Persian

Update 2008-03-28: Super Fritz has been adopted to a CPRS previous adopter whose sweet Persian "Puffy" recently passed away after a struggle with cancer. We are always so saddened to hear such news but very happy that an yet another abandoned cat has a new loving home. Now Sunkist and her family have a baby brother to help them heal! A million thank-yous to foster dad extraordinaire Julian, and Dr. Plasse and his staff at Lasalle Veterinary Hospital in Montreal, Quebec for yet another amazing recovery!!!!

Update 2008-02-07: Fritz's eye patch was removed last week, and his eye is enormously better than it was two weeks ago. The infection has abated, but he still gets his dreaded eye drops six times day to prevent it from returning. There's no more thick greenish-brown pus, just a slight clear discharge from the eye. Visually, the cornea is almost clear now, with just a little cloudiness which we expect will disappear in the weeks to come. Dr. Plasse is extremely pleased with Fritz's progress (and we're all very pleased with his surgical skills!). Today, Baby Fritz made many few friends; his foster father had to visit three downtown clients and took him along to make sure he got his eye drops every three hours. Fritz got to nap on many new laps and received tons of cuddles and kisses. And he's especially happy that he doesn't have to wear that awful lampshade any more!

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Baby Fritz is the friendliest, happiest, most adorable little kitten you'll ever come across. A classic bi-color red-white Persian male with brilliant copper eyes, born around 11 November 2007, he purrs constantly and adores people and animals of all sorts. He is fearless, self-confident, extremely affectionate and very trusting, and doesn't shy away from anyone or anything. Everything is a toy for him: fallen leaves from plants, your big toe as you come out of the shower, and the pull-strings of the window blinds. When he finds a warm lap to nap on, he turns into a blissfully purring little ball of happiness. (Warning: he has discovered that a warm laptop computer keyboard is an acceptable substitute when a real human lap is unavailable, so be forewarned and save your files.)

Beneath all the cuteness lies a very determined feline spirit; Mr. Fritz is definitely the boss, but in a very gentle and respectful way. When he decides to perch himself upon your shoulder while you're washing the dishes, he'll climb all the way from your ankles to your neck until he gets there. The four older cats in his foster home always defer to him, but there's never any hissing or growling. In fact, Baby Fritz has a very, very quiet and gentle voice.

Mr. Fritz sets a world record for adaptability: he became master of his foster home within hours of arrival (it would have been minutes, but he had to take a two-hour nap first). He'll do just as well as the sole master of his domain as in a busy family with children and dogs and other cats.

An extra bonus is that Little Fritz actually ENJOYS being groomed! Persians that have been neglected sometimes develop an aversion to grooming (well, it's not grooming at that point, but rather matt-removal), but not Fritz. He just closes his eyes and purrs away as you make his silky coat even more beautiful.

He's also very good with his claws (he gets them regularly trimmed and has several scratching posts to use), so don't even think of declawing him. So, what's with the eye-patch and the lampshade, you ask? Well, The patch simply keeps the eye closed so that when we apply medication, it stays in the eye instead of quickly being washed out by natural tearing. The lampshade is so that Mr Fritz doesn't try to scratch off the patch, which is firmly stitched to his upper eyelid. All this because Baby Fritz is a classic example of human foolishness.

Taken from his mother a few weeks too early to be given as an unwanted Christmas present and subsequently returned, he developed an eye infection from which he is now recovering. It seems that some people are unaware that newborn kittens need the antibodies in their mother's milk to maintain their natural immunity, and it's very dangerous to separate them from their mother before they're ready (responsible breeders will never release a Perisan kitten until it is 14-16 weeks old). However, we have successfully treated this same condition with another Persian cat Felix and after six weeks, his eye was so crystal-clear that you couldn't tell that anything had ever happened.

Despite his temporary handicap, Mr. Fritz never complains. He'll struggle a bit when he gets the dreaded eye drops, but never puts up a fight or scratches. And he'll plaintively stare at his foster dad for twenty minutes ("I promise I won't try to scratch my eye!") until he breaks down and takes off the lampshade.

Mr. Fritz is a very, very precious kitten. Although he's had a pretty rough start on life, we're awed by his incredibly strong spirit -- he remains joyful and friendly in spite of his difficulties, an inspiring example for all of us to follow. He has won the hearts of everyone at the animal hospital and his foster family and friends, so we're all hoping that he will go to an equally special home. You're welcome to send an adoption application and come to visit him, but please bear in mind that he won't be released to a permanent home until his eye has healed; we estimate late February or early March, when he's about 14-16 weeks old. That is, if you don't mind adopting a kitten with only eight lives left.

Fritz is being fostered in the same home as Opal.

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A Kitten's Prayer

I ask for the privilege of not being born.
Not to be born until you can assure me
of a home and a master to protect me,
and a right to live as long as
I am physically able to enjoy life.

Not to be born until my body is precious
and men have ceased to exploit it
because it is cheap and plentiful.

...Author unknown

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