Kitty Medical Fund
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Hi there and thanks for considering helping!
About 7 months ago, two days before Christmas, I was laid off from my job.
This has, as you can guess, impacted us negatively and severely in many areas of our lives. Almost all of which I can find ways to deal with except for one:
My cats.
Specifically one who has a ton of health problems.
My first pet on my own, Atticuss is much like a son or a brother to me. He chose me in a way no other animal has and our bond runs deep.
How he came into my life
(A few weeks after he found me)
It was a chilly night in September 2008. We were having record rainfalls with flash flooding. At the time I lived in an apartment complex nestled back against a wooded area and a large creek that was a branch from the nearby river. The creek had flooded and so too had nearly all of the ground and parkinglots of the complex. Thankfully I was on the second floor.
I was in the middle of cleaning the kitchen when I heard the tiniest little voice and scratching at the door. I wasn't sure I really even heard anything as the rain outside was so loud. But then there it was again, even louder. Like a desperate, scared scream. Thinking it was a kid that might have wandered out of their apartment, I opened up my door to investigate.
And standing there wasn't a child, but rather a small four month old kitten, soaked to the bone.
He was skittish but he was also scared and desperate for shelter so he didn't protest much when I picked him up. First I checked with all the neighbors, but he didn't belong to any of them, so I took him inside and got him dried off and warm.
I didn't have much to feed him with except a can of tuna and some deli meat, both of which he scarfed down, along with half a bowl of water. I didn't have any supplies at all for him, but I did own a snake at the time. With a shoebox and coconut fiber snake bedding, he had himself a makeshift litterbox which he used immediately - odd for what seemed to be a semi-feral kitten. He then passed right out on my pillow and stayed there for the night. Fleas and all I let him. He needed it more than I did.
Since that night, he's been my best buddy. Through thick and thin, Atticuss has been by my side.
But not without his own issues.
(The first night, passed out on my pillow)
His health problems
-Fleas/flea allergy
He loved the outdoors, so I taught him to walk on a harness and leash. But with his long fur he was a flea magnet. Flea collars, shampoos, topical medicines... nothing was working and he was getting aenemic, so it was time for the vet! After a few months of RX meds, we got him flea-free. However, as I understand it, his infestation as a kitten and so much into his adult life made him particularly sensitive to flea bites, essentially developing a kind of allergy to them. So even if a single flea bites him and thats it, he breaks out into horrible itching to the point of causing himself harm.
This has happened every single year, as fleas in my area are simply unavoidable. He's never been infested again, but they will get in through the windows or tracked in on our shoes and eventually they find him. To stop his crazy itching, he has to go to the vet and be given a shot of cortizone more potent than what can be found OTC.
Well, it's that time of year again and I just don't have the funds. I've been barely keeping his scratching at bay with OTC cortizone ointment around the spots on his neck, but it's not very effective.
(I used to shave him to fight the fleas off easier)
-IBD/grain allergy
There was a spell a few years back where no matter what I was feeding him, he was puking constantly. More than just hairballs or the eating-too-fast kind of pukes. We did some tests and found that he had a pretty severe allergy to grains (this is pretty common in cats, actually! As obligate carnivores, they shouldn't have grain in their diet anyway.) but also had something called inflammatory bowel disease. Basically like the cat form of a human's IBS. His bowels are especially sensitive and can become inflammed extremely easily, causing him to vomit, have diarrhea, or both. It's been only recently that we finally got his food configured in a way that he can digest it properly... and it is not cheap.
Because we are a multi-cat household, I also have to make sure the food works for the rest of them, too. We went through many types of Science Diet, then to Blue Buffalo, then finally to Royal Canin. On average 1 bag (which is 1 month of food) is about $45. And thats not even the only food, just the base one that works on his tummy and is good for the others.
-Hyperthyroid
A routine vet visit found he had some enlarged thyroids. He's also been a touch underweight his entire life despite eating and drinking normally. After some x-rays and bloodwork, we found his thyroid levels were elevated. If left unchecked, he would essentially hyper-metabolize everything and slowly starve to death since his body wasn't properly absorbing nutrients. This is a special compound cream I have to apply to his ears twice a day. A month supply can run anywhere from $60-80. On top of that, there is only one pharmacy in my area that will do compound pet medications and it's about 15 miles away. Not that far, no, but for a single medication... 30 miles round trip is a bit much. I've been rationing what he has left be reducing the amounts applied just a bit, but I'm down to his last syringe. I absolutely cannot forgo giving this to him. I'll put it on my credit card if I have to.
-FIV+
We learned while he was still young he is FIV+. This is extremely common in cats, especially if they were born feral. In fact, all 5 of my cats have it. What is it?
For them, it's herpes. For us, it's a cold. It is quite literally a rhinovirus but in felines it manifests as herpes. From time to time he can have flare ups of it which are extremely uncomfortable for him. Constant sneezing until it's bloody, swollen sinuses, pus discharge from his eyes, decreased appetite and lethargy. If it is a small flare-up I can manage it at home with some Lysine added on his food. If it's a bad one he has to go to the vet for fluids and a stronger dose of Lysine. I never know when he might have one. But because he does have FIV his immune system is compromised, so even the smallest little bug can make him very ill.
-Anxiety
Believe it or not, cats can have chronic anxiety just like humans! Atticuss suffers from it and he is what is known as a "stress licker." Much like anxiety in humans can make us pick at our skin, pull hair, fidget, and many other things, it can do the same to cats. The most common is overgrooming an area. His is his belly and hind legs - they're bald! There is no cure for this, but having Feliway diffusers definitely helps him calm down. Which is great because the more he overgrooms, the more hairballs he gets. That isn't fun for either of us.
(cat butt!)
-Kidney disease
And this, folks, is the latest and worst of it all. Only a few months ago we got the diagnosis. For a while there, it was looking like he wouldn't make it.
It started off as urinary problems. He was having blockages due to some crystallized sediment in his urine. I had to take him in to an emergency vet at 4am one morning so he could be put under to get a catheter in and drain his bladder before it started damaging his kidneys. Anyone who has ever used an emergency vet knows they are very expensive. I had no choice, though. If it got to the point his kidneys couldn't drain, it would have made his blood toxic and he could have been dead in hours. He was unblocked, given fluids, monitored for 2 days, and finally came home.
1 month later it happened again, luckily while my normal vet was still open. Instead of cathing him again (which is extremely dangerous for male cats, they have very tiny urethras that can collapse easily) he was given an IV medicine to help dissolve the crystals and it worked.
My vet didn't quite agree with the cystitis diagnosis, though. It seemed unusual for it to happen so suddenly and when it was more sediment than actual large crystals or stones. I mentioned how he had been drinking much more lately, but I had thought it was related to his bladder issues. That was the clue she needed to run a blood panel on his kidney enzymes.
They came back literally off the chart high. If we couldn't get them under control, we would be looking at kidney failure.
So instead of focusing on his urinary tract, we switched to targeting the health of his kidneys. This meant coming in once a week for a month to do SubQ fluids to flush his system and keep him hydrated, and also getting onto a special RX food formulated for kidney health. So this is where the other food comes in. A 1 month supply of this runs about $55-60, not including the cans of wet food. It works though. With that and the fluids, we got his kidneys stable again.
However, kidneys and thyroids don't exactly get along. The thyroid medicine has a side effect of elevating kidney enzymes, which means we have to let his thyroid levels be a little on the high side for his kidneys to behave. It's a very delicate balance we have to maintain.
(His most recent vet visit, such a good boy!)
Since I lost my job, I've spent over $3,000 on Atticuss alone with his many vet trips, medications, overnight stays, special foods, ect. I will see to it that he has everything he needs before I do, even if that means I go completely broke.
But I don't want it to get to that point.
So anything at all to help is so appreciated. Anything I can put towards his prescriptions and regular bloodwork visits, anything to keep my best friend alive and healthy is all I ask for.
This fluffy goober means the world to me, and as long as I can help it I will keep him acting like a spunky little kitten.
Thank you <3
About 7 months ago, two days before Christmas, I was laid off from my job.
This has, as you can guess, impacted us negatively and severely in many areas of our lives. Almost all of which I can find ways to deal with except for one:
My cats.
Specifically one who has a ton of health problems.
My first pet on my own, Atticuss is much like a son or a brother to me. He chose me in a way no other animal has and our bond runs deep.
How he came into my life
(A few weeks after he found me)It was a chilly night in September 2008. We were having record rainfalls with flash flooding. At the time I lived in an apartment complex nestled back against a wooded area and a large creek that was a branch from the nearby river. The creek had flooded and so too had nearly all of the ground and parkinglots of the complex. Thankfully I was on the second floor.
I was in the middle of cleaning the kitchen when I heard the tiniest little voice and scratching at the door. I wasn't sure I really even heard anything as the rain outside was so loud. But then there it was again, even louder. Like a desperate, scared scream. Thinking it was a kid that might have wandered out of their apartment, I opened up my door to investigate.
And standing there wasn't a child, but rather a small four month old kitten, soaked to the bone.
He was skittish but he was also scared and desperate for shelter so he didn't protest much when I picked him up. First I checked with all the neighbors, but he didn't belong to any of them, so I took him inside and got him dried off and warm.
I didn't have much to feed him with except a can of tuna and some deli meat, both of which he scarfed down, along with half a bowl of water. I didn't have any supplies at all for him, but I did own a snake at the time. With a shoebox and coconut fiber snake bedding, he had himself a makeshift litterbox which he used immediately - odd for what seemed to be a semi-feral kitten. He then passed right out on my pillow and stayed there for the night. Fleas and all I let him. He needed it more than I did.
Since that night, he's been my best buddy. Through thick and thin, Atticuss has been by my side.
But not without his own issues.
(The first night, passed out on my pillow)His health problems
-Fleas/flea allergy
He loved the outdoors, so I taught him to walk on a harness and leash. But with his long fur he was a flea magnet. Flea collars, shampoos, topical medicines... nothing was working and he was getting aenemic, so it was time for the vet! After a few months of RX meds, we got him flea-free. However, as I understand it, his infestation as a kitten and so much into his adult life made him particularly sensitive to flea bites, essentially developing a kind of allergy to them. So even if a single flea bites him and thats it, he breaks out into horrible itching to the point of causing himself harm.
This has happened every single year, as fleas in my area are simply unavoidable. He's never been infested again, but they will get in through the windows or tracked in on our shoes and eventually they find him. To stop his crazy itching, he has to go to the vet and be given a shot of cortizone more potent than what can be found OTC.
Well, it's that time of year again and I just don't have the funds. I've been barely keeping his scratching at bay with OTC cortizone ointment around the spots on his neck, but it's not very effective.
(I used to shave him to fight the fleas off easier)-IBD/grain allergy
There was a spell a few years back where no matter what I was feeding him, he was puking constantly. More than just hairballs or the eating-too-fast kind of pukes. We did some tests and found that he had a pretty severe allergy to grains (this is pretty common in cats, actually! As obligate carnivores, they shouldn't have grain in their diet anyway.) but also had something called inflammatory bowel disease. Basically like the cat form of a human's IBS. His bowels are especially sensitive and can become inflammed extremely easily, causing him to vomit, have diarrhea, or both. It's been only recently that we finally got his food configured in a way that he can digest it properly... and it is not cheap.
Because we are a multi-cat household, I also have to make sure the food works for the rest of them, too. We went through many types of Science Diet, then to Blue Buffalo, then finally to Royal Canin. On average 1 bag (which is 1 month of food) is about $45. And thats not even the only food, just the base one that works on his tummy and is good for the others.
-Hyperthyroid
A routine vet visit found he had some enlarged thyroids. He's also been a touch underweight his entire life despite eating and drinking normally. After some x-rays and bloodwork, we found his thyroid levels were elevated. If left unchecked, he would essentially hyper-metabolize everything and slowly starve to death since his body wasn't properly absorbing nutrients. This is a special compound cream I have to apply to his ears twice a day. A month supply can run anywhere from $60-80. On top of that, there is only one pharmacy in my area that will do compound pet medications and it's about 15 miles away. Not that far, no, but for a single medication... 30 miles round trip is a bit much. I've been rationing what he has left be reducing the amounts applied just a bit, but I'm down to his last syringe. I absolutely cannot forgo giving this to him. I'll put it on my credit card if I have to.
-FIV+
We learned while he was still young he is FIV+. This is extremely common in cats, especially if they were born feral. In fact, all 5 of my cats have it. What is it?
For them, it's herpes. For us, it's a cold. It is quite literally a rhinovirus but in felines it manifests as herpes. From time to time he can have flare ups of it which are extremely uncomfortable for him. Constant sneezing until it's bloody, swollen sinuses, pus discharge from his eyes, decreased appetite and lethargy. If it is a small flare-up I can manage it at home with some Lysine added on his food. If it's a bad one he has to go to the vet for fluids and a stronger dose of Lysine. I never know when he might have one. But because he does have FIV his immune system is compromised, so even the smallest little bug can make him very ill.
-Anxiety
Believe it or not, cats can have chronic anxiety just like humans! Atticuss suffers from it and he is what is known as a "stress licker." Much like anxiety in humans can make us pick at our skin, pull hair, fidget, and many other things, it can do the same to cats. The most common is overgrooming an area. His is his belly and hind legs - they're bald! There is no cure for this, but having Feliway diffusers definitely helps him calm down. Which is great because the more he overgrooms, the more hairballs he gets. That isn't fun for either of us.
(cat butt!)-Kidney disease
And this, folks, is the latest and worst of it all. Only a few months ago we got the diagnosis. For a while there, it was looking like he wouldn't make it.
It started off as urinary problems. He was having blockages due to some crystallized sediment in his urine. I had to take him in to an emergency vet at 4am one morning so he could be put under to get a catheter in and drain his bladder before it started damaging his kidneys. Anyone who has ever used an emergency vet knows they are very expensive. I had no choice, though. If it got to the point his kidneys couldn't drain, it would have made his blood toxic and he could have been dead in hours. He was unblocked, given fluids, monitored for 2 days, and finally came home.
1 month later it happened again, luckily while my normal vet was still open. Instead of cathing him again (which is extremely dangerous for male cats, they have very tiny urethras that can collapse easily) he was given an IV medicine to help dissolve the crystals and it worked.
My vet didn't quite agree with the cystitis diagnosis, though. It seemed unusual for it to happen so suddenly and when it was more sediment than actual large crystals or stones. I mentioned how he had been drinking much more lately, but I had thought it was related to his bladder issues. That was the clue she needed to run a blood panel on his kidney enzymes.
They came back literally off the chart high. If we couldn't get them under control, we would be looking at kidney failure.
So instead of focusing on his urinary tract, we switched to targeting the health of his kidneys. This meant coming in once a week for a month to do SubQ fluids to flush his system and keep him hydrated, and also getting onto a special RX food formulated for kidney health. So this is where the other food comes in. A 1 month supply of this runs about $55-60, not including the cans of wet food. It works though. With that and the fluids, we got his kidneys stable again.
However, kidneys and thyroids don't exactly get along. The thyroid medicine has a side effect of elevating kidney enzymes, which means we have to let his thyroid levels be a little on the high side for his kidneys to behave. It's a very delicate balance we have to maintain.
(His most recent vet visit, such a good boy!)Since I lost my job, I've spent over $3,000 on Atticuss alone with his many vet trips, medications, overnight stays, special foods, ect. I will see to it that he has everything he needs before I do, even if that means I go completely broke.
But I don't want it to get to that point.
So anything at all to help is so appreciated. Anything I can put towards his prescriptions and regular bloodwork visits, anything to keep my best friend alive and healthy is all I ask for.
This fluffy goober means the world to me, and as long as I can help it I will keep him acting like a spunky little kitten.
Thank you <3
Organizer
Moki W
Organizer
Yukon, OK