Gibson ("Gibby") Update!

Guess who we heard from?! Ok, the subject line of this post kind of gives it away ... Gibson's mom! She wrote in to Joa's Arc recently to let us know how well our Gibster is doing and we couldn't think of a better way to close the year off than by sharing it here for all the wonderful people who check in on the animals of Joa's Arc through our blog.

Gibson's mom wrote: Gibson is amazing. I can't even express it. He's the greatest cat ever. He's sweet, affectionate, quite the little cuddler, and totally hilarious. Just a total sweetheart, lovebug. He makes everyone laugh with his antics. When he's in the mood to play, he likes to crouch down behind things and then jump out at you. He's also the first cat I've ever know who'll actually play hide and seek with you! And he's got this cute little hop that he does when he's excited. It's adorable.

He's definitely special. We call him the little supervisor because sometimes he just likes to stare at you. Even if he's not in the same room, sometimes he'll just stare from the hall. Otherwise he likes to be in the same room with one of us at all times, just watching what we're doing. He sleeps in my bed and he even knows what it means when I say "time for bed Gibs". He'll follow me into my room and curl up on the right side, putting his head on the pillow that is very much his pillow now. He looooves cuddles and being nuzzled. He also loves kisses. He won't sit in your lap but he'll sit right next to you with his paw in your lap or wrapped around your arm.

Gibby also has this funny obsession with the bathroom. We don't know what it is. When you're in there, he likes to be in there too. If you don't let him in, or if anyone is in the bathroom, he will sit outside the door and wait for them to come out. Sometimes he likes to hang out in the bath tub, and I've also found him just hanging out in the sink. Strange, but funny and sweet. Like Gibson himself.

We went to the vet for a check up at the end of October and the vet said he was great. She was impressed with how sweet he was and the softness of his coat. He's about eleven pounds! A little chubby food hog, but we're working on that. I'm taking pictures of him all the time. I've attached some of my recent favorites.

One of those attached photos on her email is the photo featured in this blog post. Yay for Gibson and his awesome home!! Thanks so much for writing to us, Gibby's mom, and letting us know how well he's doing. You have no idea how much that made our holiday! Gibson certainly came a very long way from the extreme circumstances that brought him into Joa's Arc care and we are ecstatic to see that he is so loved (and still so silly).

Joa's Arc is wishing all sorts of happiness on you, readers, in the coming new year. Lets keep up the good work! Tweet This

Gibson Has Been Adopted!!

Gibson has been adopted! Well enough to find a home of his own, he did just that. He stole the heart of a local girl and her roommate. Gibson marks Joa’s Arc first adoption! Tweet This

Bake Sale Success! (and Introducing Nero)

What a great morning Joa’s Arc had at Bill's Wonderland of Pets!!!

After setting up our tables of information, scarves & baked goods and saying hello to the various kitties volunteers brought along with them, we had some visitors before we were even technically started at 11 AM. One of those visitors happened to be Rick C, Gibson's guardian angel (along with his wife Robin C, Gibby's #1 fan). It was Rick C's low riding car that Gibson smacked into all that time ago and it was Rick C who stopped his car instead of continuing on to work, saved little Gibson from the road and got him medical attention. Needless to say, this was a very emotional meeting because not only was Saturday Gibson's first public appearance with Joa’s Arc, but as you may know Gibby was just medically cleared and, after everything he's been through, is ready for adoption. I believe their adoration for one another is quite obvious in this photo Robin C took of the two boys together.

Another very special person came in as well to visit the Joa’s Arc crew. These two wonderful children are HUGE fans of Nennee! Huge, huge fans ... so much so that Stephen, the kind boy holding Nennee in the photo, has been doing all he can to raise money for Nennee's future surgery. So far Stephen has raised $142 dollars which he lovingly donated to Joa’s Arc Saturday. He made a can to set out in his dad's store, Kitchen Kapers in the Cherry Hill mall. He's hopefully adding another can at a different store location soon too! It was so nice for all of us to be able to meet Stephen at this event and to see his face when he got to meet Nennee.

Stephen is Nennee's hero and there's a bit of a back story as to how Stephen came to know about Nennee. You see, Stephen's family's kitty cat at home is a handsome black cat named Fozzy ... and who is Fozzy??? Fozzy happens to be the loyal and loving brother of our forever loved Joa who inspired this entire organization. Fozzy was Joa's protector while they were surviving outside on their own. So, in a long, round about way, we at Joa’s Arc have yet another reason to be thankful to Joa!

Look who else Nennee got to meet - the oh so popular and lovable, Elwood!!! That's right, the picture has me, Jen W, holding Nennee as she sniffs and checks out Elwood in the arms of his momma, Karen. It is no secret that Elwood is a big supporter of rescue efforts and Saturday he came out with his big brother, Montana the German Shepherd, to support Joa’s Arc. We were all pleased as pie to have them join us - along with Facebook friends, blog post readers, other rescue volunteer supporters and board members and the kind people shopping who stopped by.

Joa’s Arc had another kitty with us too at Bill's Wonderland of Pets: Nero the neurological cat from Camden County Animal Shelter.



Nero has been deemed "special needs" because of his condition: Cerebellar Hypoplasia. However, Nero is really just special. He uses his litterbox like a normal cat, plays like a normal cat and loves love like a normal cat ... he just sort of walks on his tip toes and occasionally tumbles over. Most importantly though, his condition will not worsen. This is the way he has been since he was most likely a kitten (we're really not sure since the poor guy was found wandering the streets of Camden like this) and as far as he knows, he's a regular cat - a handsome one at that too. Nero is for adoption through Camden County Animal Shelter. Please inquire there about adopting him.

Above is just another great photo from the day of Joa’s Arc supporters! We sold lots of cookies, cakes and yummy bread that day, along with some scarves and toys too. Aside from all the fun we had and all the great visitors, we were lucky enough to make a total of $374 that day too!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone for making it such an absolutely wonderful day.

To cap off this wonderful update, Bill's Wonderland of Pets will be allowing Joa’s Arc to do another fundraiser! Sunday, February 7, 2009, from 11 - 2 PM Joa’s Arc will be there selling scarves, jewelry and hopefully some chocolate covered pretzels. Keep in mind this is exactly week before Valentine's Day. Pretty jewelry for a good cause - I'm not sure there are better gifts of love for Valentine's Day than that!! Tweet This

Gibson's Ready for a Home!!

We’ve got great news! Joa’s Arc took Gibson for a re-check appointment to Dr. John at Tri-County Veterinary Hospital in Pilesgrove (We love Dr. John!). Not only did we find out that Gibson is a whopping 6 pounds now, but Dr. John also pulled some blood from Gibson to see how his status was. Remember, it was not long ago that we were told Gibson had non-regenerative anemia - basically his red blood cells weren't "resupplying" themselves..

Gibson’s blood work looks GREAT now though - totally normal!! The continued weight gain, lack of a temperature and repeated purrfect blood work proves that not only has Gibson defied the odds by surviving running into a car, but now it seems he’s proved us all wrong about his previous diagnosis! He’s still slightly special in the head (likes to turn to the right a lot and possibly thinks he’s a dog ~see photo~), but otherwise a completely normal kitten and now officially ready for adoption!

A great big thank you from Gibson and everyone at Joa’s Arc for all your prayers, good thoughts and positive vibes. Gibbie has proved to be one incredible kitten and whoever ends up adopting him will be very lucky indeed. Tweet This

Gibson Update & New Event

Gibson goes for a medical re-check this week - so far he's been a wonderful, healthy kitten running around and being a nut. Let's hope the vet gives the okay and he is officially past all the drama of the "cat running into car" incident.

Also, friends, note the new event posted:
Joa’s Arc will be holding a bake sale at Bill's Wonderland of Pets (804 White Horse Pk North, Magnolia, NJ) on Saturday January9th from 11am - 3 pm. Nennee, our special needs kitten from GCAS will be joining us and greeting the public. Bill's Wonderland of Pets is in a brand new location with a new building so come on out and check out the new store and pick up some baked items while helping Joa’s Arc. Tweet This

Gibson Medical Update

It seems our poor boy is currently in medical limbo at the moment. After recovering remarkably well from running into a moving vehicle, Gibson stopped eating and spiked a fever in his foster home. Along with a list of other things, including an enlarged heart (which is "normal" again now), Gibby was diagnosed with non-regenerative anemia - basically his red blood cells weren't "resupplying" themselves. Once we were told of the anemia, we were advised that the best place to go would be the University of Penn and that the best option as far as testing to find us answers would be a bone marrow test.

Up until this point, Gibby was being cared for the wonderful staff at the facility his rescuer Rick had taken him to when Gibson ran into Rick's car. We decided to seek a second opinion of our trusted Dr. John at Tri-County Veterinary Hospital.

This type of anemia would be classic for Feline Leukemia, however he has now officially tested negative for that twice now. Yes! We had him re-tested just in case. So, our only other theories were pretty poor - that of all the cats to run into kind hearted Rick's car, it was a terminally ill kitten whose life could only be prolonged with frequent blood transfusions, a painful procedure and only a temporary fix.

However, after seeing Dr. John we are now being cautiously optimistic about Gibby's condition.

Dr. John has a theory that Gibby had so much happen to his body at once when he smacked into Rick's car door that his red blood cells were a minor problem that fell to the bottom of his body's 'priority list' of things that needed to be recovered.

Right now, Gibby's temperature continues to remain fairly normal and he's eating - he's even put on weight! In a couple weeks, Gibby will be returning to our wonderful Dr. John for more blood work to see how his red blood cell count it.

His foster mom, Joyce, recently wrote: "I think Gibby is missing Petey (his neurological foster buddy who recently passed away; pictured curled up with Gibby in a cat bed), he wouldn't leave me alone while I was drying my hair: biting my feet, running in circles, attacking my legs, etc. So I threw a towel over him to see how long it took for him to come out. The result? ... let's just say Gibby would still be under the towel if I didn't remove it. Of course, as soon as I did, he was right back at attacking my feet. What a character!"

Keep your fingers crossed for this brave little guy. Tweet This

More On Gibby

The good samaritan who not only felt awful when Gibby ran into his car, but was caring enough to go back and grab Gibby out of the road when he saw he was still alive (and has continued to love Gibson) wrote to me earlier this week. I had to share it (with permission of course)!

"Jen...

He is just so special. I know all of them are. He and I met in rather extreme circumstances. Has been an emotional roller coaster to say the least. He is a tough little guy and just totally cute...

Thank you and of course JoyceM and Joa’s Arc for helping this sweet angel...

Little Gibby has taught me much of faith and courage, and the importance that every life has. Nothing feels better, I swear, when I see him. Knowing how far he has come from the day we met...

Thanks for all you guys are doing to help him. :)"

Also, here's the most recent medical update on Gibson: Gibby is doing well as of right now. The phone consult with a University of Penn cardiologist went well.

Gibson does have pneumonia. Also, his enlarged heart is minimal and only time will tell if he needs to see the cardiologist and have an ultrasound. Gibby is clear for discharge and will be coming home. He will be closely monitor by his foster mom, JoyceM, for any respiratory distress or change in behavior.

Keep Gibby in your prayers, they're working. Tweet This

Introducing Gibson ("Gibby")

Looking at Gibson (AKA “Gibby”) earlier tonight and hearing him purr as I stroked his little ears, it is hard to believe he was a ever feral kitten running wild … and not just running wild, but running wild right into cars. Yes, that is how Gibson came to us – hit by car … or the accident was more like car hit by kitten. Joa’s Arc doesn’t deal with cars and obviously you can imagine which sustained more damaged anyway, so tonight I found myself loving up and encouraging a small kitten to get better quickly.

Late into October this fall, an animal-loving person was on his way to work when a kitten ran out into the road. The poor driver tried to avoid the little furball, but there was simply nothing he could do … he felt the “thump” as the kitten ran smack into his car. As he looked back in his mirror, his heart sank further - the kitten was lying in the road. He slammed on his brakes and turned right around to get the kitten out from the road unable to leave even the lifeless body there. However, as he approached the kitten, he saw it move its little head. Stopping traffic from further injuring the kitten, he wrapped the kitten up in a towel and took it immediately to the nearest vet office, Greenfield’s Animal Hospital.

The staff at Greenfield’s immediately took the kitten, who was named Gibson by this time – ‘good guy driver’ had decided in his panicked rushed to the vet’s office that if the kitten was going to die that day, he was going to at least die with a name.

Obviously, Gibson was severely injured, but was in good hands. A thorough exam showed Gibson had a head injury and bruised lungs, but thankfully (and luckily) no broken bones! Although he was in critical condition when he arrived, there was a chance for Gibby. Thankfully, Gibson ran into the right car (an optimistic look at things?) – not only was the owner of that car a huge animal lover, but he was friends with people contacted to groups that work with Joa’s Arc. We found out about Gibby almost the same time he was entering the animal hospital.

After sending some good vibes and prayers Gibson’s way and the magic of the team at Greenfields, two days after entering their facility, Gibson was stable and ready to go into foster care to be monitored.

At first Gibson was very quiet in his foster home (with Joyce M of Joa’s Arc – ER nurse and special needs animal sucker), which was okay by all parties since he needed to recover! Initially this “quietness” included him just curled up like a snail when being held and needing some assistance and guidance to his food so he could eat.

When he returned to Greenfield’s for a re-check evaluation, the staff all greeted him and everyone was surprised he survived such a devastating injury. Gibson was given the okay to now to free roam for short periods in his foster home and it was noted that due to his left sided head injury, he walked in circles. Gradually day by day the circles widened and slowly he started playing and acting like a normal kitten. He loves to eat and eat and eat and run with his foster “sibling”, another kitten in his foster home, Pudd.

Currently, Gibson is back at Greenfield’s. His foster mom noticed that Gibson was not interested in his breakfast (very uncommon with this little food hog) and made a vet appointment to make sure everything was alright. It was there that they found Gibby had a very high fever and needed to be admitted. After a chest x-ray and blood work, it was determined that Gibson had viral pneumonia with a bacterial infection – not all that uncommon for recovering, getting a lot of fluids and on cage rest, but still… what an emotional roller coaster!! After all he had already been through and survived, Gibson again was critically ill. Gibson is currently receiving IV fluids, two different antibiotics and top notch medical care. Gibson is again eating well and loving all the staff at Greenfield's.

Gibson is in our program, Joa’s Arc because although he seems normal, we are not sure what his future holds due to his head injury. He is a special little boy that is loved my many – the Greenfield’s staff, his foster family, the good guy driver (who has attended ALL Gibby’s vet appointments with his wife in order to visit & love up Gibson) and the people that he’s met so far during these crazy medical adventures he’s been on.


Please keep Gibson in your thoughts and consider making a donation to Joa’s Arc for Gibby and the animals like him who we love helping. Tweet This