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February 24, 2010

Tango: Love is a Good Lap and a Big Bowl of Water

One of the new "feline" loves of my life is adorable PAWS resident Tango. He's a gorgeous orange tabby who is always eager to escape the confines of his cage for some good, snuggly lap time. Let's just say that he has all of us volunteers -- who have discovered his loving and sweet nature, and his desire to be held like a baby -- wrapped around his cute little paws... (:

Kevin was holding him on Sunday afternoon, and Tango just couldn't get enough ... so he gently reached out to Kevin's hand and pulled it towards him so that he could rub his face against it. It was a sweet and amazingly tender gesture, and we felt so lucky to have experienced it together!

We have a hard time believing Tango hasn't been adopted yet, and think the main reason potential adopters aren't taking that final step is the fear of the word "diabetes." But while Tango DOES have a FORM of diabetes, it is NOT the one that involves sugar levels, insulin, and the like. The form Tango has, called nephrogenic diabetes insipidus* (see note below), will NOT negatively affect his lifespan or quality of life, and requires only that he always have access to plenty of water to drink. That's all. :)

If we didn't already have the number of kitties we have at our modest home, we'd take Tango in a heartbeat! Now, if we can only convince someone to open their heart and home to this sweet boy...

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* Here's a note from the vet who diagnosed Tango:

"Tango has nephrogenic diabetes insipidus. This means his kidneys do not respond to ADH (anti-diuretic hormone), which is produced by the pituitary gland in the brain and for which receptors are found on the kidneys. The function of ADH is to tell the kidneys to re-absorb water, but for whatever reason, the receptors on Tango's kidneys are not functioning. As a result, he loses quite a bit of water through his urine (this is why he drinks and urinates a lot). There is no medication for nephrogenic diabetes insipidus, and no way for us to get his kidneys to respond to ADH. But the bottom line is that as long as Tango has free access to water he will do just fine. He will always drink and urinate excessively, but this should not impact his lifespan or quality of life."

30 comments:

  1. i would love to have a sweet and affectionate kitty like tango in my life!! if it was my hand he had reached out to and rubbed his face on, i think i would've cried with happiness :)

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  2. Tango sounds sweeter than sweet. We are sending purrs that his perfect family will come along very soon.

    It makes us a bit sad when people don't want to look at kitties who aren't "perfect".

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  3. We are so sorry for Tango... However we will keep purring and praying for him... Hope he will gets a home sweet home :)

    * Please stop at our blog and do accept our special card as our most sincere gratitude and love for your support... Thanks & take care

    ~purrs & hugs~

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  4. I hope the right person comes along and sees what a wonderful kitty Tango is!

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  5. We sure hope someone great comes through for sweet Tango!!

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  6. Aw, what a love bug he seems to be. We hope he finds his forever home soon. Sending him lots of purrs and Light.

    -The Fuzzy Tales crew

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  7. Awwww, what a sweet looking kitty Tango is. We sure hope he finds his furever home very quickly (you *sure* you don't have room for just one more?? :D ). We're sending purrrrrs to the handsome boy!

    Purrs and hugs,
    The Kitty Krew

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  8. Oh, he's a major sweetheart! We have a special spot in our hearts for the orange ones in this house. We'll keep purraying for him to find a good home quickly.

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  9. Tango is so sweet! We hope he gets a forever home soon...how could anyone resist that little boy?

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  10. OH how adorable!!! I wish I had job...

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  11. Tango is a lovely ManCat:) We hope that he gets a furever home real soon.

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  12. What a handsome guy!! We sure hope he can find a furever home!

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  13. Such a special big orange man cat, with a winning personality... we believe there will be someone special in Tango's future.

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  14. He is so sweet and what a wonderful photo! He obviously likes a good lap to curl up on. I'll have to stop in to visit this happy guy soon!

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  15. Ow....
    Sweety Tango
    You need the best !!!!!
    I hope you will find a wonderful home
    I will purrrr.... for you
    Hugs Love kareltje =^.^=

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  16. With that sweet face and lap loving personality, it's just a matter of time until the right folks come along. Paws are crossed for sweet Tango.

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  17. Thank you for visiting our blog and coming by Sukki's birthday party!...This is a wonderful site with so many sweet babies!

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  18. Tango is adorable and we are sure he will find a loving forever home soon. Who could resist such a gorjuss ginger floofy boy!

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  19. Oh hope Tango finds a home. I bet he will.He sure is a handsome cat.

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  20. Thank you for commenting on my blog. I like yours, too! I sure hope sweet Tango finds a nice home soon. You sure do make him sound like a lovely boy!

    Cokie the Cat
    =^..^=

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  21. Oh Tango you precious dear boy. May you find a forever home. I love you already darling boy.

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  22. Somebody will want Tango - interesting about his type of diabetes. Always more to learn!

    The Cats of Wildcat Woods

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  23. Im still praying that Tango gets a good home.

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  24. I want Tango to have a good snuggly lap to be on. Please adopt him, some kind human.

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  25. The tenderness shows in his face. Oh Tango, we are convinced that very soon someone will fall for you and adopt you. Good luck and keep us updated!

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  26. I would take that darling if only I could. I have had (and have presently) a little girl with problems.

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  27. Tango is gorgeous. We hope that some understanding humans offer him a great home soon. We didn't know about this type of diabetes. We wonder if it has another name and this could be used when first telling prospective forever home people about his condition, so it doesn't scare them off?

    Tango is 100% orangey goodness. We love him.

    Whicky Wuudler

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  28. Oh, we hope Tango gets a home soon. At least he is being spoiled until then.

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