Found@60 Days: Buddy Needs Diagnosis & Treatment

Buddy is my 11 &1/2yo cat. Rescued from a storage unit, he's been my best bud since 9wks old. Grateful for life, he enjoys it fully. He is pure love and joy. He loves dogs, people, and me like I've never been loved before.

3:30am, 8/27/22, BudBud spooked during a thunderstorm. His BFF Benji, our senior rescue dog, was also spooked and urgently going outside. Thunder cracked. Buddy shot out the screen door and through a gap in the fence in 2 seconds. A totally indoor cat, he's never gone outside before. Black cat into black night. We walked. We called, constantly. We did all the tips to lure him back --the tips worked because I met every cat in the area. But no Bud. I kept a counter on Facebook. Friends shared his "missing" posts and flyers. I called Animal Control, local vets, and animal businesses daily. Updated 15 local and lost & found Facebook groups, whose members also shared, plus NextDoor. Thousands of people have followed my BudBud's story, both locally and online. Hope floated, faded, and grew strong again because this incredible community reached out and supported us with messages of hope, prayers, and texts of encouragement. Strangers became friends. I couldn't give up searching and hoping.

On Day 60-- 10/26/22 --Buddy was found.

He was stuck in the basement of a vacant house, without food. My baby boy was having seizures and unable to walk or stand when Animal Control brought him to Mt. Hope Animal Hospital, then called me. He is safe and getting meds and fluids. Bob and I were able to hold him for 2 miracle hours while Bud purred and the vet explained he was being treated for fatty liver disease, which happens during periods of starvation. Something else is going on, though, something neurological, because he is still unable to stand.

The vet thinks Buddy ingested a toxin or poison, like a mouse that had eaten rat poison, but he needs further diagnosis and testing, as well as (hopefully) treatment, at Ocean State Veterinary Clinic where they are able to delve deeper and specialize. His minimum estimate is $5000. I'm on disability and Bob just started a new job last week. Unfortunately, CareCredit is not an option for us.

If anyone deserves a chance at life, it's my BudBud. He has been by my side and deep in my heart for almost 12 years. He is big, strong, and incredibly tough to hold out this long. He is a miracle. SIXTY DAYS.

Any contribution goes 100% to Buddy's medical fund, and is appreciated from the depth of my heart. My entire family thanks you.