Tails High

02/10/2025

“Many tribes view the Aurora Borealis as a celestial dance performed by ancestral spirits, guiding the living through the cycles of life, death, and rebirth.” Aurora Borealis was an otherworldly cat with a soul that shined as bright as the natural light phenomenon she was named after. Everyone who met her, despite her obvious disfigurement from her cancer, exclaimed how beautiful she was. While her time with us was brief, she found her forever with her fospice family, that officially adopted her before she crossed the rainbow bridge on Friday evening, surrounded by love at home. 🌈💫

Two weeks ago, we shared that Rory’s consultation with the radiation oncologist gave us heartbreaking news and we prepared for the impossible realization that her time was running out. We still held onto hope for a miracle - for more time - but Rory’s cancer was growing fast and every day she showed more and more signs that her strength was wavering. Unfortunately, her mass became infected, her breathing was labored as her entire nose was covered by the lesion, and it was impossible to not see that Rory was in pain despite our best efforts to keep her comfortable. We promised Rory that we would never let her suffer, and so we made arrangements for our vet team to come to the home Rory knew for 5 weeks, to give her the most peaceful send off possible.

Everything I share here is meant to come from the perspective of the Tails High collective, but in this case, I want to personally say thank you to everyone who believed in Aurora Borealis and showed her support. From the first picture I was sent of Rory in the Arkansas shelter, I knew she was mine. Evan and I welcomed her into our home, truly believing we could get her the best care possible, to hopefully get her cancer to a manageable state and maybe she would one day be adopted. It didn’t take long to fall head over heels in love with Rory and her charming personality. We never expected to adopt another kitty, but for Aurora Borealis to know she had a forever family that will miss her every single day, it was written in the stars - she was ours and we are forever her people.

There is so much I want to say about Rory, but for once, I’m having trouble putting together any words. Please consider fostering or adopting a terminal, special needs, or any overlooked cat. While my heart is absolutely shattered, I would do it a million times over for the love and peace I knew Rory was able to have. Love you forever, Aurora Borealis. 💫💚

02/09/2025

Beautiful Macaron 🤍

Photographed mid bath 😂🤍

02/09/2025

We’re ready for the this afternoon and it looks like Avocado Toast and Alfalfa Sprouts are doing their best pose to get recruited! While we don’t make a lot of fuss over humans throwing balls around, we will absolutely tune in to watch cute kittens scamper across the field. No matter who you’re rooting for in the Big Game, we can all agree on kittens, right?! 😻🏈

02/07/2025

One week post op and Toaster Strudel is doing so GREAT! This girl is one tough cookie - or breakfast pastry? True to her namesake, we are grateful this precious little one found safe haven in a warm and toasty outdoor cat shelter that led her to help. We don’t comprehend how anyone could abandon their cat to survive the elements with such a severe and life-threatening issue, but it’s clear whoever dumped her on that property likely didn’t want her to survive. Toaster Strudel is a fighter, but you wouldn’t know it from her unwavering sweet disposition. She exudes gratefulness and love nonstop. Toasty never stops seeking pets, head boops, and purring up a storm. The girl is always on a mission to get to your lap for a snuggle. When she finally settles down after her excitement, she curls up against your legs and makes little air biscuits to show her delight. She still needs one more week of her satellite dish collar (she looks pretty darn cute in it) and to stay as calm as possible in her pop up playpen because of her abdominal incisions from the colopexy. She’s adored in her medical foster home getting everything she needs! Soon she will be looking for her forever home and we just have to say, whoever the lucky adopters are will truly be hitting the jackpot with this love bug. Thank you for all of your generous donations towards Toaster Strudel’s $4,000 ER and surgery bills. We are always so grateful for your support to allow us to help the cats and kittens most in need.

02/05/2025

Hello, is this thing on? We think there’s a glitch because we haven’t received a single adoption application for this handsome fella and we can’t believe it! How could you resist this adorable, cross-eyed, floof?! Everyone who meets Fozzie is instantly in love with his adorable face. When he looks up at you, his eyes tend to look a little crossed, which we think adds to his charm! This boy can’t stop showing off his fluffy belly and has the sweetest habit of rolling around like a wiggle worm on the floor when he’s happy and trying to get your attention. Fozzie is a really laid back kitty that has spent time with small children and other cats in his previous home. Since coming to his foster home, he hasn’t been with other pets or kids, and he seems to be perfectly content getting one on one attention. Fozzie Bear is just 2 years old, so he will enjoy a family to play with him and engage with toys. His favorite pastime is snuggling next to you on the couch and getting skritches on those fluffy cheeks of his! If you’re looking for an easy going new bestie, Fozzie Bear is ready to play the part in exchange for your forever love. He’s truly a gem and so special! Please share Fozzie Bear and submit your adoption application on our website if you’re interested in being considered. 🤎🧸

02/05/2025

Does Corduroy look different to you? Is he just RADIATING with handsomeness? Well, he is different! This guy is at the cutting edge of veterinary medicine and received his first low-dose radiation treatment for Feline Idiopathic Cystitis last week. We are so encouraged by the results so far!

Corduroy came to us this past summer as a stray and he was such a friendly boy, we thought he was surely lost, but no one ever claimed Corduroy. After a couple of weeks, things became more clear as Corduroy began having accidents. One of the most common reason cats are dumped outside is due to issues using the litter box. We knew something was wrong, so off to the vet he went where Corduroy was diagnosed with Feline Idiopathic Cystitis (FIC).

We embarked on a healing journey with Corduroy that has certainly had its ups and downs. His foster, Casey, has been so patient as we’ve tried different medications, prescription diets, litter boxes and litter, with no results. Finally, we were able to get Corduroy to VRA where he saw Internal Medicine to evaluate his case. Dr. Lechner was so wonderful to work with and passionate about the remarkable work he had seen coming out of NC State College of Veterinary Medicine that he thought could really help Cordy. We jumped at the opportunity to work with their Radiation Oncology team to give Corduroy a real chance at pain relief and a better quality of life.

While it’s possible Corduroy may need additional treatments of the low-dose radiation to realize the full benefit, the initial results have been so encouraging! Casey has reported that Corduroy is consistently using the litter box, which he hadn’t been doing for months! Corduroy is also exuding confidence with other kitties in his foster home and seemingly feeling more spunky than ever before. Improvement like this is enough to bring us all to happy tears! We will keep you posted on his progress and are always here to answer questions if you’d like to learn more about our experience with FIC and radiation treatment.

02/04/2025

We are so fortunate to have the very best adopters to give our amazing kitties the lives they deserve. No matter how much time has passed since their gotcha day, these photos have the power to put a smile on our face, even during the hard times we’ve faced recently. Sharing this happiness with you! If you’ve adopted from us, please know we always LOVE getting an update and hearing from you. 😸

02/02/2025

We’ve said it before and we will say it again. Your bathroom can save a life. That might sound silly, but it’s the truth. We receive endless requests to help cats outside with varying degrees of need, but oftentimes, the person notifying us has a list of reasons why they can’t bring the cat inside to safety. While we completely understand that there are valid concerns, there’s often a way to help the kitty and keep your own pets and family members safe. Providing a temporary space like a bathroom, crate or pop up playpen in a guest room or basement, gets the cat out of imminent dangers and also allows rescues critical time needed to make plans to help.

Fortunately for Tenderheart and Moonstruck, their stray cat love story had a plot twist, thanks to many awesome volunteers. Tenderheart was seen singing the song of his people, screaming at the doorstep of houses in Petworth, when Ryen noticed him and sent a video to us. Ryen and Kate spent time following up with community members to find out more about this orange cutie pie. They learned that Tenderheart had a girlfriend, the beautiful gray girl we named Moonstruck, and the two of them were fed by many people but not owned, and had added kittens to the neighborhood not too long ago. Eureka! We had spay/neuter appointments available in the coming days, so a plan was put in place to get them indoors.

While we are always short on space, we’re grateful for our fosters that say yes to opening their homes to cats with little notice. Tenderheart and Moonstruck arrived to Mary early Sunday morning and she transported them to their vet appointments the next morning. No more kittens for these two! The pair were instantly sweet and accepting of love once they were warm inside, but their romance ended there, as Moonstruck let Tenderheart know she wanted to split. Fortunately, both kitties made their way to longer term fosters to prepare to be available for adoption. 🧡🩶

All it takes is a small space and a few days to help us help you. Make a HUGE difference in the lives of the cats you see struggling by opening your home temporarily. You can be their hero!

02/02/2025

Mini Muffin 🌈 Rescued 7/12/24 ~ Crossed the Rainbow Bridge 1/31/25. It’s so hard to share that our brave Mini Muffin left us yesterday. In the loving arms of her foster mom, Kiri, Mini Muffin was set free after several months of an ongoing battle to get healthy. Unfortunately, we could see that Mini had recently taken a turn and her body wasn’t responding to various treatments for suspected underlying GI disease. Her doctor explained that while Mini Muffin had fought so hard, it’s likely she was succumbing to small cell lymphoma, and at her senior age, her frail body couldn’t continue on. We are so grateful to everyone who loved Mini Muffin and made it possible for her to spend the last months of her life indoors, warm, fed, and adored. Mini Muffin was a well cared for community cat that started to show she wasn’t feeling well over the summer. Fortunately, Nicole got Mini the help she needed, and the amazing cat family we are lucky to be a part of, worked together to get Mini care and eventually into rescue with us. Kiri opened up her heart and home to welcome Mini Muffin, the tiny and very shy little panther, even knowing that she was likely to be a fospice kitty. Mini Muffin enjoyed the life that she was meant to have, relaxing in her favorite box, making friends with Kiri’s other cats, and having a team of people getting her the best vet care to try to give her more time. It breaks our heart that we had to let her go, but we have peace in knowing that she is free and no longer in pain. Thank you, Kiri, Nicole and everyone else who made it possible for a deserving senior girl get the forever she was always meant to have. You are rockstars. We love you forever, Mini Muffin. 🖤✨

02/01/2025

Vada is in the best of hands with Foster Kitten HQ! She’s a tiny but mighty girl and we’re so glad we have answers to move forward with her journey. 🩶

01/31/2025

01/31/2025

Three Ring Binder “Booker” 🌈 Rescued 8/28/24 ~ Crossed the Rainbow Bridge 1/30/25. Our hearts are shattered to accept that it was precious Three Ring Binder’s time to leave us yesterday. The very brave little Booker had survived so much throughout his time on this Earth; diagnosed with FeLV, nearly finishing treatment for neurological/ocular FIP, and ultimately succumbing to lymphoma. Booker, as his amazing foster family called him, was an absolute angel up until his final moments with us and adored beyond measure. While we are still processing the events of yesterday and that Booker is no longer here, we wanted to honor his memory and also thank his foster family, Jenny and Rob and their adorable pup, Mia, for giving Booker the best life. While he was their foster kitten, he lived every day as a member of the family, along with his 3 brothers. Opening your heart and home to kittens that you know are FeLV+ takes a special kind of human. While we always hope that this diagnosis won’t impact their lifespan, it is a known possibility, that Jenny and Rob took on bravely to provide these boys a soft place to land. Booker was always the smallest boy with the biggest hurdles to overcome. The attentive care of his foster with daily medications, regular vet visits, and around the clock monitoring, got Booker to his final FIP treatment appointment where we hoped he would be cured. He was always in foster mom’s lap, her little shadow, that looked adoringly up at her for comfort. Unfortunately, somewhere along the 84 day FIP treatment, Lymphoma began to develop, and X-rays showed the reason Booker hadn’t been feeling well the last week was because his esophagus and trachea were being compressed by pressure caused by a mass effect in his chest and abdomen. There’s never any way to prepare ourselves, or our fosters, for this news or the heartbreak you feel when you say goodbye. While Booker was just 6 months old, he lived a very full life, and we know we gave him the best, that he deserved. Please send all of your love and healing light to Jenny and Rob, as well as Booker’s brothers, Glue Stick and Lunchbox. We love you forever, Booker. 💛📒

01/29/2025

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01/29/2025

Days like yesterday remind us how grateful we are for our volunteers that adore their foster kitties. There are medical cases we knowingly take on because we feel uniquely positioned to help them, and others that catch us by surprise. We are grateful for your support through these challenging times.

🧡Toaster Strudel underwent emergency surgery on Saturday and was doing so well, but her prolapse reoccurred and she was rushed to the ER last night. Toaster Strudel is currently stable at Columbia Pike Animal Hospital, but she will need a more complex Colopexy procedure this afternoon. Our estimate is $2,600 for her surgery and hospitalization, in addition to the $1,500 already spent this past weekend.

📒Three Ring Binder was scheduled for his FIP end of treatment exam yesterday but began showing concerning symptoms the night before. His attentive foster noticed his pupils were different sizes, his weight was down, and his appetite wasn’t normal. Unfortunately, at his appointment yesterday we determined his neurological FIP is relapsing and his FeLV+ status is likely complicating treatment. His foster family is doing everything to get him back on track and we’re hopeful to see improvements with the updated protocol but it’s been very scary for everyone to see him feeling so poorly.

🩶Vada has just reached adoption age and we were so excited to find her a forever home. Sadly, her foster family witnessed a concerning episode that they immediately alerted us to, and from our experience with young kittens, we knew this was serious. Vada saw our vet for an exam and was referred to CVCA to see a cardiologist for an echocardiogram yesterday. While these diagnostics were normal, Vada has arrhythmia that needs more investigation with a Holtor monitor for us to better understand her prognosis before she can be spayed and ready for adoption. So far, we’ve spent $1,500 with more cost coming to get answers. She’s in the best of hands with and acting like her normal, happy self, but we want to be extra cautious with this dainty girl!

Your support towards our critical medical cases is crucial so we can continue to say “yes” to kitties that need us most.

🐾Donate here >> https://www.tailshigh.org/home/donate/
🐾PayPal Giving Fund (zero fees) >> paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/38090
🐾Venmo >> tails-high
🐾Facebook/Instagram >> Use the DONATE button on our posts or profiles

01/27/2025

Look at this gorgeous girl! Macaron is ready to find a patient and experienced adopter that will give her time to settle in and show what a sweetie she can be. She’s a little hesitant to new people but warms up as soon as a Churu is in hand. Boy, does she love Churu! Mini Meows WV have done an amazing job socializing kitties over the years and Macaron is a testament to the love and care they pour into their fosters. Her sister, Madeleine, is now with another foster growing her confidence with an outgoing cat friend, that we think will be key for both of the girls in their forever homes. Submit your application with Macaron to be considered! 🤍

Hi, Mac! 👋🏽

01/27/2025

Perhaps the hardest realization to come to in rescue is that there is simply nothing else that can be done. As problem solvers and fixers, this answer is the hardest to accept. While it feels like we are out of options, we are not out of hope, and we are certainly not out of love.

Aurora Borealis was seen by the radiation oncologist this past Wednesday, after patiently waiting for weeks since her arrival and CT scan for specialist availability. Sadly, the doctor’s assessment was that Rory’s cancer is too advanced for any treatment to cure her or significantly prolong her life at this point. The metastasis to her submandibular lymph nodes indicates that this is an aggressive cancer that is not as likely to respond to radiation treatment. While we were initially very optimistic about radiation potentially giving Rory more time and making her more comfortable, the doctor explained that the level of radiation that would be needed would be too aggressive for her to handle at this stage. Regardless of funds we could potentially raise to manage the estimated $8-$10,000 of palliative treatments, the doctor expressed that this would bring risk of creating a larger wound with potential for infection and possibly even more discomfort for Rory. This wasn’t the news we expected and it has been a hard pill to swallow.

While we knew deep down that Rory was coming to us as a fospice kitty, the undying optimism that keeps us going and believing that miracles happen has always been at the forefront. Rory is magic. She is so special. Knowing that she is not long for this world is heartbreaking, but we find comfort in the fact that she is adored in her foster home as a member of a cherished kitty family. She loves laying across foster mom’s chest and getting brushed or watching football and motorcycle races in bed with foster dad. She’s getting all of the love she’s deserved her whole life and likely never had. We will provide the best care for Rory until she tells us that it’s time to say goodbye, but that isn’t today.

Please continue to send love and well wishes to Rory and her family. We still have a hefty balance from her vet visits and any monetary donation is greatly appreciated. We will also share some wish list items for Rory in our stories if you’d like to send her something. Your support means the world to us and encourages us to continue to say yes to kitties that need us in all stages of life, despite the heartbreaks we will continue to face. We love you, Rory. ✨

01/25/2025

UPDATE: Toaster Strudel underwent emergency surgery for a pr*****ed re**um and is recovering at home. This brave girl is very sweet and so grateful to be inside and warm. We’re hopeful that she will continue to improve with medications and the surgery will hold without a need for a follow up procedure. We will keep you updated on this precious girl!

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🚨URGENT support needed for Toaster Strudel! This poor girl is currently at the ER with a severe re**al prolapse and we need your help.

We were contacted through our ResQ Network to assist a Good Samaritan that discovered an emaciated cat in desperate need of vet care in their outdoor heated cat shelter. The family cares for several community cats and noticed on their cameras that a new kitty appeared that is skin and bones. Sadly, they have had cats dumped on their property before and suspect that Toaster Strudel was abandoned because of her condition. They weren’t sure what was causing the bloody mass protruding from her rear, but they knew they needed to find help. Unfortunately, every rescue they called was overwhelmed with kitties already in their care and no one was able to assist.

We couldn’t fathom the pain and fear Toaster Strudel has endured as she curled up in the warmth of the shelter, hoping that help would come for her. The ER vet team has examined Toaster Strudel and are currently running bloodwork and diagnostics so we can determine what caused the re**al prolapse in order to help her. Surgical repair is needed but because it is such a large prolapse, they are worried about the success of the procedure long term. Any donations are appreciated as we attempt to cover the low end estimate for her procedure at $1,400. Please share and send her well wishes for a speedy recovery.

❤️‍🩹 Donation options can be found on our website >> https://www.tailshigh.org/home/donate/

01/24/2025

Sometimes we come across adopters that we truly believe are angels here on Earth. They just have this quality about them that is the essence of what we’re looking for in the family for every cat and kitten we rescue. And the real unicorn adopters out there are the ones who come to us and say “I want the kitty that has been with you the longest” or “I want to give the cat that’s been overlooked a good life”. We’re very hopeful that kind of adopter is coming for our sweet Sandie sometime soon. She’s had interest here and there, but for whatever reason, it never seems to pan out. At 12 years old, Sandie is just wanting a human to love and a soft place to land. She was adopted as a kitten long ago and later returned to us on Christmas Eve in 2023 when her family moved and she was deeply stressed by the change of environment. Over the last year, Sandie has been an absolute joy in her foster home, but she would likely thrive in a house without other cats or only other very relaxed cats that would give her space as she can get a bit agitated with rambunctious kitties. Sandie has had some GI flare ups during her time in foster, which we’ve managed with a consistent diet and supplements. She’s a snuggle bug through and through, oftentimes running to the bed to ensure she can get prime real estate to cuddle with foster mom over the other kitties. If you’re looking for a wonderful companion to relax with, Sandie is your girl. Please help us by sharing Sandie so we can find her special people.