Sorbet was found wandering in the Villeray neighborhood at the end of summer. A kind gentleman took him in when he noticed Sorbet's thinness and difficulty walking and he contacted us. Upon intake, we discovered that indeed, Sorbet was extremely underweight and suffered from constant diarrhea. Since his arrival at the shelter, he has had numerous visits to the veterinarian. He is diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and hypertension. Recently, he was urgently hospitalized due to a thyroid storm, with his thyroid levels reaching astonishing heights. Additionally, he has a slight liver issue currently being treated with Zentonil. While his hypertension is well controlled with amlodipine, his thyroid remains unstable despite the Felimazole treatment administered twice daily. His dosage was increased at the end of November, and we will know during his next check-up at the end of December if his condition has improved. If his levels are acceptable, he will finally be able to undergo dental surgery. Despite gaining 500 grams of weight, a significant change for him, dental surgery cannot be considered until other aspects of his health stabilize. While awaiting the procedure, we will provide fluids as needed, especially in case of diarrhea, to prevent rapid dehydration. The challenge with Sorbet is to feed him gastrointestinal food for his intestinal health and to reduce diarrhea episodes, even though he doesn't find it very appetizing. Hence, we have to mix it with another variety he likes, without worsening his problems, but his preferences seem to change regularly. Sorbet was added to the sponsorship program to cover the costs of his numerous medications and specialized food.

Robin is a small cat of about 3 years old, who arrived at the shelter with his brother Joker in February 2020. When they arrived, they were both very fearful, but his brother made progress quickly, although it

was not the case for little Robin. Joker was recently made available for adoption, and we hope Robin makes enough progress to be available for adoption soon as well. The socialization team has been

working hard for more than two years to make them more comfortable with humans.

A few months after his arrival, we discovered that Robin has cholangiohepatitis. It is an inflammatory liver disease. Moreover, during his abdominal ultrasound, the vet found that he also had IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease), which is an inflammatory disease of the colon and intestine. He will need

to eat specialized food for the rest of his life, but if his IBD is well controlled he should be able to live his life as a cat without medication. Upon this diagnostic, and because of his shyness, he spent a lot of time in a condo, which is a small individual room at the shelter for cats in need of tranquility. We then made some adjustments by changing his environment to see if that helped him progress, and then last December we put him in a big room with 4 other cats who eat the same hypoallergenic food, and it was at this moment that Robin made a decisive encounter, the handsome Rocky. He has developed love for Rocky (that Rocky reciprocates). Thanks to his relationship with Rocky, Robin learns to trust us, we can finally caress him. They even look alike, Robin looks like Rocky's offspring. Last week, Robin went to see the vet for a follow-up on his liver. We had good news, his liver is stable and he gained 200 grams. Weight gain is reassuring, but still insufficient. Robin is indeed a fussy little cat in terms of food, but with his new friend Rocky we see that he has a little more appetite and we are confident that he will continue to gain weight. Robin is making great efforts to open up to humans, and his health is beginning to stabilize, but he needs your support since his liver requires constant veterinary check-ups and a specific diet. That's why

he was added to our Sponsorship program.

Balthazar arrived at the shelter in November 2019 with his brother Melchior, both 8-year-old, following the death of their owner. They were adopted separately soon after. Unfortunately, in October 2021,

Balthazar's adoptive parent contacted us to take him back, having worsening health issues, and preventing him from taking proper care of his cat. We therefore welcome him back to the shelter. After a visit to the vet, we found out that he had cataracts in both eyes and that he had a urinary tract infection. The vet told us that there was nothing to do for the cataracts, and Balthazar was put on antibiotic treatment for his urinary tract infection.

During his follow-up for the UTI (which healed well), it was discovered that Balthazar was diabetic. It is

therefore now necessary to take his blood sugar twice a day and give him 1 unit of insulin when his

blood sugar is above 15. Balthazar has lived a lot over the past two years, and we wish to find him a family to take care of him, but we know it will be a challenge. In order to provide him with the treatments and follow-ups he needs, we need support, which is why he has been added to the sponsorship program.

The sponsorship program was established to support the veterinary expenses of cats with chronic illnesses and lower chances of adoption. For those of you who cannot choose from our adorable residents, the Mystery Cat is here for you. If you decide to sponsor the mystery cat, you will receive updates and photos of a cat rescued from the shelter whose health condition requires significant veterinary care. You can follow its progress until complete recovery. Once healed, a new cat will take over as the mystery cat.