Grey is a beautiful cat from Kuwait living as a colony cat outdoors. He was found on the street, a bit disoriented and confused, and with a worrying head tilt. The caretakers believed he’d be better taken care of fostered by Jen and Ian. They weren’t wrong!
Pokey Pot Pie Pals
Jen and Ian, the cat lovers behind Pokey Pot Pie, have a long history of fostering over 250 cats since 2010! Jen also volunteers at City Kitties Rescue in Washington, DC.
Grey arrived at the rescue barely able to move, and with an ear polyp that caused him to have a pronounced head tilt. The polyp also caused imbalance issues. Even though his condition seemed rather serious, Jen and Ian took him in.
Aggressive Shade of Grey. Images via Instagram
So far, Grey had only socialized with his caretaker, and trusted ONLY her, he didn’t trust other humans. So, it is no surprise that he didn’t immediately like Jen. In fact, he hissed and swatted at her whenever she was around. Jen recounts Grey’s behavior:
I have never in my life met a scarier cat. I had to use different sorts of things to be able to get close to him, [and] in order to get food to him. I needed to put some medication, so I had to come up with a strategy to do that without getting hurt.
She got a telescopic silicone back scratcher thingie (official name, we promise!). She started getting Grey to eat Churu off of it, to get him used to it. This little contraption helped Jen over the first leg of the journey, and soon enough, Grey let her scratch him with it. He started to also let her get close enough to feed him some Churu.
Nom Nom
At the same time, PPP were also fostering a cat named Philly Pokey, from a shelter in Pennsylvania (not to be confused with their other ‘Pokey’, that’s a different story!). Philly Pokey was a rather shy, but loving cat. They had the idea to introduce him to Grey. And they became best friends instantly!
Grey was very happy to have a buddy, and his demeanor changed for the better.
BFFs
He started letting Jen get close and even pet him, as long as Philly Pokey was around, relying on him as some sort of a ‘wingcat’. Grey started to trust Jen. You could even say that he started liking cuddles!
However, interactions aside, Grey still had a few more hurdles to overcome.
Just hangin’ out!
Total Ear Canal Ablation
Unfortunately, due to chronic infections, the ear polyp Grey arrived with at the shelter was a serious problem. Not only does the inner ear contain all the auditory sensors we all need to perceive sound, but also the semicircular canals, responsible for our balance. He was given an MRI that led to only one option. In his case: he was scheduled to undergo a Total Ear Canal Ablation and Bulla Osteotomy. This operation completely removes the ear canal and is done as a last resort. When chronic ear infection treatment is no longer an option to the patient, it must be done.
Although difficult, the surgeon does remove a lot of tissue, but there was a slight complication. The optic nerve was somewhat irritated, leaving Grey unable to blink for a while. His third eyelid was able to retract normally, which helped keep his eye lubricated for the time being.
Feeling a little woozy
Jan gave an update on their Instagram page saying the following:
This was a *very* big surgery and it’s going to take him some time to recover from it. When he comes home, he’s going to need to be kept separate from PP for a bit to prevent possible injury from co-grooming. We’ve got a lot to sort out and navigate, but we’ll get there!
I can’t wait to pick him up and give him a gentle kiss and light hug.
Grey back from surgery requires lots of cuddles.
After much needed care and love (feline and human!), Grey is looking and feeling better everyday. And he is also thankful to all of those who donated to help cover the cost of his operation. He found a much needed friend in Philly Pokey and also in Jan & Ian. And now both boys are up for adoption together, waiting to find their forever home. Cats as adorable and cuddly as both of them, don’t stay without humans servants for very long…
