Help Draco - Special Needs Kitty

Draco Indrir Dezenym means Skinny Voiceless Dragon

Hello, my name is Brenda Jean

Short Version:

I rescued a kitten who is special needs. He's looking for a forever home with someone who has a low allergy environment, works from home, can afford pet insurance and a good pet sitter when needed.

My sister (Heather Russell) has funded his emergency and ongoing care on credit, which needs to be paid. All funds will go directly to pay for Draco's medical care.

Draco now has pet insurance, but not everything is covered, there are premiums and deductibles.

Draco is an adorable, sweet, determined creature. He wants to live and have a companion who can care for him. He needs support to accomplish this.

Long Version:

Spring of 2022, I rescued a kitten from a cattery I was helping out in during the pandemic. I could see that this litter was not getting the special care they needed to thrive, they weren't nursing, so I took them and bottle-fed them until they could be homed. The two girls did well and went to a nice home. The little brother continued to need supportive care.

Families offered to take him, but I didn't find a home that I observed being able to give him the care that he needed, which I had been providing. As time went on it became apparent that he sustained permanent disabilities, both structural and neurological. Still, he was a sweet kitty with a strong presence and passion to live.

He eventually was able to eat on his own, though he requires monitoring. He also needs help bathing.

As I travel abroad for work, I continued looking for the right home for Draco. I homed him last fall on a trial with the agreement that they would get pet insurance for him.

Draco was thriving and gaining weight in his new home. I came back from working abroad and checked in with them. They had some travel coming up and asked me to pet-sit him because the current pet sitter wasn't able to provide the additional daily care he requires. I watched him a couple of times. They went away for a long weekend, then were delayed due to snow, then again due to a fever. He was with me for more than a week during that cold spell when he became ill and was in a state of collapse.

I called my sister (Heather), who works in animal care, and we took him to an emergency pet hospital. It turned out that he did not have pet insurance as planned, and he had developed severe aspiration pneumonia and needed hospital emergency care to survive. The family was very upset by this news and expressed that they wouldn't be able to care for him. They offered a donation towards his care.

My sister, Heather, found and purchased an oxygen concentrator for him. We were able to support him through his recovery by supplementing oxygen and improving his eating and drinking habits.

The antibiotics the hospital prescribed helped Draco tremendously. He tripled in length within a month and became more playful and energetic than ever before. After finishing the prescription some of his allergies came back. He's had a total of 3 rounds of antibiotics. We've now been able to minimize his exposure, and the clear weather is helping a lot.

Draco now has pet insurance, but not everything is covered, and there are premiums, copays, and deductibles.

Draco has a sensitive respiratory system and needs to be in an environment free of mold, excessive dust, and perfumed or toxic cleaning products. I am in an old building and even with constant cleaning and air purifiers this is not the ideal environment for him, it has exasperated his condition.

One of the neurological disorders Draco has, which is common in neurodivergent beings, is the inability to perceive when he's full. This means that his food intake needs to be monitored very carefully, as well as water intake during meals. Water expands the food in the belly. If too much food and/or water is consumed he regurgitates, which can then lead to aspiration, and then potentially pneumonia. He becomes ravenously hungry but has to limit how much food he consumes at a time. This means he has to eat often and under supervision, using elevated slow feeders and shallow water fountains.

Another difficulty is a deformity (malocclusion) of his teeth, they are misaligned and push against the inside of his palette. This may require extraction of the canine teeth, which was vet recommended for reevaluation at 1 year. Most insurance policies don't cover dental or extractions. The ones that do are a higher monthly premium. At one year old the teeth typically stop growing and he may manage as is, but with the eating and breathing issues, it's a consideration whether removing the teeth would help his situation. Teeth removal requires sedation, which some vets don't believe is safe for Draco.

As Draco has been in recovery he has developed anxious episodes of purring, mouth breathing, and drooling. The episodes end suddenly with him wanting to eat, play, and behaving like nothing happened. I am working to rebuild his confidence while being home for periods of time when I'm away. I am also finding ways to help him come out of this state once he's had an episode.

Draco has a high level of consciousness, he looks you right in the eyes connecting and communicating with his gaze. When he's annoyed or wants to respond to you he will blow air out his nose in a huff. He also flicks his tail to express annoyance or impatience. He likes to be in the same room near you all the time. He will stand under your feet and rub on your legs. He likes to sit and sleep in his bed while watching what's going on. Draco knows he needs his human to care for him and prefers to be by their side.

Draco is companion trained. He comes to your voice and his name. He will walk with you. He goes in a sling, he will go on errands, walks, and to friends' houses. He is car trained and uses a car catbox. He will use any litter. He likes babies, cats, dogs, all people. He is afraid of loud energetic toddlers. He knows how to hold his own with dogs. He's not afraid of vacuums, blenders, or any loud things. He loves sweeping and playing with the broom. He goes in a backpack, stroller, etc. He has been on many canoe rides and even a paddleboard. He's been to the beach, parks, and long car rides (up to 7 hrs). He will adapt to anywhere you take him. He will smell the environment for about 30 min, then settle in.

When I have to travel, someone will need to care for him, and it's not fair for him to feel abandoned when I leave. I adore Draco, and if I had a more sedentary life I would keep him myself. He needs a homebody parent looking for an outlet for giving love. He is a loyal and dedicated companion.

If you feel moved by his story of determination and love, please offer whatever you can, and think about Draco's forever human who is certainly out there. He truly brings joy to those around him and has fought for his future, so we are too. Thank you!