"BC" The barn cat that could!

                       

"BC" The Barn Cat

                                         

by: Cemetarykat

  The day had gone pretty smoothly. I was still trying to find my place in this new environment. I was a hard worker, and loved animals with all my heart. I had just began working for this veterinarian. I very much enjoyed working in this environment. I had spent so many years caring for animals in a boarding kennel environment this was a new start.There wasn't but ten dogs in board here, all recovering from some sort of health problem or preventative surgery. All of these animals were well loved and lived pretty good lives.Only two to three cats stayed in board very long, it was usually just recovering over spay or neutering surgery.

  Today we had two surgeries scheduled, a spay,and a neuter, then Dr. Jantz had asked if I wanted to help with a sonogram. This would be a new procedure for me. I was elated that Dr. Jantz believed in me so much so he would ask me to help in such a technical field. I was not assured of my own abilities as much as he seemed to be. I was slowly beginning to believe in myself here.

  The environment was much smaller here than I was use too. The animals here got more individual care and attention. I loved this! The groomer and I had become friends. I helped her to bathe animals when I had the extra time, which was often. I also would do alot of grooming over time as the groomer was fighting cancer and would find herself to sick to work occasionally. The main veterinarians daughter was also fighting cancer (leukemia).This would be the only thing hard for me to deal with, as cancer had robbed me of my mother just a short time ago. It was very hard for me to even deal with hearing this word let alone be supportive when someone would begin to speak of it. I prayed this would not interfere with my abilities to be a veterinarian technician in this location..

  The front bell rang, I knew the receptionist had left for an appointment. Dr. Jantz and I were in the middle of spay surgery. As he made the last few stitches, the bell on the desk rang impatiently. Dr. Jantz spoke up, he could tell I didn't know what I should do, stay with him or go deal with the customer. We were the only two in the building at the time."Go ahead I can finish up here!" he was a bit irritated but it wasn't my fault he knew that.

  I washed my hands, and headed through the exam room to the right, leading through that door to the front desk. My first sight was a black cat stretched out on a blue baby blanket laid on the counter. No human in sight. "What the heck!" I exclaimed as I approached the unmoving form on the counter. Black blood caked to the whole rear end of this slim black and white (all four paws were white) cat. It looked as though his back legs were mangled along with the back three to four inches of his back. My urge was to pick him up and cuddle him close dead or not. My heart ached at what I saw.

"Mewwwwwwwwww!" Just as I thought this cat can't be alive, his pitiful meww escaped his lips. One eye opened as though he knew I was standing there staring at him. Just then the front doors opened and I heard Dr.Diely enter the building. He didn't immediately enter the clinic area. I figured he would go the opposite way to his office first. Not knowing where the cat came from, knowing Dr.Jantz was busy yet I also knew this cat needed care immediatly. I rang Dr.Diely's office hoping he would answer.

  It was unnecesary, he came through the door to the clinic a blond lady beside him she was talking fast, gesturing wildly. I caught enough of her story to realize the cat had been brought in by her. She had found him that morning when she went to feed her horse in the barn. She really couldn't afford to deal with this but she couldn't stand to see him suffer. Jill had then brought him here in hopes Dr.Diely would put him to sleep atleast.

  Dr.Diely approached the counter, " Looks like that may be unneccesary, I believe he is already gone!" Just then again the cat managed a feeble "mewww!" actually scaring Dr.Diely he jumped back." Well all be!" Dr.Diely asked me to take the cat to an exam room he would be right in."I assume you want euthanasia?" he asked Jill. She didn't answer right away. I took the cat gently in my arms and slipped out of the room.

  When I entered the exam room , there stood Dr.Jantz just washing up from finishing the surgery. Without turning around he informed me," Bruiser is down ready for neutering, Patches is in stall 3 waiting for you to remove the trachea tube. I will be preparing for Bruiser in room .... " he turned around just then seeing what I held he stopped mid sentence and approached me.

  Dr. Jantz and I seemed to do alot of mental communicating, I didn't need to be told from here on out this case would be Dr.Jantz's. He was a cat lover as I was. Dr.Diely entered the room , through the door to the front office. (Jill had left she had to get to work.) She had left it to Dr.Diely what to do from there. Dr.Diely would almost immediatly hand that decision over to Dr.Jantz as he could see Dr.Jantz was already involved.The two of them spoke quickly to each other. Dr.Diely decided he would do Bruisers' neuter. I would help Dr. Jantz to examine and do what was neccesary for this cat that hung to a slim thread of life.

  I began to wash the dark caked blood and hay away from the affected area. Too both our shock we would discover someone had cruelly shot this animal with a bullet through the spine just in front of his back hips. After taking x-rays and peeling the caked blood away from the entrance hole. Dr.Jantz seriously thought he could save this cat.The bullet had made a clean pass.The spine would need time to repair and the holes would maybe get infected but he thought he could save the cat."He may never regain the use of his back legs, and I seriously doubt he will be able to control his bladder, but he can live a good life, I believe!" is the words he stated to me.

  After stabilizing the cat,putting him on fluids and cleaning him up I was told to put him in a cage and keep an eye on him. Dr. Jantz would have to discuss things with Dr.Diely. Knowing Jill would not care to spend money on the surgery it would be up to him whether the time would be taken to deal with this cat.I never said a word, my heart was already attached to this cat that cried out for love.I was not part of the conversation that was held in the office for the next hour or so. In that time I would check on Patches get her situated for the night.Clean two cages, get the surgery equipment cleaned up in both surgery rooms, and put Brutus back in a run.

  The groomer had left for the day, and the receptionist had just returned when Dr. Jantz would approach me in the yard while I was out walking Jupiter the dalmatian in board." De, I know you love cats.I am asking you, are you willing to help this cat back to health, if I do surgery?Then locate him a home, in time.I will not do this surgery if you do not feel you can find him a home. Dr.Diely is willing to allow me to do the surgery pro bona, Jill has said she wants nothing more to do with it.I myself know you worked for wayside, is it worth it in your opinion?"

  I was in shock. Why ask me? I am the new peon here, my opinion didn't count! Dr. Jantz seemed to read my mind," Your the one that will have to give the extra care to him and keep a very close eye that infection doesn't set in, that is why I ask?", "Do you want the burden?"

  Of course I would do it. The faces of all the cats and kittens before, all those I had no choice but to euthanize while at wayside waifs still haunted me even years later. This cat had made it this far, In my eyes it was God's will he was here in our hands."Of course Dr.Jantz, when do we start!" he didn't question me.

"Right now! Surgery table two!" he gave me a list of things to get out to have handy. Making it clear I would be assisting for this surgery. My first surgery other than spay or neutering which I had been doing those assists for years. The sonogram would be put off that day, rescheduled for the next.

  The surgery would last for two hours.He had to have his spine threaded together (it was all we could do with that.) One leg had to have rods put in it where it was fractured.Of course the holes had to be sewn shut plus a few internal stitches. BC as we eventually name him, would survive the surgery well! He seemed strong and able to recover by the time I placed him comfortably in a cage.I hoped he would still be alive in the morning. Actually if I'd had the leisure to do so, I probably would have stayed in the clinic that night.

  Two days later Jill would return to find out what had happened to the cat. When she was told what Dr. Jantz had done, she only seemed worried about the bills until I layed a form in front of her."Just sign this and you won't need to worry again, I thank you for bringing BC in instead of leaving him to suffer." I said as she signed.

  "You think I am heartless don't you?" Jill exclaimed as she looked up at me.

  "NO, I know ,some love horses, some love dogs, and some love cats, you would spend a fortune to save your horse right? I would spend money I don't have to save a cat. That is all!" I took the form and stepped through the exam door. Later the receptionist would condone me for my words to the client. I simply nodded and returned to helping Dr. Jantz.

  Later , I would cry about it in the back room while caring for BC. I really didn't know if I had handled it wrong or not! Yes, in a way I did feel the woman was being heartless. I didn't always believe the stories behind why an animal wasn't cared for. I had spent five years working in "Wayside Waifs" a place where unwanted animals were brought. I had heard every story in the book for giving an animal up.I had also euthanized way too many animals due to negligence of spaying and neutering. I didn't want to think evil thoughts of this woman but it just didn't make since that this cat was shot in her barn and she didn't know about it, nor even heard the gun shot. Bet if it had been that horse shot she would have definitely been finding out about it!

  For the next two weeks I would diligently care for BC actually using an eyedropper to feed after the first week of fluids. I would pet and cuddle, giving him love every moment I had.Coaxing him to stand, using a hand towel placed around his hips and helping him along. A few minutes at a time each day. I also had to do my assigned duties so I couln't spend all my time with him. Between Dr.Jantz and I ,I am sure Dr.Diely gave attention too, he just wasn't so obvious about it, (Alot of his time was going to his daughter at this point in time too.)we would slowly nurse BC back to health.

  Amazingly the third Monday after removal of his cast, BC stood up on his own. He was now gaining wight and eating on his own. He truely was a miracle.This cat had so much love in him I just knew with the right home he could be a blessing to a loving family.

  At this point I would start a campaign to find him a home.We were still working on bladder control, wasn't sure he would ever regain consciousness of when he had to go.He would probably never be litter box trained.In the small cage though he did mostly seem to make it into the litter box. Dr.Jantz and I both had high hopes.

  Around the fourth week, Dr.Diely would inform me with the holidays approaching the cage space would be needed BC would have to find a home soon.Not knowing what to do I decided to speak with my live-in that evening. I only wanted to keep him until I could locate a home or atleast knew he was well enough to care for himself. I could put him in my dad's barn down the road. (Even though dad had already informed me I bring another cat to his barn he is liable to clobber me.)

  I would approach this subject cautiously as I'd already impossed one cat on him he wasn't too thrilled about in the beginning.I wasn't too positive Ceme would allow another cat to share her home. She had been our only cat for a couple of years now. I wasn't sure how she would take sharing our attention. This too seemed to be my live-ins only concern. He said it was up to me, did I want to chance Ceme taking off over being upset with me. He loved to tease me about my connection with Ceme.So I asked her, "Ceme what do you think?"

  My answer came in the form of Ceme taking off , she shot off the couch like something was chasing her. I heard her hit the door to the stairs to open it, she ran down the stairs to the partial basement. She must have crawled up into the dirt above the shelving to the basement section that was little more than a crawl space, the dirt on her paws when she returned would indicate this. She returned in minutes carrying her stuffed mole she had buried when the stuffing had started falling out of it a while back. She layed it in my lap, then curled herself around it, beginning to lick and clean it. I looked up at my live-in standing in the door to the livingroom as I sat there on the couch with her and her mole in my lap.

  "Well I think that answers that!" the live-in flatly stated slipping into the kitchen to start dinner.

  "You know you will have to eventually find him a home, one cat in this house is pleanty!" he made sure to repeat this several times that night.

  I would bring BC home the next evening when returning from work.Ceme would get along with him fine for an hour or two then seem to get irritated chasing BC to the basement.BC would never fight with her just go hide in the basement.I didn't trust the two alone just yet though and would keep BC locked in the basement during the day while I was gone.Only allowing them to interact when I was there to supervise.

  My neice would lose her kitten in the next few days.I would hear of this through her brother who came down to meet BC. My neice was only four and had not yet learned she couldn't squeeze a kitten when it wanted out of her hands.Two had now passed away in her hands due to over squeezing. I felt she needed a more adult cat, maybe just a few months old but old enough it wasn't as weak.

  I would go down to discuss this with my sister, her adopting BC he was a big boned cat and seemed gentle enough. She could have him declawed if she was going to keep him inside.He would be the perfect cat for my adorable niece that just needed to learn more at this point.My sister agreed, Bc was still young enough to be called a kitten,yet big boned enough he could probably deal with her tight holds easier.The apparent scars on his hips would also remind my niece he was fragile and not to squeeze too hard.

  I wanted to help my niece who loved animals yet they didn't seem to get attached to her the way they did my nephew. Since he had turned five that child could sit in a field and within minutes have a wild rabbit sitting in his lap.He was obviously very good with animals.She on the other hand just didn't seem to understand them the same way.She wanted a pet of her very own.I thought BC would be the perfect pet for her.He was obviously strong to have survived all he had been through.

  I would drop BC at my sisters house.That little girl carried that cat around the rest of the day.BC, the sweet cat, tolerated it so well it was amazing to watch. I was informed by my sister the next evening BC had even slept right beside my niece that night. No animal had ever stayed in her room all night, preffering instead to run to my nephews room. BC was her cat! It was meant to be from what I could see.

  In the next two weeks more changes would take place in my life. Dr.Jantz would go to work for a veterinarian closer to my home, still working for Dr. Diely part time also.His intentions were to start full time at the other clinic though.I worried my abilities would be unneccesary if this occured for Dr.Diely had his technician. I was assured by Dr. Jantz I had no need to worry. All the same I did.

  Then the morning came Dr.Jantz informed me this veterinarian he was working for (closer to my home) needed to hire a new technician/office help he had put a word in for me knowing I wanted to stay working with him, plus this office would require half the driving I was doing.Not to mention this clinic was also located in the town I had grown up in.I would know alot of the clients.I would also discover I knew the veterinarian well!

  I would go to work there, leaving Dr.Diely's after only a little over a year. I felt I was moving up. Little did I know this was just an illusion, (that is another story).

  My sister would call me after BC had been in her home for around two weeks. I had sort of put him to the back of my mind, believing all was well there.BC had gotten rambunctious the night before and scratched my niece pretty good across the face.Of course the child had been upset, the only way my sister had gotten her to love on BC again  was to assure her she would have Aunt De have him declawed.

  I put BC down in the books to be declawed the next day by Dr.Jantz, unaware Dr. Diely had convinced Dr.Jantz to return full time to his clinic. I would recieve a call asking me to return also, being unaware at that time of the other changes, I declined.I would later regret this decision.

  The next day I brought BC in for his surgery, at that time Dr.Jantz informed me of the changes that would be taking place. My mind would shut these things out though over the course of the next hour. My heart would be shattered when Dr. Jantz realizing that before the surgery on BC' hips  we had not done a feline leukemia test due to the immediate nature of his injuries.We decided one should be done now and his shots updated while he was out for the declawing anyway.

  I would end up doing the test twice, as I couldn't believe the results from the first test. After the second showed positive too I went to Dr.Jantz in tears. He new immediatly what I was upset about. BC had lived through so much, now I had discovered he had feline leukemia. I could not allow this cat to go back to my sisters house.She lived on my fathers property.He would kill me if he found out I knowingly allowed a cat carrying this to stay on his property.Yet, my niece loved this cat already! I had a very hard decision before me! After informing Dr.Jantz of my discovery and the mind, heart war I had going on inside. Dr.Jantz nicely said,"De, go ahead take lunch we haven't started yet decide what you want to do. It is totally up to you! I will help if you need more information to make the choice." He picked BC up and went to the office for his lunch. He was going to spend his lunch playing with BC he hadn't seen him for a couple weeks.

  I thanked him and left for lunch, I knew what I was looking at, I had all the information available at that time about feline leukemia. I wasn't worried about human transmission.I was concerned about my own cat Ceme, she was up to date on her shots so the worry there was minimal.My main concern was do I let my young niece whom had done lost two pets, watch as this cat died a slow death.Do I allow the chance he could come into contact with dad's barn cats being let out by some chance.I sat in my car for the full lunch hour, with these questions tormenting my mind and soul.Of course I cried too, tears of sorrow for not having thought to do this test before we ever did the first surgery.

  On one hand I believed this cat could fight it and win, he'd survived and healed from a bullet threw his spine.Yet, could my niece survive watching him die if need be? She had already lost her grandmother to cancer before she even knew her that well.Her father had just left, divorcing her mother. She was just a child! I wanted to call my sister, but down deep I knew if I told her this information she would raise hell with me and my dad.I had made a mistake but it wasn't fully my mistake.

  When going back to work the first thing I did was go to the back to see BC, there stood Dr.Jantz a needle in hand."It was my fault, after seeing you out there in the car tormenting yourself I couldn't leave this decision up to you. Forgive me, I made the final call on this case! Tell your sister the cat died during declawing surgery." as the tears flowed down my face, I reached for Dr.Jantz's arm touching him only slightly,"Thank You!" He gathered that cat in his arms placing it in a blanket and putting it in a wooden box he had on the floor. After placing the box in the freezer he went to the office, I went to cleaning kennels. Neither of us saying anymore both knowing we would have to deal with our own feelings.

  The other veterinarians son would show up around half an hour later to my suprise. Dr.Jantz would send me home, informing me to take care of BC and those complications he had called Darren in to take care of the clinic duties.I would be paid for my normal hours. Dr.Jantz was a very caring person, I was grateful to him for understanding this would be hard for me to deal with.This would be the last time I would personally work with Dr. Jantz.

(Too date, I never give up on hope someday I will find myself working with this wonderful man again.)

  It would be hard for me to explain to my niece the cat had died during surgery. I felt it was a better option than her heart getting even more attached only for BC to pass away beside her in bed some night down the road.This way being young she would recover fast and get on with life. Maybe BC would be a good memory and not hurt her too much.

  I would eventually, many years later tell the truth to both my niece and her mother. Her mother, my sister, of course would be mad. In the end she would agree the situation had been dealt with the best way possible.My dad on the other hand wasn't as agreeable he was very upset to know I had brought a cat to his land that had feline leukemia.

  In loving memory of "BC" the barn cat with strength from beyond!

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