With 2020 behind us, let's get into 2021. As always, thank you to those who follow us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr. I started working full-time in 2021 so I wasn't able to do much in the early months, but let's see what we have accomplished so far...
In February, I was asked by my friends at the Cedartown Library if I could make some videos for the Sara Hightower Regional Library System. This spans Cedartown, Rome-Floyd, Rockmart, Chattooga, Trion, and Cave Spring Libraries. This was a read-along video featuring me and Wyatt reading a book called I.Q. Goes to School which is actually a book that was donated for our Reading Rats program. I had a comment from a speech pathologist who actually used this video with her students and I am just flabbergasted. You can see her comment on Facebook here.
Our second library video that was posted in March, was for the Tails and Tales Adult Reading Program. In this one, we talk about therapy rats and what they do, talk about some of my favorite moments, look at some footage, and talk about rat tails.
We did a little collab with Pop Your Pup and have our own 10% off affiliate code for our readers: HEALINGWHISKERSPOP10. They have a lot of cute merchandise that you can customize with your pet's face. It took me FOREVER to find the right photo of Vincent for my shirt and they were so very patient with me. I highly recommend them! Check them out here.
Coral
Photo by Second Chance Heroes
One evening in April, Johnny says to me "I think Juniper needs a friend". We had been thinking about the inevitable as Wyatt was getting older and whenever that time comes Juniper would be by herself. I thought "Hm, maybe. but I think I would prefer a rescue or a retired breeder so that we can get the age similar." A day passed and I was browsing my Facebook and I came across this post from Second Chance Heroes. A year-old female black hooded rat with a missing eye just like Juniper?! The timing was insane. Unfortunately, SCH is located in Richmond, Virginia which is over 500 miles away.
I commented on the post asking if they did any kind of transport because Coral would be a perfect fit. I got a message from them saying they would ask around and see if anyone could meet halfway. The next day I got a message that someone could meet halfway, and then the next day someone offered to go all the way to Atlanta, and then the next day we had an offer to deliver her to our house! I want to give a big shoutout to RSJ Transport who brought her to us from Second Chance Heroes! This was their first rat transport and they had a lot of fun.
Photo from RSJ Transport
Coral was very scared when she got here though and it makes sense. SCH told me that Coral was a rejected feeder rat who was given to a family with kids as a pet. They kept her in a teeny tiny critter trail hamster cage with a small igloo and became scared of her as she got bigger and even nick-named her "scare". So going from that to a critter nation was a big change.
I started to gain her trust with baby food and snacks, but I have been bitten in the process if I push too far into her comfort zone. I either call her Coral or Miss Corra. I kept flip-flopping in the beginning so I decided to just do both and make Coral her full name, haha. She is really interesting as she doesn't want to be touched in the cage, but if you manage to catch her she will huff and puff but relaxes for a bit while you pet her. She and Juniper really enjoy each other and I'm so glad we adopted her!
Wyatt Passing
Late May, Wyatt passed on us. From our social media:
"Wyatt April 2019 - May 2021
It saddens me to say, but Friday evening Wyatt decided to go over the Rainbow Bridge to be with his brothers...
(Trigger Warning) Late last month we did this fun photoshoot for his 2nd birthday and I finally got around to editing it. In the last two weeks, Wyatt quickly developed respiratory issues, and even though we were on top of it and caught it early, it escalated fast.
We went to the vet last Tuesday and I had a sinking feeling that we were getting close to the end. He had started sucking in his sides and his energy was lower than usual. He didn't want to exercise, ate slowly, and stayed in the hides all day. We got some pain meds and antibiotics which Wyatt did not want to take. He was the worst at taking medicine, but him getting stressed out made him breathe harder which turned into gasping.
It would stop after a while, but Friday I came home from work, and Johnny had gotten the nebulizer out and tried everything. Wyatt was gasping and in general freaked out. The nebulizer helped a bit, but we decided we needed to go to an emergency vet since our regular vet wasn't available and he was struggling.
We start to get ready and I go to put Wyatt in the carrier. He tried to crawl back into my arms and he stopped gasping after some rapid tail twitching. I was speechless. Johnny and I sat on the floor sobbing and holding our little man as he left us.
He decided to leave on his own time. I'm still flabbergasted at the timing. I'm just glad he isn't in pain anymore and that he can run along with his brothers ."
I think what really got me was the timing. Literally, as I was going to put him in the carrier he had that stroke or seizure which ended his life. This was also my last day at the pet store job so it was just a crazy day of feels in general. I've only had one other rat who left naturally and that was Oliver and he also had strange timing. He passed within an hour of his euthanasia appointment with Jasper. It's insane how things end up.
Juniper's Gotcha Day
In mid-June, we celebrated Juniper's 1st Gotcha Day! From a feeder rat to living the good life, Juniper has it made!
In late June, our last library video was published. This was for their virtual summer reading program, Tails and Tales. This video is similar to the adult one, but I tried to explain things a bit simpler and we read Oliver's chapter from The Dog in The Dentist Chair by Peggy Frezon.
Back to School
In July, I announced that I was going back to college in the fall. I'm very excited as I withdrew around 10 years ago due to debilitating migraines. I'm going back for a business degree and hopefully marketing after that. We will see where this new adventure takes us!
2020 was really something! As always, thank you to those who follow us on social
media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr. For most of all
of 2020, I was working part-time and then full-time so we were less involved
with things, but here is everything that happened in the world of Healing
Whiskers during 2020...
Year of The Rat
2020 was the year of the rat so we celebrated with a big giveaway! We still have some YOTR merch over in our shops: Etsy & Teespring
In January, we were featured in an article in the magazine All Creatures. This is one of my favorite articles due to the quote '“My goal has always been just to make people happy,” she says. “If I can do it with a rat in my hand, even
better.”' This article did a really good job of summarizing my journey to
where I was at that time. You can read it online
here.
P.O. Box
We got a P.O. Box! I love getting mail and we still have this P.O. box up and running. Feel free to send us anything you'd like: letters, photo props,
anything!
Patreon
We ended up getting a Patreon to showcase behind the scenes and post all those
photos that don't end up being posted. You can join it today
here.
Wholesome Meme
I like to google myself every now and then (lol) and after searching for
"therapy rat" I came across this meme that someone posted on
Reddit. It really made my day and I feel like it is an honor for Vincent to be put into this meme format.
Color for a Cause
In March, we went to a non-profit coloring competition called Color for a
Cause at Mount Berry Mall over in Rome, GA. Different non-profits have the
same black and white banner that has to be colored with colored pencils and
then there are judges who decide the winner. This was our second year
participating (you can see our 2018 banner
here)
We ended up winning again and earned $250 for Compassionate Paws! All thanks
to a great team and the help of my
brother for
drawing a rat, dog, and pawprint on the front.
Xavier's Health Issues and Passing
Mid March we took Xavier to the vet after finding a large lump on the left
side of his face. It looked like an abscess and was drained, but after a
month is filled back up and turned out to be a Zymbal's Gland Tumor (ZGT).
He started to shut down so we made the hard decision to help him pass
over.
Live Therapy Rat Visit
At this point in late March, I was temporarily furloughed from my job due to
COVID so I really wanted to do something for those stuck at home. I decided on a "Live Therapy Visit" where we do a live Q&A. It was fun and we had a decent turnout.
In late April, was invited to talk about our work with fellow therapy and service
animal handlers who are featured in
The Dog in The Dentist Chair. It was really fun to see everyone and promote the book!
Wyatt & Franklin's 1st Birthday
The big boys turned 1 year old in late April! They enjoyed a muffin as well as some new wood chews.
In celebration of Therapy Animal Day on April 30th, Pet Partners invited me to their Facebook
Live to represent the unusual pet therapy teams. This was a lot of fun!
Online Reading Program
I participated in an online workshop with CAREing Paws to learn how to do a reading program online through ZOOM, but we never got any participants. At this point in time in late May, I was getting ready to back to work and I couldn't guarantee my availability, so I had to cancel this program. I think it would have been really fun and maybe future rat teams can participate.
Black Lives Matter & Pride Month
In June, we posted a BLM message as well as celebrate Pride Month. We got some backlash from both surprisingly enough but that's alright. We aren't afraid to stand up for what we believe in at Healing Whiskers!
Juniper
When I first started working at the pet store I had a feeling I would fall in love with one of the feeder rats. For the small rats, they came to us just weaned and they were oh so stinking cute! For the longest, me and my coworkers would pick another rat instead of this one-eyed gal who ended up being there for quite some time. She came to us that way and interestingly enough in my year and a half working, there were only 3 rats in total who came to us with one eye.
One of my favorite memories was when I was cleaning the bins and this little girl decided to leave and ended up falling into a mop bucket. I knew she was special. After some convincing, in mid-June, Johnny agreed to get another little one and we named her Juniper. Our vet told us that the missing eye was due to an injury after being born. Not sure what did it, but she doesn't care!
There is a place called Colosseum Escape Rooms in Rome, GA and I was referred by a friend when they wanted a rat to help promote their new escape room, Skinner's Box. They had a video idea of a maze and for the rat to go through it. I said sure and once it was completed we went to Rome in late May to shoot the scenes. I brought Kingston and Wyatt, but Kingston really hammed it up the most and ended up getting the role.
Black Lives Matter Sticker Fundraiser
In July, I had a great collab with my brother BiccaBee to raise money for the Atlanta Solidarity Fund. We actually did this on and off during the year and ended up raising $328! This was a lot of fun and I'm super proud of our community!
I kept track of where the stickers went, and you can see we went worldwide! Super cool!
Kingston's 1st "Caught Ya" Day
On August 14th we celebrated Kingston's 1st "Caught Ya" Day! Here is what I posted on social media: "Happy 1st "Caught Ya" Day to Kingston! Yes, I made rat pancakes... A year ago I caught this troublesome boy who was living in a friend of a friend's drainage pipe outside of their house. We weren't really sure how he got there, but I always assume he was a feeder rat who was released, as that happens. He was very difficult to catch and ended up being very skinny, with a broken, but already healed-up tail, and respiratory issues. His respiratory issues have been increasing as we now give him nebulizer treatments every day. He's a trooper and we love him so much!"
In August, I was asked by All Pet Voices to talk about how I memorialize my pet rats once they have passed for Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day. After Xavier passed, I actually went and bought a large planter to put him in and future rats in. Because we are renting and the ground is hard clay, I figured this would be a better idea and it has been so nice to have.
Since the video, I actually bought some mums and filled the planter with them! They are still alive as I type this and I'm very proud of that!
Franklin's Health Scare
In late August, Franklin gave us quite a scare. He was really lethargic, sucking in his sides, and not eating. He and Kingston had been neutered in July and since then their health hadn't been the best. By the evening he was back to himself, but we went to the vet the next morning just in case. They said he might have injured himself, but not entirely sure.
In late August, I was at work and Johnny sent me a photo of a YouTube video where it showed Jasper's cowboy picture in a video game. I was a bit shocked since my watermark was cropped out and it was being used in a video game. I was a bit miffed understandably, and I took to Twitter. I tagged the developer who responded immediately and he was super nice and understanding and said he would add us to the credits.
Rat Pawprint Masks
It took us a long time, but we finally got really great quality face masks! I'm actually still using that same mask a year later and it is my favorite! You can get it here.
Suicide Awareness Month
Here is what I posted on social media in mid-September: "September is Suicide Awareness Month. I took this photo last year of Franklin with Rev. Melissa Kean at the Blessing of the Animals at St. Peter's Episcopal Church. Rev. Melissa Kean died by suicide just a few days ago.
I didn't know Melissa personally and I actually only met her this one time, but I am utterly shocked and saddened to hear of her passing.
I'm not going to sugarcoat things. This year has been tough for many people. Doesn't matter what line of work you are in or where you live. That being said, your personal struggle is not insignificant. People are going to downplay your feelings and say "everyone is struggling right now" but that shouldn't keep you from getting help.
If you are able to, get some help from a mental professional. There's also the suicide prevention hotline (1-800-273-8255) and online chat (https://depression-chat-rooms.org/). If anything, do something that keeps your mind distracted, a.k.a. coping mechanisms. This could be listening to music, drawing, playing video games, watching YouTube videos, looking at memes, etc. For me personally, I watch TikTok and scroll for an hour or two.
Please please please reach out to someone if you are feeling suicidal (message our page!). You are an amazing person and deserve so much love. The world may seem dark right now, but you will survive this. You've survived this far and you are so strong. Please take care everyone "
Vincent's Cancer Diagnosis
In late September, we took Vincent to the vet to get a mass on his belly looked at and was told that it was an erupted malignant tumor. It was in such a bad spot that surgery would be very risky. We were given pain medicine and would call the vet when we felt it was time for him to pass over.
Kingston's Passing
Just a few days after Vincent's diagnosis. From our social media pages: "This week has not been very good and I'm sorry to be a bearer of bad news. We had to make a hard decision today and Kingston is no longer with us.
This morning Kingston was very lethargic and having trouble breathing. Our vet was kind enough to work us in. I'd seen similar breathing before and I knew the worst was coming. Our vet thinks that Kingston had a lot of stuff going on on top of his already bad lungs like heart problems and even bordetella.
We are taking everyone in on Monday for various checkups to make sure we have this under control. Franklin's lungs haven't been sounding too great lately and he has also lost weight since his neuter. Good news is that Vincent is doing okay for now. He had a weird reaction to his pain meds on his first dose but he is just fine in his own cage and space pod napping most of the day.
It's been really hard this week and as soon as I saw Kingston this morning I broke down. Rats love to hide their illnesses and when it's bad it can be too late. It's always when I'm tending to another sick rat that someone else creeps up and gets sick as well.
I'm going to miss Kingston. For those new to our page, he was found in Kingston, GA outside of someone's house in their drainage pipe. I spend weeks getting him out and if it wasn't for the home owner feeding him everyday he wouldn't have made it. He was super skinny and sniffily when we got him. A healed broken tail too. He was such a lovely boy who enjoyed head massages and interacting with others.
I know Kingston is sending all his love and telling us to be strong "
Franklin's Passing
Another couple days after Kingston's passing. From our social media: "I do not even know what to say. Our family had another unexpected loss today.
Remember Franklin's weird episode that one day in August? It happened again last night but he didn't bounce back as well as before. Last night he was breathing rapidly, sucking in his sides, and was very lethargic. He was able to eat a little in the morning and we already had a vet appointment scheduled. We had seen the vet last Thursday and told her that Franklin was acting similar to Kingston but not as severe so we were sent antibiotics to give him over the weekend. They helped perk him up and had less lung noises so I was very hopeful until last night.
We made the hard decision during our vet visit as Franklin was having a very hard time breathing and was in generally bad health. I knew the end game would be the same and I really didn't want him to suffer any more. I told him I was so sorry over and over.
Our vet isn't too sure what is going on. Might have been a bad sinus infection or something else. Both Kingston and Franklin's health started getting worse after their neuters. It could be that underlying issues became more present or they picked something up during the visit. We are actually getting a necropsy to help answer things and help us prevent it from happening to the rest of the crew if it is something like that, but honestly it would have spread by now.
So I did bring everyone in today to get checked. Wyatt has bumblefoot (Franklin was getting it too) and there isn't any reason for it besides it being genetic. No one besides the brothers have it and the cage is clean with no wire bars except for one ramp. So we got antibiotics for him and he also needs to go on a diet and get some exercise. I'll update you on that at a later time.
Juniper was sneezy so she is going to take Franklin's leftover antibiotics. Our vet actually thinks that her lack of eye was an injury and we can look into getting that socket completely closed up after she feels a little better. But overall she is doing really well.
Vincent is hanging in there. We got some more pain medicine for him and he is very active and still going. I've told him whenever he is ready to go we will be ready, but take your time if you need to. No rush. It's been a long week....please hug your rats and cherish the memories "
After extensive talking with our vet and looking at the necropsy there was some thought about Juniper bringing in mycoplasma. The necropsy basically said extensive respiratory illness, but no details about how it happened or why. We actually did get Juniper tested for myco and she came back negative surprisingly. Plus, we had thoughts that Kingston already had it. Our idea of what happened is that both Kingston and Franklin got bordetella (aka kennel cough in dogs) while they were under. They both got more sick after the neuters so I think this is the case. I think if I had to change anything it would be to get them neutered earlier, around 4/6 months like I did with Wyatt. Our vet said that sometimes underlying conditions come to head when they are under. So I think getting them neutered younger would have been the better bet than when they were a little over a year old.
We didn't get to do many therapy events with Franklin due to unforeseen circumstances, but the events we did were really great and I know the people we met enjoyed him. He traveled 279.5 miles for events, did 9 hours of therapy work, and met around 65 people.
Juniper's Head Tilt
In mid October after finishing up some antibiotics for a sinus infection, Juniper started to get a head tilt. Usually this is from an ear infection, or some kind of mass, or both. Our vet found a mass behind her right ear drum and drained it. After some more antibiotics, her tilt eventually went away and we haven't had any issues since.
Also in mid October, Kingston (and Vincent later on) was featured in Second Chance Heroes' "Heroes in our Hearts Tribute Fund". These are donations made to their rescue in honor of a rat and we are happy to be a part of it. You can read it here.
I was flabbergasted and honored to receive this work of art from Drusilla Kehl from The Illustrated Rat. She did an amazing job and it still brings tears to my eyes when I see it.
Vincent's Passing
Late October we made the hard decision to help Vincent over. Here is our social media post:
"Vincent
February 2018 - October 2020 Xavier's Brother Therapy Rat, Read With Me Therapy Career: 97 hours, 947 people visited, traveled 2464 miles for events
Vincent went over the Rainbow Bridge yesterday morning. Saturday I noticed that his weight had decreased significantly and he had chewed the mass that was on his belly. When I got home from work on Sunday, I found Johnny crouched by the cage with Vincent. Vincent's breathing was labored and he didn't want to eat or drink. We spent the rest of the day with him and scheduled to see the vet first thing in the morning. He managed to drink some of a nutritional shake and the only thing he would eat is a yogurt drop...his special therapy visit treat.
That night, I was getting ready for bed in the bathroom and I hear the song "Rocket Man (I Think It's Going to Be a Long Long Time)" by Elton John playing from the bedroom. I didn't think too much about it since Johnny likes to watch TikToks before bed, but this was the whole song playing so once I was finished I went to the bedroom to see Johnny playing the music video for Vincent while he was in his space pod on the bed. No explanation needed, this was such a touching moment.
We woke up very early and made our hour-long drive to Rome listening to Elton John on the way. Vincent was very weak and dehydrated and cuddled in my arms the whole way.
I'm very thankful for the Animal Medical Center Of Rome. Our vet thinks that the cancer spread to his lungs and urinary tract. We had him on pain medicine for the longest, but there's only so much we could have done. As everything was getting ready we talked about how much of an impact Vincent made on the world. He was, no lie, the best rat I've ever had. I couldn't have asked for a better therapy partner. We were a team and he did such a great job. He changed perceptions and inspired people all over the globe. I'm so proud of him.
We knew this day was going to happen and we felt pretty prepared for it, but it was still so hard. As I'm writing this tears are still falling. I've had 7 rats euthanized in the past but this one hits differently. Granted, Oliver and I were close too, but not like me and Vincent. He was a very special boy, my buddy, and therapy partner.
I know he has touched your lives at home too. I'd love to hear any stories or see pictures you have on how this little rat has impacted you."
An artist on Instagram named Kellomatic5000 accomplished a really awesome project for the year 2020. Every day they drew a rat! We were honored to be a part of #157, #164, and #276! You can see all of the pieces under the #oneyearofrats.
Retirement
Abby and Vincent looking at his accomplishments before heading to the vet.
So many things in combination made me realize that I was ready to put up my therapy rat hat, at least for now. I'm one of those people who loves to master something and then I'm ready for something new. Ready for a new adventure. I felt like I got to this point once Franklin became a therapy rat, but definitely felt it earlier than that. And it isn't just doing therapy work with rats, it is keeping rats all together. I've flip-flopped with it, but at this point at the end of 2020 I told myself I wasn't getting anymore rats. I've done a lot, but I'm ready for something new.
I'm still working on getting resources out there for those who want to do therapy work and I am always available through email (healingwhiskers @gmail.com) for those who have questions.
April 2019 - May 2021
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