Hi, I’m Josy, I’m the better (not) half of “Josy & Leon”. We were both rescued a couple of months ago from Jebal Ali Shooting Club after Maik spotted us there. Maik is a very lovely man from Germany and he was visiting Dubai on holiday. He was heartbroken to see us sitting outside the restaurant in the heat, begging guests for food. He was particularly worried about me as I looked like I had given up. Well it’s not much of a life, is it? Struggling every day to find food and shelter from the relentless Dubai heat?
To cut a long story short (or shall I say shorter since the story is not over yet), Maik contacted 38smiles and made sure we were rescued and promised us a forever home with him in Germany.
After Leon and I were rescued, we were taken to the vet by 38smiles. Leon is still a young fella and he quickly got the all clear from the vet. He was vaccinated and neutered and then it was just a matter of finding a flight buddy so he could fly to Germany. It didn’t take long and Leon is now happily settled in Germany with Maik and the resident cat.
Life really hasn’t been easy for me. At around 5 years, I’m older and a bit beaten up from having such a hard life just trying to survive. The vet did some blood tests and decided to put me under observation and wait for a few weeks before vaccinating me. After my buddy Leon left to start his new life in Berlin, I went back to the vet for another blood test and that is when the vet noticed my glucose levels were unusually high. I had also lost weight even though I have a very good appetite. A few days later I had another blood test and a urine test and was diagnosed with Diabetes.
At this point, we (38smiles, Maik and myself) were in shock and were not sure how we were going to deal with this situation. I’ve been told that in a few days I will have to start daily injections with insulin and I will need to have these for the rest of my life. Luckily for me, my current foster mum is a doctor, so she is not afraid of needles, but unfortunately, Maik is. He also has to travel a lot for work and that makes it harder because I would need a cat-sitter who is willing and able to inject me too. To complicate things even further, we are not yet sure how I will respond to the insulin and whether it will be safe for me to be vaccinated.
So, sadly, my story is yet to have a happy ending. Looking at everything, it may be safer for me to stay in the UAE. So, I am asking if there is a wonderfully compassionate adoptive parent who will inject me with life-saving insulin every day for the rest of my life. Have you had a diabetic cat before and know how it works? If not and you are willing to give me a loving home, you don’t need to be worried because giving injections really isn’t hard and the vet will show you how to do it.
If you personally cannot help with a home, can I ask a favour, please? Spread the word and share my story - there is someone out there with a heart of gold who will do what is necessary for me. It’s just a matter of finding them. Another way of helping is by contributing to my vet bill and treatment - contact us at info@38smiles.com or donate directly to 2 Feet 4 Paws (rather embarrassingly, my account is in the name of Josephine because they thought I was a girl!). Thank you in advance from this beaten up old boy whose magical happy ending is just out of reach… at the moment.