Ruby

My story

Ruby ACCT-A-220676 is currently considered urgent and at risk of euthanasia due to medical concerns. Ruby must have confirmed placement with an ADOPTER or RESCUE PARTNER by SATURDAY, MAY 24TH at 10AM. Should Ruby’s medical or behavioral status change, her urgency and timeline for placement may also change. Due to being significantly overcapacity with animals and higher than usual intake, extensions are unlikely to be granted. If you are interested in an animal please contact ACCT Philly immediately. Due to limited space, timestamps may also be proceeded with early so it is imperative to let us know if you are considering adopting or tagging an animal. Ruby is a nine year old girl who was surrendered to the shelter for euthanasia on May 19th. When asked why they were requesting euthanasia for Ruby, her owner stated that she is no longer using the litter box. Ruby weighed 15.6 pounds upon arrival at the shelter and was found to be morbidly obese, which is thought to be the main cause of her recent change in litter box usage. She was also found to have dermatitis on her anal and vulvar area, as well as matted fur and dried urine, and after running bloodwork her GGT levels were found to be mildly elevated. With the help of a veterinarian-supervised diet, Ruby is expected to shed some pounds to hopefully regain her ability to use a litter box unencumbered by extra weight. Unfortunately, Ruby’s morbid obesity puts her at high risk of developing serious complications such as hepatic lipidosis in the shelter environment, particularly in conjunction with her elevated GGT levels. In order to avoid these life-threatening issues, Ruby must exit the shelter no later than Saturday, May 24th at 10AM. She is available for adoption with a medical waiver, or for placement with an approved Love Local rescue partner. VIDEOS Ruby being petted: https://youtube.com/shorts/PHR8ifr8T9k?feature=share Ruby being sweet then spicy: https://youtube.com/shorts/In2RWUQbQI4?feature=share MEDICAL INFORMATION Ruby’s 5/21 veterinary exam noted: “Exam Reason Notes: Owner Requested Euthanasia due to out of box elimination, cat is obese. Bloodwork is in attachments. See med memo. Objective: Eyes, ears WNL. Mouth - mild calculus and gingivitis. Skin - matting on caudal dorsum. Dried urine on hind end, perianal/perivulvar dermatitis. LN WNL. Heart, lungs auscultate WNL. Abdomen - tense, unable to adequately assess due to obesity. Ambulation not assessed. A bit grumpy but ultimately tolerated full exam! Assessment: History of inappropriate elimination. Morbid obesity. Perianal/perivulvar dermatitis. Slight GGT elevation. Plan: In house CBC/chem17/T4: GGT 8 U/L. To deny euthanasia request, as cat's inappropriate elimination is likely in large part due to morbid obesity. Clipped and cleaned hind end. Convenia 0.7 ml SQ (in case of ascending urinary tract infection as cause of inappropriate urination. Unable to collect a urine sample at this time). Okay to make available for adoption with a waiver. To urgently promote for expedited exit with a rescue or adopter within the next 72 hours, as cat's obesity (in combination with mild GGT elevation) raises the concern for development of hepatic lipidosis in the shelter environment.” Ruby’s 5/21 medical intake exam noted she weighed 15.14 pounds, had tartar, and appeared to have a spay tattoo. She was BAR during the exam. On 5/19, Ruby was briefly examined and was found to weight 15.6 pounds. Due to her stress level, the exam was discontinued to allow her time to decompress before further evaluation. BEHAVIORAL INFORMATION Per staff 5/21: “Went to visit Ruby - she was shy, curled up on the top shelf of her cat condo, but let me come in and sniffed my hand for a full minute. When she was done sniffing, she allowed me to pet her head and ears, and solicited more attention by rubbing her head against my hand/arm. When I went to pet her back, she gave a hiss and shied away, so I stopped trying to pet that area and just gave her a few head scritches. She seems like a very sweet, shy gal who just needs a slow and gentle approach.” Per 5/21 veterinary exam: “A bit grumpy but ultimately tolerated full exam!” Per staff 5/19: “Ruby was shy and timid when she first arrived. While I was trying to remove her from her owner's carrier, she would poke her head out and allow me to pet her, but was reluctant to come out. However, she did let me pick her up and lift her out of the carrier after a few minutes of coaxing.” Per staff 5/19: “Unable to do much of an exam due to demeanor and/or pain. gave Bupe/gaba, Pt had settled enough for blood draw (in attachments). Pt seems stable so thought it was in Pt's best interest to try and allow to destress with additional Gaba doses and try again tomorrow.” Ruby’s owner noted on 5/19 that she shared a home with small children, and that she “used to be a cat that played fetch, now she doesn't even want to be around people much.” They also noted that the inappropriate elimination issue had first appeared approximately six months to a year prior. ACCT Philly is located at 111 West Hunting Park Ave in Philadelphia. We are open for adoptions 7 days a week. Please visit www.acctphilly.org/adopt for details. If you are a rescue interested in pulling this animal, please email our lifesaving team, or visit here if you are not currently a rescue partner: https://acctphilly.org/acct-philly-love-local-partnership-program/ Confirmed placement is considered confirmation of an actual rescue pull. Possible placement, interested parties, and other "TBD" statuses are not considered confirmed and do not indicate an animal is no longer urgent. All animals at ACCT Philly are from Philadelphia, as the only open intake animal shelter in Philadelphia, we are not able to accept animals from outside of Philadelphia. ACCT Philly's Pennsylvania kennel license number is 08313.

If you have any questions or would like to adopt Ruby, please reach out to the adoption group directly. PetSmart Charities does not facilitate the adoption process. Thank you.