Greetings, Yardley Sponsors!

My name is Jess, and I am taking over writing for Yardley, as she is now one of my forever foster kitties and lives in my home!

As you know, Yardley is a sweet brown tabby, estimated to be about 10 years old. She has diabetes, which is well-regulated with insulin twice per day. Yardley was originally moved to the lounge at Tabby’s Place, with our other diabetic cats. We then found out how much Yardley despised the other cats. She was never the aggressor, but she would always hiss and hide when she saw them. She was offended by the mere presence of other cats.

After a couple of weeks of being in the lounge, Yardley stopped eating and started having horrible diarrhea. We had hoped her condition was just from being stressed by the other cats, but this was a bad situation. She lost almost 2 pounds in two weeks. A full workup revealed that Yardley had a really bad cancer called multiple myeloma and EPI, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency.

Multiple myeloma is quite rare in cats. EPI is rare, too.  Both are very serious conditions. We started treating for the EPI, and Yardley responding beautifully. She started eating better, having normal poop, and gaining weight!  Her EPI means that she needs special meds added to her food, which makes her hard to house at Tabby’s Place. The multiple myeloma means we do not know how much time she has to live. Her oncologist estimated 6 months to a year.

Yardley’s conditions not only make her hard to house at Tabby’s Place, but also make her highly unadoptable. Her medications are expensive. It is hard to envision someone who would take Yardley home.

Thankfully, Tabby’s Place has a Forever Foster program. This way, a highly unadoptable cat can live in a home while the cost of her medical care is covered by Tabby’s Place. At Tabby’s Place, we strive to be as close to a home as possible for the cats, but nothing beats an actual home. This is one of the most amazing ways that Tabby’s Place can truly help the most hopeless cats.

I have experience with EPI. My dog (who passed away in October) had EPI, as does my other forever foster, Princess Bubblegum. We are well aware of the feeding routine and what to expect. I have a husband and two kids who are very knowledgeable about EPI as well. While it is unfortunate that these animals have this condition, we have learned so much from them that has given us the tools to help more animals with EPI.

When we found out that Yardley had EPI, I offered to take her into our forever foster family. We had just moved into a larger space and knew that Yardley could share a room with one of my sons. As noted, Yardley does not care for other cats. In addition to Princess Bubblegum, we have 5 other cats and a blind dog. Although I knew Yardley would not appreciate the other cats, she would have more room in the bedroom.

We brought her home and set her up in my son’s room. Yardley was so happy. She acted as if she had lived there her whole life! (We had only been in the house a few weeks, and she seemed more relaxed and at home than we were!)  She stretched out and ate. She was incredibly friendly with all the humans.

A few times, my other cats snuck into the room. Yardley hissed and swiped at them. The other cats ran away. Nothing too dramatic. Yardley has never been aggressive with other cats. She just does not like the fact that they are sharing the same space as her.

I am hoping that Yardley will eventually learn to ignore the other cats and be able to be integrated into the entire house. For now, she seems quite content in her bedroom. She even lets my son sleep there! We will go slow and not push her to be integrated.

Yardley is on a chemotherapy drug for the multiple myeloma. After two weeks on the chemotherapy, she had bloodwork and it all looked great. She is tolerating the drug well, which is great news for her. She is eating well, having normal poop and really enjoying life. We are happy to provide this for her.

Thank YOU for helping Yardley have a wonderful life. We could not do this without your contributions.

Your correspondent,
Jess