I was doing my research fieldwork around the Bangi area in late November 2011, when I suddenly stumbled into a stray pregnant female cat. I was instantly attracted to her unique appearance, her face looked like a sad mime or harlequin. When i tried to approach her, she scuttled away. I saw something weird about the way she ran away, it was only then I realized that she has 1 missing hand, and the wound was still bloody & raw. Feeling sympathy for this 3-legged cat, I proceeded to feed & check on her for the next 2 days and nights. On the 3rd day, I successfully captured her & immediately brought her to the vet for treatment. This is her story..and mine. A story about Harlie, the 3-legged cat.

Friday, December 30, 2011

Harlie's bill at HVC is settled!

Salam semua.

Pada 27/12/11, saya telah pergi ke HVC untuk berjumpa dgn Dr. Joe. Kali ni, bukan untuk melawat Harlie (duuhh, sebab Harlie dah ada kat rumah haha) tapi untuk membuat pembayaran terakhir bagi melangsaikan bil rawatan Harlie.

Di bawah ni saya attachkan gambar resit rasmi dari HVC untuk pembayaran kos rawatan Harlie yang terakhir ni.

Last payment receipt from HVC


Jumlah kos rawatan Harlie yang masih tertunggak ialah RM615. Ini adalah berdasarkan anggaran jumlah kos rawatan RM1315 untuk rawatan dari 24/11/11 hingga 7/12/11 seperti yang telah dikira oleh Dr Joe sebelum ini. Dari tarikh 8/12/11 sehingga 21/12/11, semua kos rawatan & hospitalization Harlie telah ditanggung sepenuhnya oleh HVC (atas sebab luka jahitannya masih belum pulih & perlu dijahit semula & memerlukan pemantauan rapi). Terima kasih Dr Joe, Dr Nurul & HVC! :)

Selepas membuat pembayaran tersebut, saya masih mempunyai baki wang derma berjumlah RM393. Dalam masa seminggu lepas sebelum saya membawa Harlie pulang ke rumah, saya ada membeli makanan, pasir litter box, litter box & lain-lain alatan yang diperlukan untuk keselesaan Harlie. Pembelian tersebut berjumlah RM187.40. Jadi, baki wang derma yang masih ada pada saya sekarang ialah RM179.60. Ini akan digunakan sepenuhnya untuk membayar kos vaksinasi Harlie pada 4/1/12 yang akan datang ni & juga untuk membeli barang-barang keperluan Harlie pada masa akan datang, seperti makanan, pasir litter, etc.

Tempoh rawatan Harlie hampir-hampir sebulan iaitu daripada 24/11/11 sehingga 21/12/11. Lama kan? Syukurla dia dah pulih sekarang. Ni gambar2 terbaru dia :)

Harlie - her first day at our house 21/12/11 


 Harlie - first day at our house 21/12/11


 Harlie getting her sutures taken out - last day at HVC 21/12/11


 Dr Joe taking out Harlie's sutures, just before Harlie was discharged from HVC


This is how the sutures look like after they're taken out

Sekali lagi saya mengucapkan setinggi-tinggi terima kasih saya kepada semua penderma Harlie & juga kepada Dr Joe/Dr Nurul di HVC..tanpa anda & berkat Allah SWT this rescue would not have been possible! Terima kasih semua!

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Hello all.

On 27th of Dec 2011, I went to HVC again...not to visit Harlie (duhh obviously as she's at our home now, haha) but to finally make payment for the outstanding balance still overdue at HVC for Harlie's treatment. A photo of the official receipt can be seen above (1st photo from the top).

The outstanding balance still owing to HVC for Harlie's treatment cost is RM615. This is based on the initial cost estimate of RM1315 for Harlie's treatment from 24/11/11 to 7/12/11. From 8/12/11 to 21/12/11, Harlie's treatment & hospitalization cost was kindly borne by HVC (due to complications with Harlie's sutures, requiring a resuturing & close monitoring). Thank you for your kindness Dr Joe, Dr Nurul of HVC! :)

After making the final payment of RM615 to HVC, the balance of donations remaining was RM393. In the days leading to Harlie's discharge from the ward, I've made purchases for Harlie's food, litter, litter tray & other necessities amounting to RM187.40. Hence, the balance of donations still remaining with me as of today is RM179.60. This will be used to pay for Harlie's upcoming vaccination on 4/1/12 and also to buy her food & litter in future.

In total, Harlie spent almost a month being hospitalized at HVC, that is from 24/11/11 until 21/12/11. Quite a long time, isn't it? Well, I'm just glad she's better now.

You can see the latest photos of her above.

Again, I wish to thank you all of Harlie's donors and also Dr Joe & Dr Nurul of HVC. Without all of you & the grace of God this rescue would not have been possible. Thanks all!



Sunday, December 25, 2011

Penderma terbaru & terakhir ~ Latest & last donor ~ 22/12/11

Salam semua.

Beberapa hari lepas saya ada terima email mengatakan seorang insan yang baik hati bernama Julie Suzziana Suhaili telah mendermakan sejumlah wang kepada tabung Harlie. Terima kasih Julie diatas sumbangan anda itu! Saya akan update jumlah keseluruhan yang telah diterima selepas ni. 

Saya rasa sekarang eloklah jika saya padamkan kesemua maklumat akaun bank saya daripada blog ni. Ini kerana, walaupun saya masih belum membuat pembayaran akhir kepada Honey Vet Clinic (sebab Dr Joe/Dr Nurul terlalu sibuk sehingga tak sempat lagi nak kira bil penuh Harlie berapa), tapi saya rasa jumlah yang saya terima setakat ni sudah lebih dari mencukupi untuk membiayai keseluruhan kos rawatan Harlie. Jika ada lebih duit derma selepas membuat pembayaran terakhir kepada HVC nanti, saya akan gunakan duit tersebut sepenuhnya untuk Harlie, i.e untuk membayar kos vaksinasinya, membeli makanannya, litter sand, etc. 

Jadi, saya rasa sudah cukuplah derma yang kami terima setakat ni. Tapi, saya takkan menolak rezeki sekiranya masih ada insan yang baik hati & pemurah yang masih mahu menderma untuk Harlie. Dalam kes sedimikian, sila hubungi saya & saya akan berikan nombor akaun bank & details saya.

Sekali lagi, saya & Harlie mengucapkan ribuan..jutaan..setinggi-tinggi terima kasih kepada semua penderma! Kami sangat terhutang budi kepada anda. Semoga Allah SWT merahmati anda semua & semoga usaha kita ni diberkati olehNya. InsyaAllah.

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Hello all!

A few days ago I received an email from my bank. It informed me that a lady named Julie Suzziana Suhaili has donated such & such amount to the fund for Saving Harlie. Thank you very much for your donation Julie! Harlie & I appreciate your contribution very much. I'll update the total amount of donations received shortly.

I think now would be a good time to wipe all my personal & bank account information from this blog. This is due to the fact that even though I still haven't made the final payment to Honey Vet Clinic (because Dr. Joe/Dr. Nurul have been so busy lately they don't even have time to calculate the final outstanding amount I owe them), it is my guesstimation that the donations received to date is more than enough to cover all of Harlie's outstanding medical costs at HVC. If there is a surplus of donations, I will utilize it fully for Harlie's benefit, i.e for her upcoming vaccination, food & litter purchases, etc.


Hence, I think we have received enough donations for Harlie for now. However, I won't look a gift horse in the mouth and reject any individual who'd still like to contribute for Harlie in future. If that is the case, then please contact me directly here or on FB to get my personal details.


Once again, at the risk of sounding ad nauseum, Harlie & I would like to express our sincerest thanks & gratitude to all of our supporter & donors. We are hugely indebted to all of you. May God bless & keep all of us.


Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Harlie update - 16/12/11

Salam semua.

5 hari lepas, pada 16/12/11, saya pergi melawat Harlie lagi. Kali ni, ada 2 berita baik:

a) Eczema kat perut Harlie dah totally hilang
b) Harlie dah mula manja2 dgn saya - dah start main laga2 kepala dia kat tangan

Alhamdulillah :) 

Harlie pun tetap selera sgt makan & minum, walaupun dia tengah kene pakai e-collar. Yelah, sesetengah kucing bila kene pakai e-collar akan jadi depressed je dan akan kurang selera makan. Tapi syukurlah Harlie tak camtu. Dia perlu semua tenaga & zat yg dia boleh dapat supaya dia cepat sembuh.

Kalau anda lihat gambar di bawah, perhatikan perut Harlie dah takde lagi scabs (kuping) dari eczema dia tu. Tapi, cuba lihat pula kat jahitan luka amputasi tangan dia tu. Nampak tak bahagian tengah jahitan tu masih lagi merah? Kat bahagian hujung2 sutures tu macam dah nak pulih. Saya bertanya kat ayah saya (dia seorang surgeon), dia beritahu saya yang untuk kes Y-shaped incision macam yang dah dibuat kat Harlie ni, memang selalu jadi kes dimana bahagian tengah2 jahitan tu memang lambat/susah nak baik. Ni disebabkan kadang-kala tisu & kulit kat bahagian tu dah melalui proses necrosis sebab kehilangan bekalan darah/oksigen. Bila dah necro, maka kulit tu pun akan mati dan ianya takkan/lambat untuk bercantum semula.

Apa2 pun, mari kita semua teruskan berdoa supaya Harlie cepat recover 100% :) Terima kasih!

P.S: Oh, satu lagi berita baik! InsyaAllah esok Harlie akan di-discaj dari ward @ HVC! Tu pun kalau semua ok & jahitan dia dah boleh buka. Kalau semua ok, Harlie akan diberi ubat deworming & juga vaksin 4-in-1...pastu saya akan bawa Harlie pulang ke rumah :) Masa tu saya juga akan buat pembayaran akhir kepada Dr Joe/Nurul di HVC untuk kos rawatan Harlie. Resit pembayaran tu akan saya attachkan di sini kemudian

Nantikan update seterusnya :)




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Hi all.

5 days ago, on 16/5/11, I visited Harlie again @ HVC. This time, there were 2 major good news:

a) Harlie's eczema is totally gone
b) Harlie has started to trust me & has begun to show some affection - lots of head bumps from her on my hand!

Thank God!

Despite having to wear an E-collar, Harlie hasn't lost her appetite..good girl! We were quite anxious before, fearing that she will become depressed & lose her appetite once we put the E-collar on her. Well, apparently that's not so with this li'l girl :) Which is good, as she will need all the nutrients & strength she can get in order to have a swift recovery.

Looking at the photo above, you can see that the eczema scabs on Harlie's tummy has totally disappeared. Next, look closely at the sutures at her amputation site. Can you see how the sutures at the ends of the Y-shaped incision are almost healed? Note how the sutures in the middle part (the junction where the 2 arms of the 'Y' meets) of the incision are still reddish? I asked my dad (who is a surgeon) about this, and he told me that this is normally the case for Y-shaped incisions such as these, even in humans. It's because the tissue/skin at the middle part of the incision are likely to experience a lack of blood/oxygen, which leads to necrosis. Once the tissue/skin has necro'd, it will die..hence even when it's stitched together, it will be difficult for the tissue/skin to adhere together. Or else, it will take awhile for it to do so.

Well, anyway..let's all keep on praying for Harlie to recover totally soon :) Thanks all!

P.S: Oh, another bit of good news! God-willing, Harlie will be discharged from the ward @ HVC tomorrow! If everything is ok with her, of course. We're most concerned about her sutures. If that is ok, and the stitches can come off tomorrow with no hiccups, then Harlie will get vaccinated & dewormed..then I will bring her home with me :) If that happens, I will make the final payment to Dr Joe/Nurul @ HVC for Harlie's outstanding treatment cost, after which I'll post up the receipt here.

Stay tuned for more updates :)






Saturday, December 17, 2011

Update on Harlie - 14/12/11

Salam semua.

Maaf saya dah lama tak mengupdate blog ni, kira-kira dah nak hampir seminggu tak update. Reason being macam biasa la, terlalu sibuk dengan urusan & hal lain, i.e my research fieldwork. Hujung minggu ni will be the last day of my fieldwork, jadi insyaAllah lepas ni akan ada lebih skit masa yang terluang untuk bercerita tentang Harlie kesayangan kita :)

Update yang pendek je untuk malam ni. 3 hari lepas, saya ada melawat Harlie lagi di HVC. Setiap 2-3 hari kalau ada masa terluang saya akan pergi menjenguk Harlie di sana, dah jadi rutin pulak. Tak ada apa-apa sangat yang nak diceritakan...cuma syukur alhamdulillah Harlie nampak makin bertenaga, kuat & nakal masa tu. Haha, dia dah suka berlari sana sini & menyorok bawah kerusi & dalam kotak :)

Eczema kat perut dia pun dah hampir 100% hilang. Jahitan kat kawasan tangan dia yang dipotong tu pun getting better, tapi ada sedikit lagi bahagian yang masih kelihatan belum bercantum betul-betul lagi, iaitu macam dulu jugak di kawasan tengah-tengah luka tersebut. Pastu, bila tengok betol-betol balik kat sutures dia tu, kami nampak yang ada beberapa jahitan yang dah macam kene tarik. Rupa-rupanya Harlie masih lagi cuba nak gigit/cabut lagi sutures dia tu. Jadi hukumannya: Harlie dah start kene pakai E-collar! Warna pink lagi tu, heheh :p Sesuai la dengan dia, dia kan girl...


Eczema kat stomach Harlie almost gone


Harlie & her pink E-collar!

Tu saja untuk malam ni ya, stay tuned esok malam insyaAllah saya update lagi. Terima kasih semua!


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Hi all,

Sorry but it's been awhile since I last updated this blog. I've been swamped with work, particularly my research fieldwork. Luckily, this weekend will be the last day of my fieldwork so I'll have a bit more time to update this blog after that, God-willing :)

Nothing much to say tonight, plus I'm running out of time. About 3 days ago, I went to visit Harlie again at HVC...it's becoming a bit of a routine already, every 2-3 days if I have the time I'll drop by HVC to peek in on Harlie. It's getting so that Dr Joe & Dr Nurul can almost pinpoint the exact day & time I'll show up at their door, haha. Not much to say about Harlie, except that she's doing great..and thank God, she seems to be getting stronger, more energetic & even naughtier than before. She likes to run now, and also like to hide under sofas & in various boxes, lol.

The eczema on her tummy is almost completely gone, I'm happy about that. The sutures at her amputation site is also getting better, but as was the case previously, some parts of it (the middle part) still seem to be not 100% healed. The tissue & skin is somehow not stitching together well like the rest are. Plus, when we took a closer look at her sutures, we can see a few that are starting to come loose & unravel. We can only guess that our li'l girl has been going at them, chewing & licking the sutures. So we had to take a desperate course of action: put an E-collar on Harlie! And it's a pink one at that! :)

I think that's about it for tonight. Have to turn in. God-willing, I'll be writing more tomorrow night. Thanks all!


Sunday, December 11, 2011

Harlie running! - 10/12/11

Salam semua.

Pada malam 9/12/11, saya telah berjumpa dengan seorang hamba Allah yang baik hati bernama En. Husni. En Husni & keluarganya merupakan rescuer kucing stray yang amat berdedikasi, di rumah beliau terdapat lebih daripada 100 ekor kucing yang telah diselamatkan dari jalanan. Subhanallah. Saya berjumpa dengan beliau kerana beliau ingin bersedekah makanan kibbles untuk Harlie. Secara totalnya, saya telah menerima beberapa beg besar & beg kecil makanan kucing berjenama Artemis Super Premium daripada beliau, jumlah berat makanan tersebut mungkin mencecah 25-35 kg jugaklah. Terima kasih banyak-banyak En Husni diatas jasa baik & sumbangan anda. 

Oleh kerana Harlie masih belum boleh/gemar makan kibbles, maka saya telah mengambil keputusan untuk menyedekahkan makanan tersebut kepada Honey Pet Shop & juga rescuers/feeders daripada KTAJ (Kucing Terbiar & Anjing Jalanan). Moga-moga makanan tersebut dimanfaatkan sepenuhnya oleh mereka, insyaAllah.

Siang tadi (10/12/11) saya telah pergi melawat Harlie lagi. Keadaan dia semakin baik & jahitan baru tu pun nampak semakin pulih. Alhamdulillah. Beberapa gambar yang diambil hari ni menyusul di bawah:

Siapa yang tak jatuh cinta tengok muka ni? :) 


 Jahitan baru semakin pulih. Tengok tangan Harlie tu, ada banyak spots..macam Dalmatian kan? Unik btol.


Eczema kat perut Harlie pun dah kering & hampir hilang.


Lepas tu, Dr Nurul memberitahu saya yang Harlie hari ni tadi tiba-tiba pulak dah mula bermanja dengan dia! Heheh. Sebelum ni, dia langsung taknak manja-manja dengan sesiapa pun, sebab dia takut agaknya. Tapi pagi tadi masa Dr Nurul check dia, Harlie start gesel-gesel kepala dia kat tangan Dr Nurul! Heheh. Petanda baik ni..syukur. Maknanye dia boleh bermanja dengan orang, sama juga macam kucing-kucing lain..cuma memerlukan masa je.

Satu lagi...Harlie tadi berlari lagi, bukan main laju lagi! Kat bawah link kepada video Harlie berlari yg saya dah upload kat Youtube. Masa ni dia dah tak berlari laju sangat, heheh. Sebelum tu laju. Alhamdulillah, Harlie dah boleh adapt dengan keadaannya.


Ok, tu saje..good night semua. Terima kasih! Please pray for Harlie supaya dia cepat sembuh :)


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Hey all.

On the night of 9/12/11, I met a good samaritan by the name of En. Husni. Him & his family are really dedicated cat rescuers. They have more than 100 cats at home, rescued from the streets! That really is something that most of us will not be able to do. God truly is great. The reason I went to meet him was because he wanted to donate some cat food for Harlie. In total, he donated several large bags of Artemis Super Premium kibbles plus several other smaller bags of the same. Total weight of kibbles donated is about 25-35 kilos. Thanks so very much to En. Husni for his dedication & kindness.

Since Harlie still does not take to eating kibbles well, I've decided to in turn donate the food to Honey Pet Shop (HVC) and also to the rescuers/feeders at KTAJ (Kucing Terbiar & Anjing Jalanan), a very proactive cat & canine rescue group. I hope the food will be put to good use & will be used to benefit all the needy strays & rescues out there, God-willing.

Earlier today, 10/12/11, I went to visit Harlie again. She's in good overall health and is getting better by the day. The new sutures also seem to be healing just fine & as expected. Thank God. A few photos from today:

Really, who can't fall in love with this face?



New sutures are healing well. Note the spots on Harlie's left hand. Like a Dalmatian!



The eczema on her tummy is also getting drier & better. Most of them are completely gone or are on the way.

Dr Nurul also told me that Harlie has started to show some affection for her! Previously, she wouldn't come close to or be affectionate to anyone at all, but this morning while Dr Nurul was checking on Harlie in her cage, Harlie quickly gave her some head & cheek rubs. Good news, eh? Thank God. This shows that just like any other cat, Harlie is perfectly capable of trusting & loving people. She just needs time.

Oh, and Harlie is also quite a 'runner' now! She runs quite fast, although her loping gait while she does breaks my heart a little bit. Alhamdulillah, this means Harlie can fully adapt to her condition & that she's getting stronger by the day. Here's a video of her running that I've uploaded to Youtube:


Ok, that's all for now. Good night, everyone. Keep praying for Harlie so that she'll completely recover soon enough! Thank you!

What's up with Harlie?

Salam semua.

Dah 2-3 hari jugaklah saya tak update blog ni. Minta maaf ye, tapi terlalu sibuk lately ni, tak sempat nak tulis ape-ape update pasal Harlie. Dalam masa 2-3 hari tu, saya ada menjenguk Harlie 2-3 kali jugaklah, jadi banyak lah yang dah berlaku, cuma belum tulis je lagi :)

Ok, jahitan kat kawasan amputasi tangan Harlie telah dijahit semula oleh Dr Joe & Dr Nurul di HVC pada 7/12/11. Keesokannya, iaitu pada 8/12/11, saya telah datang melawat Harlie. Overall, keadaan Harlie masa tu adalah baik & jahitan baru tu pun kelihatan lebih bersih, elok & cantik dari yang sebelum ni. Kulit & tisu sekelilingnya tak merah & inflamed. Kulit & tisu lama yang dah mati dah dibuang. Bawah ni gambar Harlie & kawasan jahitan baru tu pada 8/12/11. Jom kita sama2 berdoa agar Harlie tak cuba cabut jahitan baru ni pulak :)


Pada hari yang sama, Dr Joe telah mencadangkan kepada saya agar tempoh hospitalization Harlie di HVC dilanjutkan selama 1-2 minggu lagi sehingga luka & jahitan baru ni betul-betul sembuh. Beliau juga amat berbaik hati & telah memberitahu saya bahawa extension 1-2 minggu hospitalization Harlie ni akan ditangguh sepenuhnya oleh HVC. In other words, saya hanya perlu membayar kos ubat-ubatan & hospitalization Harlie sehingga 7/12/11 sahaja. Dari 7/12 hingga 21/12 ianya adalah FOC. Alhamdulillah. Baik hati betul Dr Joe & Dr Nurul di Honey Vet Clinic ni, berdedikasi nak rawat Harlie. Maka, saya dengan berbesar hati pun menerima tawaran mereka tersebut. Mana lagi nak jumpa vet yang baik hati & komited camni, kawan-kawan? :) Memang susah la nak jumpa saya rasa. HVC memang the best :)

Dr Joe berbuat sedemikian kerana mereka nak lihat Harlie betul-betul pulih & luka/jahitannya betul-betul sembuh 100% then baru mereka boleh melepaskan Harlie ke dalam jagaan saya dengan senang hati. Selain daripada tu, Dr Joe juga ada sedikit risau sebab nampak gayanya nutrisi & pemakanan Harlie selama dia jadi stray sebelum ni memang tak elok. Salah satu gigi geraham Harlie dah reput & dah longgar, sebab kekurangan zat. Jadi dalam 1-2 minggu ni mereka juga bercadang untuk kasi Harlie makan vitamin & food supplement untuk memperbaiki keadaan nutrisinya.

Ok, on to the next update pulak....

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Hi all!

It's been a few days since I last updated this blog. My apologies, but things have been just crazy lately that I haven't had time to update all of you on Harlie's condition. Since I last posted here, I've visited Harlie 2-3 times, so yup, a lot has been happening..they just haven't been written yet!

Onwards...

Where did we leave off? Ok, so Harlie' amputation site was resutured on 7/12/11 by Dr Joe & Dr Nurul @ HVC. The following day, the 8th, I dropped by HVC to see how Harlie was doing. To keep it short & as succinct as possible, Harlie is doing good & the new sutures appear to be very well done indeed. They are drier, cleaner..and the skin around it doesn't look inflamed & reddish as it was before.  All the dead skin & tissue has been removed. Let's all pray & hope that Harlie wouldn't try to lick & dislodge the new sutures :) The above photo was taken on 8/12/11 and shows the condition of the new stitches.

Then, Dr Joe suggested that Harlie' stay at HVC be extended another 1-2 weeks to allow the wound & new sutures to heal & bind together completely. He also made me a very kind offer...Harlie's 1-2 weeks extension stay at HVC will be FOC & all costs from 7/12/11 (the date Harlie was supposed to be discharged) until 21/12/11 will be borne by HVC. Alhamdulillah. I am amazed by Dr Joe's & Dr Nurul's kindness & passion in making sure Harlie will pull through this completely. I do believe it's hard to find vets with that level of commitment to their charge. I can't say enough good things about them & HVC :)

They then told me that the reason they're doing this is so that they can be completely sure that Harlie is 100% healed. They said that once she's completely healed, only then will they discharge Harlie into my care. The sutures will also need to be monitored daily, something that I'm afraid I don't have the capacity to do myself. Furthermore, it seems that Harlie's nutritional condition is a bit lacking, sadly, One of her molars is decaying and has become loose. So in the next 1-2 weeks while she's there, they will give Harlie daily doses of vitamins & dietary supplements to augment her nutritional needs.

Ok, that's all for now. More in the next update.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Penjahitan semula luka Harlie - resuturing Harlie's amputation wound

Salam semua.

Short update je malam ni, macam biasa saya kekurangan masa. Rasanya saya tak sempat nak translate post saya semalam dari English kepada B. Malaysia, jadi saya akan cerita secara pendek je kat sini ok.

Kelmarin (6/12/11) adalah hari yang sepatutnya Harlie kena discharge dari ward vet di HVC. Tapi, malangnya vet mendapati luka & jahitan di kawasan amputasi tangan Harlie tu masih belum sembuh dengan sepenuhnya. Bagaimanapun, luka & jahitan kat tempat Harlie kene bedah C-section aritu pula dah sembuh, alhamdulillah. Kenapa luka & jahitan Harlie kat area amputasi tangan dia tu lambat sembuh? Haaa, Dr Joe & Dr Nurul bgtau saya ia mungkin disebabkan:

a) Harlie dah jilat & gigit jahitan kat situ, jadi ada yang dah tercabut. Mungkin sebab dia terasa bahangian tu gatal-gatal & sakit. Ada lubang kecik yang berair-air kat kawasan jahitan dah tercabut ni.

b) Kulit & tisu kat sekitar kawasan jahitan tu dah mati selepas Harlie operate emergency aritu. Jadi bila dah dijahit, tisu & kulit yg dah mati takkan bersambung semula.

Tu yang terjadi sekarang ni. Ada beberapa kawasan kat luka amputasi Harlie tu yang dah hampir pulih sepenuhnya, tapi di bahagian tengah-tengahnya memang belum lagi & masih tak bercantum pun kulit & tisu kat situ. Jadi, apa yang vet decide nak buat sekarang ni ialah untuk membuka semula jahitan amputasi tu (Harlie akan dibius & pengsan masa buat ni), buang tisu & kulit yang mati & kemudian menjahitnya semula. Proses ini akan memanjangkan lagi masa utk Harlie full recovery. Kalau sepatutnya sekarang dia dah more or less pulih, tp sekarang ni jahitan baru ni hanya akan dapat dicabut selepas seminggu camtu.

Sepatutnya penjahitan semula luka Harlie tu dah dibuat pada waktu malam 6/12/11, tp kerana Dr Joe & Dr Nurul terlalu sibuk dengan bermacam-macam kes sehingga lewat malam, maka ianya terpaksa ditangguhkan & hanya telah dibuat pada hari ni tadi (7/12/11).  Tambahan pula Harlie ada sedikit eczema pada bahagian perutnya. Tapi eczema tu dah hampir hilang selepas dah diberi ubat steroid.

Di bawah ni screenshot dari Facebook yg menunjukkan vet HVC memberitahu saya yang luka Harlie telah pun dijahit semula dgn jayanya.


Esok insyAllah saya akan pergi melawat Harlie utk melihat keadaan jahitannya tu. Harap-harap ianya akan baik dengan cepat supaya kami boleh membawa Harlie pulang.


*********************************************************

Greeting to all,

For our English readers, please refer to my post yesterday to see why Harlie still isn't home with us yet.  The procedure I mentioned in that post (removing the existing sutures at Harlie's amputation wound, removing dead tissue & skin & then resuturing it again) was supposed to be done on the night of 6/12/11, but since the vets at HVC were overloaded with other cases & because the sutures were getting a bit better after an application of steroids, they decided to postpone it. It only was done succesfully today (7/12/11).  Harlie's eczema also seem to be receding, mainly due to the steroid shot.

I'll be visiting Harlie tomorrow to take a peek at her condition, God-willing. I pray & hope that the new sutures will be healing well & fast so that we can bring Harlie home with us soon. Pray for her everyone :)

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Harlie can't go home yet :(

6/12/11

Salam & greetings to all.

I'm running out of time, have to go to bed soon and tomorrow's yet another early day. So sorry, but tonight's post will be in English only.

My wife & I were looking forward to fetch Harlie from HVC vet clinic today. Yesterday we went out & bought Harlie's litter box, her bedding, food containers, wet food & kibbles and that plastic basket that she likes to sit in so much. Late last night, I washed & disinfected the cage that she'll be sleeping in and also all the things she'll be using (litter box, food containers, bedding, etc). Don't want to take any chances with her getting germs from our home or other cats.

So earlier today, around 2PM, at my wife's behest I called HVC before we went there to fetch Harlie. Bad news. The vets told me that Harlie's stitches at the amputation site isn't healing as expected. Apparently, it's because the tissue & skin around the sutures have become dead tissue, due to the loss of blood & oxygen it experience during Harlie's emergency 6 hour procedure. So, the tissues & skin there are not 'stitching' together as they're supposed to. 

Over the phone, Dr Joe & Dr Nurul (Harlie's vets) recommended to me that the sutures at both the amputation & C-section site be taken out today, after which they'll evaluate the condition of the amputation site sutures. They're not worried about the C-section's sutures as the tissue there is healing well as they should. It's the amputation site's sutures that are problematic. Feeling worried & concerned about Harlie, I told them that I'll go to see them & Harlie at the clinic immediately. It's just a 10 minute drive from my place.

A little while after that, I got to see Harlie. Dr. Nurul told me that she's now more active & wouldn't stay long in her little plastic basket for long anymore. In fact, when Dr Nurul fetched Harlie from her cage in the ward, Harlie immediately jumped out of the plastic basket Dr Nurul put her in. This is a good sign, as it shows that she's getting healthier & is regaining her strength. In the consultation room, they showed me what's wrong with Harlie sutures at the amputation site. Apparently, the tissue at the 'extremities' of the Y-shaped incision that they made are healing well. It's just the tissue in the middle part of the incision that isn't. This is made even worse by Harlie licking & managing to dislodge one of the sutures there a few days ago. So, there's a tiny hole in the middle part of the Y-incision that has liquid seeping out of it (fearing an E-collar would make Harlie stressed more, the vets decided to apply some medicated cream to this tiny hole a few days ago). The tissue around this area is also reddish & seems to be somehow 'raw'. In short, not good.

Dr Joe & Dr Nurul then proceeded to take out the sutures at the C-section incision on Harlie's tummy. That was the 1st time I've seen anyone take out stitches before, it was a bit gruesome! Nevertheless, this went smoothly, as the tissue there has healed really well. Sorry, no photos today, as my usual photographer (dear wifey) didn't tag along as she isn't feeling well. 

After that, they slowly took out the stitches at the amputation site, starting with the ones at the edges or extremities. It can be seen that tissue at the edges are healing as they should, so Dr Joe were able to take out the stitches there with no problem. But then he decided to stop when he came to the middle part, as he's sure they will start to bleed again if the stitches were taken out. 

So in short, in the end Dr Joe & Dr Nurul decided that tonight they will put Harlie under general anesthesia & then take out the middle stitches. After that, they will reevaluate the tissue around the area. If needed, they will then have to remove any dead tissue & skin & then restitch. This is more likely to happen. Thus, Harlie will need to stay at HVC for another week while the new stitches are healing. The soonest she can come back with us will be this Friday, if the wound seems to be healing well that is. 

Although I'm disappointed that Harlie couldn't come back home with us today, I think this is best for her. I'm also reluctant to bring her home in the current state of the amputation site stitches, as I'm afraid I won't be able to monitor & check the sutures properly. I am not a vet, so I won't know what's normal and what's not. 

As for Harlie's eczema, it seems to be getting better but it's still there on her tummy. Dr Joe have tried to apply some topical medicated cream to the area but it seems to be having little effect. So they have injected Harlie with a strong kind of steroid just now to make the eczema go away. Hopefully it will work.

Below is a screenshot of the vets at HVC reaffirming that they need to restitch Harlie's amputation site. 


Please pray for Harlie to have a speedy recovery everyone! Keep her in your thoughts! InsyaAllah she can come back home with us this Friday (9/12/11)




Preparing for Harlie's arrival tomorrow

Hi & salam to all.

It's been yet another busy day for me & another early morning tomorrow, so this will be short. Just wanted everyone to know that tentatively Harlie will be coming back home with us sometime tomorrow! My wife & I will fetch her from the ward at Honey Vet Clinic in the afternoon and we'll bring her home for us to foster. Tonight I've just finished disinfecting her new cage & living quarters, can't take any chances with any viruses, etc that might be transmitted from my cats to Harlie. With her immune system in the current weakened state, we can't take any chances. Harlie will be totally isolated from my other cats, Snow & Mimi, in a separate room. I hope she would adjust well to her new surrounding & that it won't be too stressful for her & for Snow & Mimi too :)

Another spate of good news, the donations from the kind Singaporean donors (led by Kak Siti) have been wired to me. I'll go & fetch the funds tomorrow before picking up Harlie. Alhamdulillah! My everlasting & neverending thanks goes out to the kind donors, especially to Kak Siti for her time & effort in helping Harlie out.

Ok, I think that's it for tonight. Will update more accordingly later on when I have time.

Good night, everyone!

Monday, December 5, 2011

Harlie's last weekend at the vet

Hi all. Sorry but tomorrow is the start of the next phase of my research fieldwork, so I'll be super busy from now onwards. Hence, tonight's update will be very brief & shall be in English only. Real sorry about this but I have to get some shuteye soon, else I'll be like a zombie tomorrow morning...

Today I went to visit Harlie at the HVC vet at around noon. I brought in a stray kitten I found at a bus stop, someone abandoned him there it seems. He was all alone, scared & hungry. So I took him in to Dr Nurul at HVC for deworming, Spot-On anti flea medication & also treatment for some minor scabies (kurap) on his ears. Poor guy, he kept quiet all through the ordeal. Anyway, once Dr Nurul was done with the kitten, we turned our attention to Harlie.

It seems that one of Harlie's stitches have come off, probably due to her licking the suture site. The vets at HVC were ambivalent about putting an E-collar on Harlie as it might induce her to stop eating which will slow down her healing process. There was a small round hole visible at the site with clear liquid seeping out. Not pretty. The vets assured me they will do their best to solve this problem, either with restitching the dislodged suture or by putting an E-collar on Harlie.

In addition, Harlie has developed a form of eczema on the underside of her belly, due to her sitting in her litter box even after she has peed in it. This also causes urine burn. This is visible as yellow marks on her belly. With the application of a topical cream & antiseptic powder, this will go away in time, hopefully. When we bring her back home, I have to make sure she doesn't sit in her litter tray, and if possible the vets advised me to use a non-sandy type of litter, to avoid the sand particles getting stuck in her sutures. The problem is, they told me that Harlie refuses to wee or do number #2 unless she's given a litter tray with sand in it. Hmmm...what can I do then? Give her a non-sandy litter, she won't use it. Give her a sandy litter and she will use & also abuse it by sitting on it. Hmmmm. Thoughts anyone?

Here's a couple of photos of Harlie from today:



Good night everyone. Wassalam.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Update on Harlie - 3rd December 2011

Salam semua. Just a short update je malam ni, saya kepenatan & amat mengantuk sekarang ni. Had a very full day today.

Saya ke vet HVC petang tadi jam 6.30pm bersama-sama isteri untuk melawat Harlie, tp HVC dah tutup, jadi kami tak dapat melawat Harlie harini. InsyaAllah, esok pagi kalau sempat saya akan melawat Harlie. Rindu kat dia.

Tentatively, for the time being, Harlie akan di discharge from the ward at HVC pada hari Selasa depan. Sebenarnya, dia dah bole discharge pada hari esok iaitu hari Ahad, tapi oleh kerana saya amat sibuk & dah ada program lain sepanjang hari esok, dan kerana vet HVC tutup pada hari Isnin, maka Harlie akan discharge pada hari Selasa. Buat masa ini, kami akan membawanya pulang ke rumah & kami akan foster Harlie sehinggalah kami mendapat adopter yang sesuai & betul-betul komited terhadapnya. InsyaAllah. Kami juga sibuk menyediakan persekitaran baru untuk Harlie (membeli cage, tempat tidur, makan/minum, etc), kerana dia perlu di-isolate dari kucing-kucing kami yang lain di dalam bilik yang berasingan.

Wish her well, everyone! More updates to come as they happen :)

******************************************************

Greetings all,

Just a short update tonight as I'm completely knackered from a full & hectic day today.

My wife & I went to HVC to visit Harlie earlier today around 6.30pm, but turns out they were already closed for the day. So sadly, we weren't able to see the little girl today. God-willing, I will take some time off tomorrow morning to see her for a little while. Miss her so much.

Tentatively, Harlie will be discharged from the ward at HVC next Tuesday. Actually, she can already be discharged tomorrow (Sunday, 4th Dec), but due to my having a prior engagement somewhere else tomorrow, and also due to HVC being closed on Mondays, then it will have to be on Tuesday then. For the time being, my dear wife & I will bring Harlie back home with us & foster her until we find her a suitable & dedicated adopter. In the meantime, we will also need to prepare our house for Harlie's arrival. Since she will need to be 100% isolated away from our own cats, she will have to stay in a separate room and in her own cage. That means our to-do list contains her food, her bedding, her cage, etc etc.

Wish her well, everyone! More updates to come as they happen :)

Thanks to Harlie's donors from Singapore!

Salam semua.

Saya ada menerima berita baik dari kawan baik saya Kak Siti Sujiah dari Singapura. Beliau memberitahu saya bahawa beliau telah berjaya mengumpul derma ikhlas untuk Harlie daripada kawan-kawan & keluarga beliau berjumlah SGD240 semuanya! Syukur alhamdulillah. Saya amat tersentuh dengan dedikasi & kemuliaan tindakan Kak Siti Sujiah, bukan sahaja dia berjaya mengumpul jumlah derma yang sebegitu banyak untuk Harlie tetapi sebelum ni dia juga telahpun menderma untuk Fund for Saving Harlie. Walaupun tidak diminta/disuruh, Kak Siti mengorbankan masa & tenaganya untuk meminta & mengumpul dana-dana derma tu. An example of kemuliaan & kebaikan hati manusia :) Senarai nama penderma-penderma dari Singapura adalah seperti berikut:


1) Christine (Shiqi Xtin) 
2) Mumtaz Begam Aziz 
3) Anonymous
4) Elena Iskandar 
5) Sarini Hamid 

Dengan ini, jumlah derma yang masih kami perlukan untuk membiaya medical bills Harlie sudah menjadi RM0 :) In fact, jumlah keseluruhan yang akan diterima dijangka akan melebihi amaun yang diperlukan. Selebihnya akan digunakan untuk membeli makanan Harlie, membayar vaksinasinya dalam masa 2 minggu lagi & memberinya ubat deworming & lain2 ubat yang mungkin diperlukan.

Ribuan terima kasih saya ucapkan kepada mereka di atas kerana memberi sumbangan untuk Harlie. Dana yang diterima akan digunakan sebaik mungkin untuk manfaat Harlie. Semoga Allah SWT memberkati semua usaha kita ni, insyAllah. Harlie tidak mengenali anda, tak boleh mengucapkan terima kasih kepada anda, mungkin tidak berpeluang untuk berjumpa dengan anda..tetapi ketahuilah yang sumbangan anda ini telah memberikan dia peluang kedua yang terbaik.

*******************************************************

Hi all.

I've received some really great news from my good friend Kak Siti Sujiah of Singapore. She told me that she has managed to garner donations for Harlie from her friends & family members. The amount is to the tune of SGD240! Syukur, thank God. I am really touched by her dedication & generosity to Harlie's cause. Not only did she manage to collect such a staggering amount in donations, but she is also a previous donor to the Fund for Saving Harlie. Unbidden and at the expense of her energy & precious time, Kak Siti has obtained & consolidated the donations. That's a stellar example of the kindness & nobility the human heart is capable of :) 

The list of donors from Singapore are as follows:

1) Christine (Shiqi Xtin) 
2) Mumtaz Begam Aziz 
3) Anonymous
4) Elena Iskandar 
5) Sarini Hamid 

With their kind donations, the shortfall amount still needed to cover Harlie's medicall bills has fallen to RM0 :) In fact, the final amount of donations received is expected to be in excess of the total amount needed. Hence, there will be a surplus of funds. This surplus will be used to buy special food for Harlie, to pay for her vaccination shots in 2 week's time & also for her deworming & other medications she might need in the future.

My sincerest & utmost thanks & gratitude goes out again to all the kind donors from Singapore. The donations you gave will be utilized fully for the betterment of Harlie. May God bless us all for our efforts in helping this very special kitty who happens to be short of 1 leg :) Harlie doesn't know you, she can't thank you, she may never even be able to meet all of you, but know this..what you've given her is a very good shot at a 2nd chance to be happy & healthy in life. What more can any of us ask for? :)

Good night Harlie, good night everyone.





Saturday, December 3, 2011

Saying thanks to our latest donors!

Salam semua,

Harini saya & Harlie telah menerima sumbangan baru daripada 2 insan yang amat baik hati iaitu:

a) Azleen Ibrahim
b) Anonymous

Setinggi-tinggi terima kasih saya kepada mereka berdua kerana menyumbang kepada tabung kebajikan Harlie. Semoga Allah memberkati derma & jasa baik anda & memberi anda rahmah & barakahNya. InsyaAllah, ameen.

Untuk status terbaru jumlah derma yang telah diterima, sila lihat di sebelah kanan page ni atau lihat di bawah.

Sekali lagi, terima kasih banyak2 Azleen Ibrahim & Anonymous! :)

*********************************************************

Today Harlie & I received donations from 2 new donors, and they are:

a) Azleen Ibrahim
b) Anonymous 

A ton of thanks & gratitude to you Azleen & dear anonymous for making your kind donations to the Saving Harlie fund. May God bless you & grant you with his rahmah & barakah, insyaAllah.

The current status of all donations received so far is as follows:


Total donations received as of 2/12/11 = RM1158


Total paid as of 1/12/11 = RM55 (Dr Wong) + RM200 (Deposit HVC) + RM220 (2nd payment to HVC) + RM280 (3rd payment at HVC) = RM755


Balance of donations still in bank accounts as of 2/12/11 = RM403


Shortfall still needed to cover Harlie's medical bills = RM157


Again, our sincerest thanks & gratitude to Azleen Ibrahim & dear Anonymous for their donations! :)



Friday, December 2, 2011

Harlie's Update - First Day of December 2011

Salam semua.

Seperti biasa petang tadi saya & isteri telah pergi ke HVC untuk melawat Harlie. Rasa rindu sangat2 sebab semalam tak sempat nak gi jenguk dia sebab kekangan masa. Masa sampai kat HVC tetiba rasa macam mak & bapak nak gi tengok anak pulak, haha. Tunggu dalam seminit dua pastu Dr Joe bawak Harlie keluar dari ward..yup, dalam bakul favorite Harlie lagi :) Sebenarnya, diorang cakap Harlie ni yang taknak keluar dari bakul dia tu. Dia suka sangat duduk dalam tu, tido pun dalam tu jugak katanye :D Harlie Harlie...

Ni dia si gadis bakul :)

Berita baik! Harlie dah boleh berlari! Yup, lari dari kitorang. Hehe. Kitorang tengah berbincang dengan Dr Joe, tiba-tiba ternampak Harlie keluar sendiri dari bakul dia. Pastu dia terus berlari meluru menuju ke arah bilik dia kat ward HVC tu...ala, siannye tengok dia masa tu. Dia ketakutan agaknya, so dia larilah ke the only tempat selamat yang dia tahu, iaitu cage dia. 

Laju jugak la Harlie ni lari masa tu :) Sayu tp gembira hati saya tengok dia masa tu, sbb dah dibuktikan yang Harlie boleh adapt kepada keadaan barunya. Pastu kitorang berjaya menenangkan dia & masukkan dia balik kat dlm bakul dia.

Harlie sedang cuba melarikan diri ke bilik wad :)

Nampak tak macam ada powder putih2 kat luka jahitan dia tu? Tu actually is bedak Agnesia yang disapu oleh Dr Joe. Luka jahitan tu sebenarnye berwarna pink2 lagi, and masih macam berair sebab ada cecair keluar dari jahitan tu. Sebab tulah Dr Joe sapukan bedak Agnesia tu kat Harlie, sbb bedak Agnesia ni ada sifat2 antiseptik. Another great tip from Dr Joe :)

Bedak Agnesia (Source: wajuu.com)

Sebelum pulang, kami telah membuat bayaran ke-3 kepada HVC berjumlah RM280. Sila lihat post sebelum ni utk details. Terima kasih kepada penderma-penderma semua :)

Good night Harlie, good night semua! Teruskan berdoa supaya Harlie cepat sembuh & supaya terhentinya animal cruelty di seluruh dunia kita ni! Ameen.

******************************************************

Greetings everyone,

As usual, earlier this afternoon my wife & I made our way to HVC vet clinic to visit Harlie. We missed her dearly as we weren't able to visit her yesterday due to a lack of time & the haphazard nature of my daily planning. Once we got there, I suddently felt as if we were parents visiting their child, haha. Anyway, only had to wait for a few minutes while Dr Joe went to fetch Harlie from her cage in the ward. And then she appeared...in her favorite blue basket, of course. We were told that Harlie is the one who wouldn't get out of the basket. She would even sleep in it. Cute eh?

Dear Harlie

Good news! Harlie can now run! Although what she ran away from was us, I still find it to be quite an achievement. Imagine this: we were discussing something of grave importance with Dr Joe when suddenly I saw with the corner of my eye that Harlie was making her way out of her basket. She then proceeded to run towards the perceived safety of the ward, where she was at last thwarted by a closed door. My heart went out to her at this time, as I figured she was simply scared and wanted to go back to the safely & familiarity of her cage in the ward, the only place she knows as a safe haven for the past week or so. Poor Harlie...but still I was elated to see her running, as it's proof that she has become accustomed to her new condition :) Bravo Harlie! We then quickly calmed her down & put her back into her basket...

Harlie making a break for it

If you look closely at the first photo, you can see some whitish powder near her sutures. That's actually Agnesia talcum powder, applied to the suture site by Dr Joe as it has antiseptic properties. The suture areas are still a bit reddish & inflamed, and there was some sort of liquid seeping slowly out of the sutures. Dr Joe assured us that this is normal and it'd stop eventually. In the meantime, Agnesia talcum powder is the answer.


Before we went home, we made a 3rd payment to HVC with the sum of RM280. For more details on the current status of payments and donations, please proceed to my previous post. A hearty thank you from us & Harlie to our latest donors!

Good night Harlie, good night people. Keep on praying for a speedy recovery for Harlie for all animal cruelty to stop! I know that's a tall order but it won't hurt to hope & pray for it. :)






Thanks to our new donors :)

1/12/11

Salam semua.

Hari ni saya telah menerima sumbangan daripada 2 orang penderma baru, iaitu:

a)  Rosmaili Ibrahim
b) Nur Aqilah Zainal Abidin (Si Mokti Kiut @ FB)

Terima kasih Rosmaili & Nur Aqilah atas derma ikhlas anda kepada Harlie. Semoga Allah SWT membalas jasa baik anda dengan pahala, rahmah & hasanahnya, insyaAllah.

Maka dengan ini, status derma untuk Harlie adalah:


Jumlah derma yang diterima setakat 1/12/11 = RM1038
Jumlah yang dibayar kepada vet setakat 1/12/11 = RM55 (Dr Wong) + RM200 (Deposit HVC) + RM220 (2nd payment to HVC) + RM280 (3rd payment at HVC) = RM755
Baki sumbangan yang masih belum digunapakai setakat 1/12/11 = RM283


Petang tadi saya telah membuat bayaran yang ke-3 kepada vet HVC berjumlah RM280. Resitnya dilampirkan dibawah:


Ingin saya ucapkan terima kasih sekali lagi kepada semua penderma-penderma yang baik hati kerana menderma untuk kebajikan Harlie.

********************************************************

Greetings all!

Today I've received donations from 2 new donors, as follows:

a)  Rosmaili Ibrahim
b) Nur Aqilah Zainal Abidin (Si Mokti Kiut @ FB)

Our thanks goes out to Rosmaili & Nur Aqilah for their kind donations & show of support for our dear Harlie. May God bless you and keep you always.

With that, the current status of the Saving Harlie fund is as follows:

Total donations received as of 1/12/11 = RM1038
Total paid as of 1/12/11 = RM55 (Dr Wong) + RM200 (Deposit HVC) + RM220 (2nd payment to HVC) + RM280 (3rd payment at HVC) = RM755
Balance of donations still in bank accounts as of 1/12/11 = RM283


Earlier today, I've made a 3rd payment to the vet at HVC totalling RM280. The receipt is attached below:


Allow me to reiterate my sincere gratitude & thanks to all Harlie's donors. Thank you so much everyone for looking out for Harlie.