Latest Update – April 27, 2010:
The Turbo Report: Turbo has been sleeping around the clock, and for the first time in several years he slept past his normal 6:00 a.m. wake-up time, all the way to 8:30 a.m. This was just in time for a tiny breakfast, and a large regimen of broad-spectrum antibiotics and pain killers to help him get through this and then back for more sleep. He keeps trying to find a comfy way to lay, but with a broken hind leg there is no real comfortable position for him. He can’t walk right now but is hopping along as best as he can, without touching his foot to the floor.
The Iris Report: Lisa Ferguson and Neil Gray are still out beating the bushes for their missing Calico cat Iris. Here is the Iris Report, in their own words:
“So far, we’ve made and distributed flyers on parts of Elm, Boundary, Watauga, and Pace streets and gone door to door to talk with folks. We’ve also posted flyers on the phone poles for frequent walkers in the neighborhood to see. Based on your description of search patterns, we will expand the area to which we’re distributing flyers with her photo and our contact information, just in case she’s further afield than we expected and for folks who aren’t on the listserve.”
“We have had Leigh and Jerry Blow out with their dog Ella to try to track down her trail, and we’ll look in the areas that Ella’s found particularly interesting so far. We haven’t heard a peep about any possible Iris sightings yet, which is worrying certainly.”
“I visited both the Wake County and SPCA animal shelters yesterday and didn’t find her at either location. I will visit them again on Wednesday this week – and continue every 2-3 days as they recommend.”
“We’ve posted lost pet notices on Craigslist, and the Wake county site and will add more pet finder sites to our to do list today. We ask everyone to have a look around their yards, sheds, and underneath crawl spaces in the vicinity of Elm, Pace, Boundary, East, and Watauga – and probably should extend over to Franklin St as well. We’re keeping up the search and hoping that our cute, but scrappy, little calico cat will be found soon.”
“It’s encouraging to us to know that we have so many great neighbors who are willing to help in the search and that people are interested in the wellfare of not only other people, but their animals as well.”
“Thanks again for your help, support, and encouragement,”
Lisa and Neil
Please call owners Lisa and Neil if you see or hear anything about Iris, at their following contact numbers:
Home: 828-4348
Lisa work: 855-7515
Neil cell: 613-0345
For a quick reminder, here is what Iris looks like:
Update – April 26, 2010:
Lisa Ferguson and Neil Gray’s cat Iris is still missing…please continue to keep a look out for Iris!
We were called by Dr. George Ghneim of CareFirst Animal Hospital early this morning. Turbo is doing better after the surgery to repair his leg from the massive infection caused by the multiple bites from the wild raccoon. Turbo’s next challenge is fighting the infection, he has been on intravenous antibiotics, and has been prescribed additional oral antibiotics to bring things under control. Dr. Ghneim has also devised a mini cast/bandage to try to save his toe the raccoon twisted 180 degrees to break.
Looks like Turbo’s daily walking range is quite a bit further than we thought! Paula Cothren’s comment on this page, and several other neighbor comments in person during our extensive search for Turbo have led us to believe that Turbo has been fibbing to us when he says that he only walks around the back yard, and that he is staying very close by…honest.
Turbo came to us as a small cat we met in the Oakwood Park on Boundary Street. He was living with an elderly grandmother at the time who also had another cat named Coco (who later sadly died in a house fire). When Turbo locked eyes with my wife Kristine…that was it. He followed us home that day, and planted himself on our front porch. We took him back to Grandma many times, and then he would walk the two blocks back down to our home. We refused to feed him as we knew he had a home, and he refused to budge from our front porch. After 2 solid months of this routine we met with Grandma, and it was decided that if he truly wanted to change homes, we would take him in. We still remember Grandma cruising by in a 1970′s era General Motors sedan – the car slowing to an idle – and the electric window gliding down. “Turbo!!…I see you Turbo,” she would exclaim as he gazed at her implacably from his perch on his porch swinger that he had taken over. She was philosophical about his choice.
How much freedom to allow a cat is a tough point to deal with for an animal like Turbo. Like his father Flip, a legendary Oakwood cat who was also quite self confident and independent, Turbo is highly intelligent. Along with that intelligence comes a stubborn streak as wide as the Mississippi River at flood stage. Our attempts to convert him to indoor cat only status have been miserable failures – even when mentored by the venerable Dr. Joe Gordon. One time as a category III hurricane slammed into North Carolina, Turbo showed us that yes indeed he did know how to use the litter box we had set up for him. After the storm passed, he also showed us that he could hold it all for 6 days straight if we continued to keep that door shut and locked. He prefers to do his business outside like a dog.
We’ve compromised with Turbo by allowing him a certain amount of freedom. However, due to his age, he is now on a special diet from the vet that helps protect him from urinary tract infection. If all of you Turbo fans out there could help out by not feeding him that would be wonderful…although he looks great, and is still a large powerful animal…he is still an elderly cat by any vet’s description, and we have to be careful of his health. If he is able to overcome the trauma from the raccoon attack to resume his walks, and stops by your house, he is there because he wants to say hello to you. He doesn’t care about the food, and he is only eating to be polite…he has all he can eat here at home. Of course, our goal is to encourage him to stay in his own yard him so he is not exposed to more animal altercations, painful trauma and expensive vet bills.
Several people in the neighborhood have inquired as to whether they can help with Turbo’s medical expenses from this attack. Due to the severity of his condition, the damage to his leg and foot, and the two day’s in the hospital to stabilize his condition, the medical bills have been quite frightening. If you feel so inclined, click on the link below.
To make a donation for Turbo’s medical expenses, please click on this link. Please type “Turbo Donation” in the comments section. Thank You!!
Update – April 25, 2010:
Great news to report!!
Turbo was found today by neighbors 1 block to the west of our home behind their shed. He stuck his head out and they noticed him, saw he couldn’t walk (back leg mangled) and called animal control. Animal control scanned for a chip, saw our address and drove him right home. His back leg was injured and his foot was mangled with a couple of pads facing forward instead of backwards.
The doc, Dr. George Ghneim of CareFirst Animal Hospital, initially was afraid Turbo might have to have his leg amputated, but after taking x-rays informed us that Turbo was in luck – the fibula, the smaller leg bone, was broken and a toe was broken, both of which can heal on their own. One main concern is that Turbo also had a very large leg abscess which required a significant amount of tissue to be removed, and he will be on very powerful broad spectrum antibiotics to fight the infection. We doubt he would have survived much longer as he wasn’t able to move and the infection was quite serious.
We want to thank all of our wonderful, big-hearted neighbors who have been so helpful in our efforts in finding Turbo. We greatly appreciate all of the ideas and support we have received.
While we are thrilled to have Turbo back we are keenly aware that Iris is still missing. Please continue to keep your eyes open for this sweet Calico so we can help bring her back to her loving family.
Original Report – April 24, 2010:
Turbo, the mouse-catching mascot of Kristine Dittmer Photographers, has been missing since the morning of April 22nd after a terrible fight with a wild raccoon. He may be injured seriously, the fight was very bad as my husband Mel broke up the quarreling animals. We were unable to get a good look at Turbo to see the extent of his injuries as he ran from the scene of the fight.
Turbo is a 10-year old black cat. In the sunshine his coat can look reddish brown, especially along his body. In low light, he looks solid black. He is a long, solid cat – weighing in at almost 12 pounds, with not much body fat. If he is still able to talk…he usually has a big meow that he does not use much. Most of the time he stays pretty quiet. He can be just a bit disconcerting in that he will usually look straight at whoever is talking to him. Up until this horrible fight, Turbo has been a very confidant cat who has a strong sense of himself with a good lock on his world.
The raccoon was very large, I estimate about 25 to 30 pounds, and the fight was vicious, so Turbo may not look like the three photographs below.
Click here for a map showing where Turbo was found, the last known location for Iris and the escape path of the wild raccoon. The blue line represents the path of the wild raccoon as it left the scene of the fight with Turbo.
Again, here are three photographs that show how Turbo looked before the attack by the Raccoon:
Iris, another Oakwood Cat, has also been missing since Thursday night, April 22. Last seen in her back yard at 615 Elm St. We have no idea whether she was also attacked by the wild Raccoon, or if she is missing by coincidence.
Iris is friendly, generally not shy of people. She usually responds to the old standard – kitty, kitty, which is a favorite of hers. Crinkling a packet of cat treats, like greenies also works for her.
Owners Lisa Ferguson and Neil Gray, live at 615 Elm St, not far from Pace and Boundary streets, so expect she’ll be somewhere nearby.
Please call owners Lisa and Neil if you see or hear anything about Iris, at their following contact numbers:
Home: 828-4348
Lisa work: 855-7515
Neil cell: 613-0345
Here are three photographs of Iris so that you can get an idea is what she looks like:
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