Our sweet boy cat, Ginger, is having surgery tomorrow, ya'll. (PHOTO)

[Heidi]

This isn't a sympathy post, because I'm sure Ginger will be fine. He has a great doctor and two human companions who love him very much.

The backstory: Ginger apparently was shot by a neighbor last November (don't even get me started), and a tumor about the size of a man's thumb has grown up around the "foreign object," and it has doubled in size in the past three weeks. Call Me Wesley and I don't have kids, so Ginger is the (perhaps unfortunate) recipient of our otherwise unrealized parental angst.

So, if ya'll have a couple of extra good vibes that you're not spending on other sentient beings, please send one (or even half of one) to The Wiley and Excellent Boy Cat Named Ginger. Thank you, friends. :hug:

[Shell Beau]

1. Ok so you said don't get you started, but do you know who shot him?

:mad:

I hope all is well!!

[Heidi]

4. It could be just about anyone, Shell Beau.

He's allowed to go outdoors whenever he wants, and we live in a rural area where people are accustomed to using firearms to defend their livestock. I don't want to assign blame; I just can't imagine anyone thinking their sheep, cattle, rabbits or chickens needed to be defended against an eight-pound cat.

Thank you for your good vibes, gf. :hug:

[Shell Beau]

14. Some people are just assholes!

He's a beautiful cat btw!! :hug:

[Reciprocity]

31. You've got it.

Sending, prayers, positive thoughts, and good vibes your way.

[Haole Girl]

2. Here's hoping for a very speedy recovery for Ginger!

He is a very gorgeous cat, by the way!

[haf216]

3. He has mine.

I have a cat that had to have bb's removed. My cats are indoor cats ( for just this reason, there mean ass people in this world), but when Piglet was younger he would "escape" and one day I noticed he had two large lumps in his side. He was fine, so I'm sure you beautiful baby will be too!

[Heidi]

8. I'm more worried about the full anesthesia than anything else.

I'm sorry your Piglet had to go through that, haf216. Ginger gets full anesthesia only when he has to have his teeth cleaned; I'm very wary of it because it makes him stagger around like a drunken sailor and he doesn't understand what's going on with his coordination, etc. I'm 100 percent sure that you're right that Ginger will be fine, and I can't tell you how much I appreciate that reassurance. :hug: :pals:

[haf216]

15. I know they can be very confused when they, wake up.

I know with mine it would almost be funny if I wasn't worried so much.

[huskerlaw]

5. Awww...poor WEBCNGinger!

Positive vibes sended his way...and to both of you as well.

Major negative vibes to the fuckwit who shot him :mad:

Be sure to keep us updated on WEBCNGinger's progress!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

6. My dear Heidi............

All my good vibes on their way to your beautiful Wiley and Excellent Boy Cat Named Ginger!

And he sure is beautiful! I know he'll be fine.........with excellent doctors, and two incredible humans watching over him.........

:hug:

[Heidi]

10. So that's why I've been

such a cranky and insufferable witch for over a week, Peggy. I'm more worried (mostly about the full anesthesia that he'll have) about Ginger than I can ever recall being about myself or CMW. :(

I love that Ginger has his DU angels looking over him. Thank you for being one of them, Peggy. :hug:

[bertha katzenengel]

7. You know how I (and my menagerie) adore the Wily and Excellent Boy Cat

Named Ginger. He'll be in my thoughts, as will you & Wes. :hug:

:loveya:

[Heidi]

12. Thank you, gf.

:hug: :hug:

I lighted some candles for your grandma's safe passage and your safe travels, but didn't want to bother you with a PM. I figured you'd think that was just fine. :hug:

[Whoa_Nelly]

9. Ginger has always been, and will continue to be, an amazing cat!

:hug:
Will be looking for updates after the surgery :loveya:

Ginger!!!! Come here, precious! :hug:

Seneca loves kitties, and wants you to know she sends her Love Monkey good vibes

[Heidi]

16. I'm so stupid about this stuff, Whoa_Nelly.

There'll be some tissue samples sent to the university lab for analysis since the growth is so fast-growing, but I was so concerned about the full anesthesia when I made the appointment, that I stupidly forgot to ask the doctor how long it would take for the results to come back. Seems like everything here takes lots longer than it does in the states.

Thank you, to both you and your beautiful Seneca, for the good vibes. :hug:

[Whoa_Nelly]

19. Stupid is something you have never been!

You are like any parent: concerned about the immediate effects and issues. You will find out when the results will be back, and the time for geting that info will come. Meanwhile, Ginger will already be home, recovering, and receiving lots of unconditional love from you and CMW. :hug: :loveya:

[Heidi]

22. I've been reassessing the "parental" thing.

When we were at the veterinary clinic on Monday, there was a 60-year-old man with a little Pomeranian, and he was totally talking baby talk to his little dog and taking her paws and making her dance around to show off for me, and I thought, "Ginger, if I ever subject you to this sort of humiliation: please, go right for my carotid artery and spare us both further embarrassment." :scared:

[Whoa_Nelly]

26. Just wondering....

Have you ever painted portraits of your kitties?

And as for the "parental" thing...

I speak to Seneca as if she were at LEAST a 2nd grader.





...only talk baby talk to her when we're alone... :blush:

[Heidi]

30. No, I've never tried that.

One of my favorite painter, Donald Roller Wilson, does such a beautiful job with cats, though. http://www.donaldrollerwilson.com/

[Whoa_Nelly]

34. Thanks for pointing me to that site

Precious and :spray: Love'em!

[ganeshji]

11. What a handsome gentleman your boy cat is.

Here's wishing him good luck and good vibes for a speedy, healthy recovery. It sounds like he is in great hands. :hug: for the soulfully smiling Ginger!

[texanwitch]

13. Heidi, you got all my vibes.

Ginger will be fine but like any good parent you will worry, I did when Monkey went her little surgery.

Just think, Ginger can now have all that roast beef he wants.

[Heidi]

17. I really feel that he's surrounded

by an aura of protection and love, texanwitch. My worry probably does him more harm than the foreign object that the doctor will remove. Oy. Do I have "mother guilt" or what? :yoiks:

[texanwitch]

20. You are just being a goood mama.

You should have seen me the night before and after Monkey had her surgery.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

18. Good vibes for Ginger and family.

:hug:

[Heidi]

21. Thank you, friend.

If I were a guy Ginger's age and had a "mom" so panicked at my well-being, I'd probably run off and join a feral cat colony somewhere. :blush: (How old is a six-year-old cat in human years? Maybe I should be giving my cat more "man space.")

[DawgHouse]

23. best wishes to Ginger!

He's such a pretty little boy.

[Heidi]

28. Thank you, DawgHouse.

I love your username, by the way. Whenever Ginger's brother, Barley (who lives across the street), comes over to play, I always say, *Hey! Who let the dawgs out?" :rofl:

Here's Barley:

[Flaxbee]

24. oh, all the best vibes to the sweet wonderful Ginger boy!

Let us know how the surgery goes, OK? Me, my husband and our 7 cats will be sending good vibes.

[Heidi]

25. Thank you!

I'm sure Gingi will be fine. But I may ask his doctor for a mood enhancer for myself. :scared:

[judaspriestess]

27. best wishes to your beautiful baby

:) and a quick recovery

[benny05]

29. Good Luck Ginger and Heidi

Ginger is a warrior.

My kitties to yours...:hug:

[Pithlet]

32. Sending many positive vibes for Ginger.

I'm sure everything will be fine, but it's still hard when you're the momma. :hug:

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

33. Good vibes to WEBCNGinger

from Lazy-Ass Boy Cats Named Milo & Jeoffry.

[Arugula Latte]

35. Aw. Good luck, Sweet Ginger!

:loveya:

[Blue Gardener]

36. He's Beautiful!

I'm sure he'll come through fine. Sending good vibes your way. :hug:

[yellowdogintexas]

37. TWAEBCNG : good vibes to you from the Yellowdog house

Zilla, Tommie, Lewis and Clark are purring up a storm of kat karma right now.

My Tommie had a huge lump sort of leap up on his lower jawbone which had to be removed several months ago. He did fine and he is 13. I had the doc go ahead and do any needed dental work and trim up his claws while he was under to save having to go through that again for a while.


I love Ginger baby. Hugs to you and yours.

[ThomCat]

38. He's a beautiful cat.

I'm sending good vibes. I hope he's fine very soon!

And I hope those neighbors are not. :grr:

[enigmatic]

39. you know I will

All the good vibes (kitty and human) are on their way to Ginger and both of you amazing people from the Enigmatic Compound :hug:

[TOhioLiberal]

40. Ginger looks like a real sweetie...

...sending good vibes from Ohio. :hug: I love his 'full' name! :rofl:

[SeattleGirl]

41. Sending good and healing thoughts to Ginger

and to his parents, too. :hug: :hug: :hug:

[lildreamer316]

42. Meow!

sending lots of kitty love!:hug:

[Oeditpus Rex]

43. Apres-surgery, Ginger will continue to be wiley and excellent

:hug:

Outstanding photo, BTW. :thumbsup:

[buddhamama]

44. what a beauty he is, your Ginger !

someone shot your kitty!?! WTF! :mad:

Ginger has my good karma. I am wishing him a speedy recovery and healing.

You and CMW too, all my best! :hug:

[reyd reid reed]

45. Awwwwww

You're right...he will be fine. And, just to make sure of it, I'm sending all my positive energy his way.

:hug::hug::hug:





(and that's a beautiful picture of him)

[ncrainbowgrrl]

46. my three kitty cats send their best

big hugs, meows, and purrrrrrrs.

And the humans in our household send our best to you and CMW! :hug:

[Jamastiene]

47. In a just world, you'd be allowed to go shoot your neighbor back.

Or better yet, let me. :D

Here's hoping your boy has a perfect surgery and no scars or pain and heals very quickly. :hug:

Psst, btw, he looks like a male grownup version of my 3 year old boy named Yogi. In other words, he's more masculine looking than my boy. Kind of resembles Yogi's daddy, GrayBoy.

[ivycat]

48. good vibes coming your way.

we just had one of our cats to the vet for possible kidney stones a couple of weeks ago. Me and my husband don't have any "children" yet, so are cats are our babies as well.

:grouphug:

[terrya]

49. Oh, sweetie....many good vibes headed your way.

I know how much you and CMW love Ginger. He's family (like my beautiful girl cat Chess is family), It's awful that someone shot Ginger.

Many good vibes and thoughts on a very speedy recovery for the excellent Ginger.

:hug:

[BarenakedLady]

50. Beautiful kitty

Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

:hug:

[livetohike]

51. Good thoughts coming Ginger's way from the livetohike house

including a big friendly "Arf!" from Cindy and Murphy :-).

P.S. We had the same situation with one of our dogs years ago, who apparently was shot by a BB gun :-(. No problems and I'm sure Ginger will be okay.

[xchrom]

52. for ginger...

THE GENESIS CAT
(W Girt)

The Lord looked down upon His world, created fresh and new,
With soaring, shining mountain tops and gleaming seas of blue.
The lordly lions roaming free with tigers golden bright,
All very grand, magnificent, but somehow, not quite right.
He stroked His beard and mused awhile and thought of this and that,
'All these are far too big,' he said, 'I'll make a smaller cat;
To edge towards the fire at night, out of the chilly wind,
An independent animal, but needing human kind;
With fur so soft and warm to touch, but brimming full of guile,
With pansy-faced wee kittens to make the children smile.'
All that was very long ago, but still the cat's with us,
Aloof and condescending, but loving all the fuss.
You'll never, ever own a cat, as all cat lovers know,
He'll curl himself around your heart and never let you go.

and a special prayer i've sent to st gertrude -- however there is also this...

PRAYERS TO ST GERTRUDE, PATRON SAINT OF CATS (CHRISTIAN RELIGION)
St Gertrude, former Abbess of Nivelles, Brabant died in 659 and is patron saint of cats and gardeners. She may also be invoked by persons afraid of mice. St Gertrude's feast day is 15th November.

PRAYER FOR A NIGHT-PROWLING CAT
(M Cranswick)

St Gertrude, keep my cat all night
From trap or poison, thorn or bite,
From speeding cars and thieving men,
And bring him safely home again.

[vireo]

53. Best to Ginger!

[u4ic]

54. Lots of love and good vibes

to Ginger! :grouphug:

What a beautiful picture of him, Heidi, though he looks like he's plotting your downfall in it...:P

[BuelahWitch]

55. Love and good wishes to Ginger

From me and my Angel kitty...:hi:

[Monk06]

56. Shoulda named him Gorgeous George. That's one handsome cat.

[Pied Piper]

57. Miranda and Minerva send their best wishes!

And so does Pied Piper!

[flamingyouth]

58. Sending good vibes from our household

:loveya:

[Dangerously Amused]

59. Love and best vibes to all of you.

:hug:

[Skittles]

60. I WILL KICK YOUR NEIGHBOR'S ASS

I KNOW GINGER WILL BE FINE

[SoyCat]

61. I wish Ginger a fast recovery and you a calm heart during his surgery.--

:hug:

[MissHoneychurch]

62. Sending vibes over to you

best of luck :hug:

[Robeson]

63. Good vibes to Ginger...

...Hope all goes well! One of my indoor cats, who I found as a stray, has a bb in his neck from when we first found him. I'm always monitoring it to see if the tissue around it gets too big. I know how you feel.

[Mad_Dem_X]

64. What a beautiful cat...

Sending good vibes his way. :)

[ET Awful]

65. Best wishes to Ginger for a speedy recovery from

me, Quinn and Althea :P

[Heidi]

66. UPDATE: Ginger is home and recovering! Thank you all for the love

and good vibes for our sweet boy. :hug:

The update: In the exploratory, Dr. Dürr found that Ginger probably was _not_ shot. No BB or pellet was found. Instead, the doctor removed a large cyst which had grown quickly because it was so near rupture and possible abscess. Ginger behaved like a champ when Dr. Dürr gave the general anesthesia injection and was relatively "sober" and pleased to see us when we picked him up this afternoon.

Thank you, with our whole hearts, from Call Me Wesley and me, for the outpouring of love and good vibes for The Wiley and Excellent Boy Cat Named Ginger. All three of us feel fortunate to be part of such a compassionate community.

Biggo hugs and many thanks to you all,

Heidi

P.S. I'm more relieved than I can articulate that I can now stop suspecting my neighbors of having shot my cat. In repentance, I likely will spend next weekend baking carmel-pecan cinnamon rolls for the lot of them. :bounce:

[Avalux]

67. I am so happy Ginger will be fine -

he's a beautiful cat Heidi. I missed this thread completely since I'm not really on DU on the weekends - what a stressful situation and it's great to know your neighbors aren't the cat shooters you thought they were! Best to you, CMW and Ginger - HUGS!

:hug:

[DawgHouse]

68. I'm glad Ginger is okay

and it is nice to know that faith in your neighbors has been restored!

[livetohike]

69. That's good news

I'm so glad Ginger wasn't shot....I'm sure he will heal quickly.

:hug: to all of you!

[flamingyouth]

72. I'm so glad he's doing well

I'm continuing to send him good vibes (and I guess I'll stop sending random, hateful ones toward your neighbors now :D). :hug:

[yellowdogintexas]

74. YAY!! so glad to know Ginger (the wiley and excellent) is

doing well.

and double triple glad it wasn't a BB shot after all.

[Whoa_Nelly]

75. Caramel-pecan cinnamon rolls go a long way

in building friendships. ;)

So VERY glad The Wiley and Excellent Boy Cat Named Ginger did well and is home with you.

Many :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: for all!!!

[Mutley]

76. Yay!!

Good to know he's doing well!

:bounce:

GREAT picture, by the way. He's beautiful. :loveya:

[lavenderdiva]

79. sweet Heidi:

and of course to CMW as well: I am sorry I missed your original post on the most excellent and wiley boy cat named Ginger! I know he (and you) are relieved to have him home and the surgery completed. And I am so glad to hear that your neighbors are 'cleared'.

Mr ld and I have no children either, so our sweet Libby is the center of our universe. She too, is the recipient of our parental energies.

Sending healing energy and hugs to you, CMW, and Ginger- :hug:

[devilgrrl]

70. All the best to your Ginger...

sending good vibes for his quick recovery. :hug:

[texanwitch]

71. Hello Heidi

Great news about Ginger.

Now how about some of that roast beef for your boy in a few days.

Give him a big hug for me.

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

73. Who would hurt an animal, especially that beautiful beastie?

I know you'll keep us posted on his surgery - hope all goes swimmingly! :loveya:

[RevCheesehead]

77. GINGER!!!

Oreo, CC, Keith, and I will be praying for you!!!

[newsguyatl]

78. i'm definitely sending positive thoughts

ginger's way!!!!

i have a special place in my heart for beautiful siamese cats :-)

here's my jesse:

[benny05]

80. Excellent News Ginger and Heidi!

I'm so happy your little boy is going to be well. I know what it can mean for a loved kitty to be sick.

And your remedy for the neighbors sounds right on!

:hug: