Tag: cat rescue

Portrait of Mr. Sassy Pants – a special needs cat in need of a home.

Mr. Sassy Pants Grey cat digital pet portrait
Digital Portrait of Sassy by BZTAT

Most portraits that I create are commissioned by the human companions of my subjects. Sassy is different. I created his portrait simply because he touched my heart. His human companion has touched me as well.

Sassy is my neighbor Helen’s cat (I call him Mr. Sassy Pants). He is about 1 year old, and he likes to go outside to explore the neighborhood. He tends to shy away from me, but he and I share a porch and yard. He watches me closely as he goes on his daily adventures.

Recently, Sassy came home from his travels with an injured leg. He couldn’t put weight on it and it was very swollen, so Helen and I took him in to see the vet.

After a round of antibiotics failed to show improvements, the vet took some X-rays. The X-rays showed that Sassy had experienced some kind of trauma to his knee area, likely a dog bit him and crushed some of the tiny bones and cartilage. The major problem, though, is that the knee joint had considerable infection in the soft tissues and was possibly affecting the bone as well. The infection needed to be eradicated before any kind of surgery could occur.

The vet said at first that it was possible that the bones could heal on their own after the infection was gone. He would have a limp, but be able to get around. The infection did go away after he was put on a round of stronger antibiotics. Unfortunately, it seems to have returned, now that he has finished the original dose. He is back on antibiotics and Helen has been keeping him indoors. The vet believes that amputating the leg below the knee might be his best option to keep the infection from being a chronic concern.

Cats can get along fine with 3 legs, so it is not such a tragic thing to amputate the leg. The surgery won’t be cheap, though, somewhere around $800-1000, and Sassy will need a lot of care through his recovery. Helen is not sure she can give him what he needs.

Helen and Sassy
Helen and Sassy

Helen and I had a frank discussion, and we both agreed that it might be better for Sassy to be re-homed with someone who can better attend to his needs. Helen has her own health issues to contend with, and she is on a fixed income. She loves Sassy, and as much as she would like to keep him with her, she believes he will be better off with someone who is more equipped to deal with him. (Helen does have other pets so she will not be alone.)

Can anyone advise me if “” really is that safe? I have vascular dystonia, and am afraid that it may be a problem. All day it is great and works fine. Also there wasn’t anything like this in the precautions found online, but still that’s my health, and I don’t want to end up with heart attack or anything similar. Please share your experience.

We are looking for a special person who is willing and able to take on a sweet cat who will need some medical attention for the short term. Sassy is young, approximately a year old, and otherwise healthy. He has been neutered and he has his shots. Once he gets through the surgery and recovery, he has a good chance of living a long healthy life.
In a few days I got an opportunity with my new friend and took at once!

We hope to find a home in the northeast Ohio area, but if that is not possible, we might be able to arrange transportation to other states. Do you know a special someone who might like to add Sassy to his or her family? Could that special someone be you?
 
We would greatly appreciate it if you could please share this post and help us find him the purrfect home. Whoever is the lucky person to bring him into their home will receive a copy of his portrait shown above.
 
We have a fundraiser set up to help with the costs of his care, which we will keep active until he no longer needs support. We appreciate any support that you can offer.
 
Thanks so much for sharing and helping Mr. Sassy Pants find a good home!
 
Life is an Adventure!
 
BZTAT

Pet Portrait of Keegan – A Story of Hope

Orange Cat Contemporary Folk Art Pet Portrait Painting by Artist BZTAT
Painting by Artist BZTAT

 

Things were not going very well for Keegan.

First, the orange cat’s owners moved away and left him behind. Luckily he had a neighbor who fed him and checked on him as he roamed his neighborhood. One day, however, he showed up with severe burns all over his head. Poor guy!

That is when his luck started to change. Keegan was taken to Good Karma Pet Rescue of South Florida, where a veterinarian tended to his burns, and a team of volunteers gave him much love and care. He is still recovering, but he is doing well.

Keegan had mange, leading the veterinarian to believe that his burns were due to a chemical that someone had applied to treat his skin condition. Because of the burns, he lost most of his fur on his face and neck. Eventually, he should have a full fluff around his neck again.

A donor and volunteer for Good Karma Pet Rescue commissioned me to paint a pet portrait of Keegan to be placed in the rescue’s new adoption room/cat cafe. Keegan will soon go on to a forever home (yay!), but his pet portrait will remain for all see and to remember the great work that is done there for cats. The pet portrait was painted in my Contemporary Folk Art Style.

Good Karma Pet Rescue is an amazing organization that rescues animals from challenging circumstances in the Fort Lauderdale, FL area. Learn more about their great rescue work by following their Facebook page. You can also send donations here.

I am so glad that they shared some of their “good karma” with Keegan, and many other animals in need!

I offer discounts to those interested in donating artwork to animal rescue organizations. Contact me if you would like to learn more about the process of purchasing art for donations.

Life is an Adventure!

BZTAT

 

Look what the cat drug in…

Buff cat in front of Brewskie Butt painting
Studio cat in front of Brewskie Butt painting by BZTAT

There are hundreds and thousands and perhaps millions of homeless cats in the world. I know my limits. I may not be able to help even a fraction of them, as much as I would like to.

But certain cats march into your life and demand attention, and you simply cannot ignore them.

I have no name yet for this cat. I am a firm believer that cats earn their names, so I am willing to let this one tell its story before a name is granted.

Here is the story so far, as I know it.

As I was preparing for a late night of painting last night, a fellow artist arrived at my studio door at 10:15 pm. Somewhat flustered, she explained that a cat had presented itself outside her studio a few doors down, and with a bit of coaxing, had walked inside. She knew that I was an animal advocate and had done some cat rescue, and she asked for my assistance in helping her with the small creature.

I knew I was better equipped to manage a cat than my friend was, so I brought it to my studio, gave it some food and water and set up a litter box. This cat is very thin and crawling with fleas, but it is also a very friendly and seeking love. Without hesitation it crawled into my lap and fell asleep. And despite its tendency to move around a lot (I suspect because of the fleas) it has a very calm sort of presence about it.

The cat meows quietly now and then, but in a sort of sweet way.

I have 5 cats, which is really 2 too many, so 6 is not really an option. But I think I can help get this creature to a home that will be blessed with its presence.

Will you help me?

UPDATE:

The cat has a home and new furrever pal!

Heath, who is a Kent State art student and new resident of the arts district has adopted her! Yay Heath!

Adopted ginger cat
Heath and his new purring pal!

It was love at first mew! Heath is on a student’s budget, so I might do a bit of  fund raising for him to offset veterinary costs. But for right now, let’s just celebrate that two souls needing some love found each other on the Canton Arts District!