Help save baby Gouda's Sight: Urgent Surgery Needed

My kitten was just diagnosed with a rare type of quick progression cataracts and glaucoma that will result in complete vision loss within weeks if surgery is not possible.

Gouda is a 10 month old long haired domestic kitten I found in my apartment complex dumpster at 4 weeks of age.

He showed up exactly 7 days after I lost my soul kitty of 15 years, and despite being a disabled person on a very strict income I felt it must be a sign from her that he needed me, so I kept him.

He was so sick I wasn’t sure he’d make it. A trip to the vet revealed he weighed 17 ounces, was about 4-5 weeks old, infested with various parasites, and had a bacterial infection, and well as coccidia. I was able to get him the care he needed to get him healthy again over the course of several months.

A few of his issues were chronic and required several rounds of treatment but we eventually got him a clean bill of health.

By 13 weeks he was fully vetted, neutered and vaccinated, and living a pretty comfortable kitten life along side my 14 year old blind rescue dog.

It was a challenge but I managed to work his food and enrichment needs into my budget. I saved a small amount each month to go toward his yearly exam and boosters.

Gouda was a more playful kitty than any I’d ever known. I attributed that to his seal point markings and Siamese behaviors. He would chase the air around him, which was hilarious but not alarming. He loved his dog brother a lot more than me, and that was okay - because animals choose their soulmates. They had a pretty good life.

In January his dog brother passed away and Gouda grieved like I’ve never seen another animal grieve. He clung to me like glue and I started noticing a lot more about him. Small things that you’d commonly pass off as typical kitten behaviors.

In early April Gouda was looking around the room and I noticed a very bright white flash in one of his eyes, so i investigated up close but didn’t notice anything. I thought it had been a trick of the light.

Layer that day I saw something similar in the other eye, but again up close I couldn’t detect anything unusual.

By evening he was looking frantically around the room at the ceiling and walls, chasing things that simply were not there and it escalated to the point he was running in laps until he was exhausted.

The next morning this behavior got so worrisome I called the vet. Thinking he must have an ear infection of some sort they penciled him in the same day.

His ear swabs came back completely clean, and the vet began a vision exam. Within probably 15 seconds (and I have this on video) he diagnosed him with bilateral juvenile cataracts and proceeded to bring in equipment to do further eye testing.

Using a Tono-pen he tested the pressure in Gouda’s eyes, used some eye drops and checked everything again, along with whatever else has to be done in these cases. He checked each of them several times to be sure.

He explained Gouda had juvenile (2nd stage of cataract development) bilateral (both eyes) quick progression cataracts, and glaucoma. He noted the glaucoma was creating extreme pressure in his eyes and this facilitated an immediate referral to surgical ophthalmology.

He explained how both cataracts and glaucoma work, drawing me diagrams and letting me clarify with questions as he went, to be sure i understood, and how without surgery - depending on the severity of the pressure from the glaucoma, and the quickness of progression, it could cause permanent retinal damage, which was completely irreversible.

In summary, Cataracts and glaucoma can be repaired with surgery. Untreated, the pressure inside the eye from the glaucoma would permanently damage the retina which could not be repaired once damaged.

By the time we got back home (about 20 minutes) The veterinary ophthalmology office called us in.

We are scheduled for May 28 but they believe he needs this sooner rather than later - and we’re on a cancellation list but ultimately it depends on my ability to pay,

We are looking at a $7000 surgery for both eyes and 6 months aftercare.

I understand this is an astounding amount of money and do not expect it possible, especially considering the state of the world and how hard we’re all struggling to get by.

But my due diligence is to at least try.

His vet can do nothing further for him from a primary care standpoint beyond the eye drops he needs twice daily to help mitigate the pressure in his eyes - so for now that is all we’re able to do until we can have the surgery, or his vision is lost.

I also have a TikTok page @GoudaTheGoblin I use to try and earn a little money toward this through their creator fund, but so far I haven’t gotten the views needed to even earn one cent, and that is so discouraging.

I know that even if we’re unable to afford this, and Gouda loses his sight, I will still care for him the best way I can. He is with me for good. Through thick and thin.

He may require some specialty items for enrichment and comfort, but I’ll always do my best to give him the best quality of life possible.

I have heard cats are more adaptable to vision loss than dogs are, and I was able to keep my blind rescue dog fairly content until he passed. - but obviously since cats are predatory hunters they rely on their vision to maintain strong mental health and happiness - and I would love for him to not lose that at all, much less right when his life is just beginning.

If you’ve made it this far, even if you cannot help, thank you so much for your time.

If by some miraculous chance we do meet the financial goal and can commit to his surgery, I will share photos and video updates through every step of the process.