PLEASE NOTE: I am NOW donating portion proceeds of any prints of photos & visual poetry [ & my own professional hand-crafted greeting cards coming this Fall of 2010] depicting domestic animals, sold DIRECTLY through TEA PHOTOGRAPHY© to the local shelters.
For MORE INFO. READ in the Cat-Dog Sub-Gallery...
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Introducing: Tsuki
Or fully: Tsuku Blue, but what has ended up being "Tsuki-Lu"

Tsuki is Japanese for Moon. I named her this because she is as completely white as a full moon on a truly clear night.

Her birthday is set at or around July 4th 2009. So, as I upload this, she's about 5.5 months old. However, she is photographed here at the beginning of November, at about 4 months.

She was 2 lbs 8 oz. Underweight and very ill.

When I met Tsuki at my volunteer job at my adoption/foster group at PetSmart, it was near the end of October. She was from the other adoption/foster group- as two groups work through our local PetSmart.

I began to notice pretty quickly into my shift, that this tiny forlorn cat was very ill... watery eyes, sneezing constantly, difficulty breathing... OH NO!!!

It had suddenly hit me that she had a Respiratory Infection, and something had to be done before the other cats were infected as Respiratory Infection is HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS among cats!

I called the main lady of the other Foster group.... and the poor tiny sickly thing was picked up...

However, I couldn't get her out of my mind. sigh...

I called periodically for about a week and a half, and the main foster lady gave me brief updates, indicating that the white kitten was improving.

Near the end of this week and a half, around 5 times of calling, I told her I was interested in seeing her for myself, and WE drove out to the foster care place ourselves...

At first, Tsuki DID seem improved, HOWEVER, she was being kept in a cage in a cold garage with other sick animals... and there were many things here that I just wasn't sure about, and that's all I'll say...

This lady is nice, but really just has way too much on her hands... she truly thought the cat was improving, but with all as too many cats and everything else, she was not spending the time, to know the truth. She was planning to take Tsuki back to PetSmart in a couple days again... [and we'd be back to square one, with infecting the other cats!!!! ]

So, as it turned out, we decided & were allowed to take the cat, right THEN,

WHO, as it turned out, had NOT improved at all. Tsuki was really just as congested and having as difficult breathing as ever. She was actually breathing through her mouth. She was listless, etc...

I was able to have my own vet take her in the next day, and start her on heavy medications.

I was so worried about my other cats, though, but we had a little extra meds to give to anyone that started showing any of the slightest signs... We were hyper-vigilant, with all of them.

AND!!! I had to sleep so close to Tsuki to make sure, she didn't stop breathing in her sleep, for a couple weeks.

The timing of all of this ended up coinciding with the Thanksgiving trip to Tucson, Az... [where my parents have a CAT-EATING-DOG ] and as she was not done with her meds, and I was not having my friend who house/pet sits, give meds or care for Tsuki.
Tsuki had to come along.

She was quite the addition to the adventure, and I must say what a great car-rider and absolutely NO trouble whatsoever. She was awesome! [Everything worked out with the dog, too. ]

Luckily, Tsuki was finally a lot improved by the beginning of this trip, but certainly had a long way to go and needed to finish up her meds!

It had been a very scary thing to watch such a teeny life struggle so desperately, and not seem to have anyone who could truly be there for her. The timing was off for her. I think there was no right time. Technically, we weren't available... the timing was NOT good, BUT, we didn't know what to do, but we had to do something.

It's been challenging, in various ways... but we are blessed to have this little survivor, who we see as a BIG GIFT. she is truly an amazing little creature,

One other special and unique thing about Tsuki is that she is a Polydactyl cat.
This means that she has extra toes!

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