Saving Catcher, Help Bring Catcher Home!

Catcher is my 13-month-old, male tabby cat. He is very unique in that he sports a whopping 26 toes!! I am reaching out in an effort to raise the funds I need to pay for his life-saving emergency medical care, so I will not be forced to surrender him. You can learn more about my amazing boy, Catcher, in the final paragraph.

On Sunday, October 20th, 2024, Catcher fell critically ill. We found him repeatedly straining and desperately trying to urinate. We quickly realized what was wrong, something no pet owner ever wants to hear: our baby boy was suffering a complete urinary blockage! Something we knew could become fatal in as little as 2 hours! We rushed him to the closest emergency vet, which was 45 minutes away. They said our only option at that point was euthanasia. I fell to my knees, crying, not Catcher! I couldn’t comprehend how 90 minutes prior he was running around wrestling with his brothers, and now his only option was death? As a protective mama bear, I couldn’t accept that as my only option. I quickly ran outside to call other places for help. My very first call said they knew what needed to be done and could help! I grabbed him and rushed him another hour to Blue Pearl Emergency Vet in Tampa. They refused to let him die! They were able to insert a urinary catheter to flush out the blockage. It was a Sunday evening, and the goal was to get him unblocked and stable enough to go home and see his primary vet in the morning. Then the worst happened: we returned home around midnight, and he immediately re-blocked! We returned back to the emergency vet, and it was found that the blockage had now affected his kidneys. The blockage had caused a buildup of toxins in his system. The only way to save him was a 36-hour stay in ICU with fluids and a urinary catheter to allow urine to flow and time to try to break up the stones causing his blockage. The estimate for that was outrageous, but I was willing to give everything I had to save my baby. They told me he would have a 30% chance of re-blocking after his treatment. If he blocks again, I only had 2 options from there: a surgery called a Perineal Urethrostomy, or euthanasia. The cost of the surgery was upwards of $5,000. The surgery would reconstruct his male anatomy to turn it into something that closely resembles a female anatomy. Male cats have a slightly longer urethra, which then narrows quite a bit into the penis, causing males to be more prone to urinary blockage.

After his 36 hours in ICU, it went from bad to worse. We got him home and he immediately re-blocked! At this point, I still wasn’t accepting euthanasia as my only option due to financial reasons. Blue Pearl needed payment upfront for the surgery. I exhausted every single financial resource I had! I needed to act, and I needed to act fast! I reached out to the SPCA and explained my situation. They said they could help!! They were willing to perform the surgery, keep him in ICU for 2 1/2 weeks for recovery, and allow me the 2 1/2 weeks to retain the funds. After exhausting all of my financial resources, literally down to my last dollar, I am still falling short! Based on their estimate, I still need another $900, depending on if any post-surgery complications arise. They performed his surgery on Oct 23rd, and I am in a desperate plea for help to bring my baby boy back home to me!! If I am unable to pay in full upon discharge, he would be adopted out to the public and never see his family or home again. This was the arrangement we made in advance, when they offered to perform the surgery, and allow me time to try to retain the funds before discharge. I refused to let him die, so I begrudgingly signed their agreement. I will need to raise the additional funds by November 8th. If you could help in any way financially to get Catcher home, I would appreciate it and thank you from the bottom of my heart. My family has a huge hole in our hearts without catcher here. No donation is too small, anything will help. Would you possibly be able to spare $20 to help bring Catcher home? I understand we all just went through 2 tragic events in the state of Florida, causing so much loss for all. If you are unable to donate, I completely understand, but please, please, please just share this with as many people as you possibly can! I am also trying to collect funds to pay the remaining balance I have with Blue Pearl as well.

Anything that is raised above the cost of his medical care will be donated directly to the SPCA Florida in Lakeland. Thank you all for taking the time to read and share my story ♥️

His medical care, and financial need can be verified by calling the SPCA Florida, located at 5850 Brannen Rd S, Lakeland, FL 33813. 

His care is being over seen by Lani Kurtz, Shelter Operations Manager. Her name is pronounced Lae-Nee. 

Catcher is my 13-month-old, male tabby cat. I raised him from 4 weeks old. He is one very unique boy, who sports a whopping 26 little toe beans! Take a look at those mitts! Hence the name, Catcher. And boy oh boy does he live up to that name! Catcher has the biggest personality of any animal I have EVER met. His favorite thing to do is “catch” you! He gets up onto anything high, such as a dresser, and waits for you to walk by, then quickly reaches out to catch you! He will then grab your arm with his big ol' feet and pull it in for a pet. He uses both feet to hold onto your arm to ensure you aren’t going to stop petting him. Another one of his favorite activities is to hide as best he can and wait for one of the other cats to walk by so he can “catch” them as well. This usually ends with the other cat jumping straight into the air from being startled. I swear he knows exactly what he is doing. His sense of humor always keeps us laughing! My personal favorite though, is when he hides only his head and thinks none of the other cats can see him!! He is so full of life and spirit and brings overwhelming joy to our home and family. My entire life I dreamed of being a Mom. It’s something that was never able to happen for me, and unfortunately never will. Catcher is literally by baby boy. My cats are my children that I never got to have, and boy oh boy are they spoiled! I can’t imagine having to lose my baby boy, wondering forever what will happen to him, and knowing I’m not able to protect him and keep him safe for the rest of his life. There are so many cruel people in this world. Catcher needs to come home to me and be safe