It was all looking good until I got to the rear. Beneath the fur I found an open wound. As I examined the wound I saq creepy crawling creatures. It was totally crawing with maggots! In fact, there were several wounds with the same disgusting infestation. Icccckkkkkk!!

Jen and I worked on those wounds for an hour; flushing, flushing, flushing until the last ghastly worm was dispatched. Our little rescue purred the whole time.

We tucked him into a condo with a soft bed and warm food. I dubbed him "RiceCake" and told Jen I was going up to my house and make some rice for dinner. Blllllecchhh!

Not everyone appreciated my twisted sense of humor but I kind of liked the name RiceCake!

We were soon to discover that RC had Manx Syndrome, a genetic defect in some Manx cats that causes severe bowel and bladder issues. HotRod, FieldHaven's resident Manx also has this syndrome which requires her bladder to be expressed twice each day.

FieldHaven volunteer Jen Rosenbrook met RC and instantly fell head over heels in love. Well, who couldn't love those big brown eyes! At first we made Jen promise that she would only foster RC after he had surgery to relieve some of the symptoms. She assured us it would only be during his recovery. We should've known he'd never be coming back to FieldHaven when she expressed her repulsion at my quirky name of RiceCake and changed it to Darby.

Jen kept us all going with the foster ruse for nearly a year when she firmly announced she was going to adopt Darby. Of course, we were all thrilled! Jen was the second angel named "Jen" that came into Darby's life and, without a doubt, his most important one.

Health problems have been Darby's worst enemy since he first arrived at FieldHaven but with Jen's unrelenting love and the amazing skill of Dr. E and the staff at Banfield Darby thrived. His bright brown eyes captivated Jen as she showered him with her love and attention.

Cats with Darby's condition have a very short life expectancy and Darby, unfortunatley, didn't break any survival records. Earlier this week Darby went to the Rainbow Bridge while Jen cradled him in her arms.

But Darby did break records for the amount of living and love he gave to Jen during his 2 and a half short years with her. No kitty has recieved more love or given more love. What more could we hope for when these beautiful but broken little creatures come to our doorstep? I think God truly sends them to us to give them a very full life overflowing with love. Darby and others like him have a short life but one that is stuffed to the brim with happiness.

Thank you Jen Rosenbrook. One more little angel kitty is at the Rainbow Bridge patiently waiting for the day you meet again. And, Jen Paul, for appearing out of nowhere that September evening. Because surely little Darby would not have survived very long on his own.

Rest Peacefully Little Darby. (You'll always be "RiceCake" to me)