Fix Gizmo's Cleft Palate - CT Scan Dec 22nd

Hi, my name is Nikki and I am a teacher at a Title I charter school in the lovely Mesa, Arizona. The short version of this story is that I rescued a teacup Persian off the streets of Mesa and then figured out that it’s a miracle he’s alive because has a cleft palate the size of the Grand Canyon. This hole in his mouth leads directly to his lungs leaving Gizmo is at risk of aspiration and death. I'm doing everything I can to get him corrective surgery.

***Funds will be distributed directly to Carefree Dentistry and Oral Surgery for Animals*** https://animaldentalaz.com/

Even if you can’t donate, please follow on instagram @alien_gremlin_kitty

Help me go from this:

And this:

To this (24/7):

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gizmo's Journey

Between the border of Mesa and Apache Junction in October 2022, Gizmo the teacup Persian was found one day when he sauntered right up and meowed at a friend's son. Gizmo weighed 3 pounds, was heavily matted, starving, thirsty, and determined to survive. My friend's husband was severely allergic and could not keep this little creature, so I took him in. Why anyone would abandon such a loving and prized cat by dumping him onto the street is beyond me.

After I groomed, bathed, and brushed him, I took him to the emergency vet where they scored his appearance at a 4/10. Since he was a mere 3 pounds, I guessed he was 3 months old at most. Somehow, this little thing was already at least 6 months old!

A multitude of vet appointments later, Gizmo was up to date on shots, microchipped, fed very well, demanding water from the faucet, and constantly sneezing food particles all over my walls. His sneezing and constant running nose and eyes were attributed to his almost nonexistent nasal passage due to having a flat face.

I knew when I adopted Gizmo, the Persian Gremlin (I'm convinced he's actually an alien), that there was a ridiculously high risk for respiratory infections and a short lifespan. It seemed logical to budget the money and get him pet insurance.

What I was not expecting, a year after rehabilitating Gizmo, was to take a video of him yawning and realizing that he has a cleft palate the size of the Grand Canyon. What was even more devastating is that some heartless human left this innocent and defenseless little creature to die on the streets.

Kittens with cleft palates are frequently euthanized given their low survival rate. Those who do survive are hand-fed and undergo corrective surgery as soon as it is advisable to do so (not covered under insurance). The kittens that don't fall into either category...well, they die of malnutrition or food aspiration.

It is 1000% a miracle that Gizmo is even alive, let alone that he now weighs 4 lbs. The oral surgeon is absolutely stunned that he has not aspirated on food and essentially suffocated to death.

Ultimately, Gizmo is living on borrowed time and I constantly have to battle the anxiety that he is going to choke and die every time he eats or drinks.

Surgery is his best bet to live a full life and not die a horrific torturous death. I'm currently looking into ways to make extra money, but given the insane inflation, I'm still struggling. He first needs a CT scan to see how extensive the cleft is and the best methodology to fix it. Since this is a rare occurrence in cats, this type of surgery is not commonly done; especially for a cat who's full-grown.

My goal is to get 200 people to donate just $5 and that would cover a majority of the CT scan. If you could please help, it would literally mean the world to me and my little Persian alien.

Instagram: @alien_gremlin_kitty

Thank you and best to you all! <3