Help Moosh heal from severe injury

Hi all,

First, I want to thank you all for your tremendous support when Hunter was hospitalized and in a coma, kept alive by a ventilator for nearly a week in 2021. Your generosity made his life-saving treatment possible.

I am writing you today about Moosh, our 6 year old Bengal, adopted in 2020. He has a strong personality, is one of the loudest, most vocal cats I’ve ever heard, and is a handful, but is so loved in our family.

This past week, Moosh never came back home after his morning exploration of the property on Sunday. As the days began to increase and the nights got colder, I began to worry something was really wrong. We searched day and night, and my heart stopped every time I heard a pack of coyote in the woods. This morning, while calling his name, we found him crying in our neighbor’s barn, where he had gotten stuck behind a door which only opened in one direction. He was very cold, and weak.

We took him to the vet after warming him with a hot water bottle and wrapping him with a blanket. Toby (our pit mix) would not leave his side, and kept grooming him.

The vet took an X-ray and discovered he has been severely injured in his pelvis on both sides, has fractures, and the pelvis has separated from his sacrum. (This is my limited understanding, and I will publish the doctor’s more accurate report as soon as I receive it tonight.)

They suspected his spine may also have been fractured and discussed the possibility of needing to euthanize him. While I was sobbing, the vet came back to say that his spine seemed to be ok after all, but that Moosh would need to go into the city to an emergency specialist, and likely be admitted for surgery.

I immediately drove 2+ hours in traffic to NYC and he was admitted to Animal Medical Center.

I waited while they examined him, and they came back to inform me that the cost for his visit (approx. 4 days), including round-the-clock care and critical surgery (fracture and corrective osteotomy level 1) would be ~$15k, half of which is due before I leave tonight.

I hope my credit card doesn’t bounce.

I will be putting on a recital next week in Stone Ridge, NY on November 19, and there will be a donation basket which will go towards Moosh’s surgery fund.

If you are at all able to donate, every bit counts.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I just want him to be ok.

venmo: @rahalovesyou if easier!

UPDATE AS OF 11/14 @ 3 P.M.

Moosh is home from the hospital, and the bill from AMC came out to about $8.5k! I burst into tears because it was significantly less than what they quoted us.

For those wondering, they went in on his right side, and repositioned his pelvis and put in two screws to hold it all together. They decided it was unnecessary to put in screws on the left side because in time he would develop scar tissue which would fuse his pelvis to the tailbone, naturally. This clearly significantly reduced the anticipated costs.

We also had just over $1k in bills at the initial vet visit—so in total, this accident has cost ~$9.5k. I am editing the fundraiser to reflect this.

Moosh has to stay in a crate until the new year, and he is unhappy about it, but I will hopefully be able to take him on short leashed walks to stimulate him, in a couple weeks, after he gets the go-ahead from the doctors at his follow up appointment(s)…

Thank you for your support, emotionally and financially. This was only possible because of you.

All my love, and God bless.