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Life-Saving Surgery for Snuggs!

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This fundraiser is to reimburse Project MEOW for having paid for life-saving surgeries for my cat Snuggs. I need to raise the funds not only to pay them back for their generosity, but also to ensure that Project MEOW can continue to provide these financially accessible and life-saving vet services to other cats and their families. 



What happened to Snuggs?

For the past week, Snuggs has displayed signs of distress (extra meowing, excessive washing, litterbox issues, etc). First, I noticed that he seemed to be having trouble peeing and then I realized he had blood in the small amount of urine he was able to produce. After taking him to the vet, we learned he had a partial blockage of his urethra, in the bladder. They ruled out a tumor or kidney stones —saying he very likely has a UTI (Urinary Tract Infection), although they were unable to obtain a urinary sample from him in order to figure out why he had the blockage. They gave him a 2 week inflammatory shot and twice a day opiates, muscle relaxers for the urethra, and antibiotics. They asked me to empty his litterbox out to collect a urine sample to bring back, keep a close eye on him, and to call if his symptoms worsened at all. Luckily he peed that night and I was able to bring them a urine sample before they closed.


As we tried to fall asleep that night he was very distressed and yowling loudly, and it appeared as though his meds were not working. He was inconsolable. He kept trying to pee but could only produce droplets of blood now. I fell asleep for a bit, but woke at 4 am, and he was not at the foot of the bed where he always sleeps. I looked all over the room for him but couldn't find him in any of his usual hiding spots. I finally found him in a very compact space under a dresser and had to pull out his weakened limp body as he barely responded. I grabbed his favorite cat bed and sat with him until the vet opened that morning to call them. I told them he was in severe distress and hadn't eaten or urinated. They said to bring him in immediately. After assessing his bladder and doing another xray, they confirmed it had escalated to a full blockage of the urethra. The vet informed me that this would lead to death if he did not receive life-saving emergency surgery to clear the obstruction. 

The procedure alone would be $1500. I had already spent $300+ at the vet the day prior. They said that half needed to be paid up-front and that half would need to be paid at the time of pickup. He also needed to be admitted, to stay an be observed with IV & catheter post-op for a minimum of 48-72 hours. There were also risks of death for the surgery. I didn't know what to do because I didn't have that amount in the bank or in credit to pay up-front, and they don’t offer a payment plan. I looked into applying for CareCredit, but since I am currently unemployed, I would not be eligible. I was at a loss of what to do, waiting, tearful in the room alone with Snuggs.



In walked Crystal, the Vet Tech, who had seen Snuggs the day prior and remembered him from a previous surgery. She had just returned from her lunch break and had heard the update from the vet. Before she even came to see me, she knew I would be unable to pay. She had personally reached out to Project MEOW and gotten them to agree to admit Snuggs under their name, so that the vet would admit him for the procedure and save his life. I was so shocked and grateful at this news!

Snuggs came home from Philadelphia Animal Hospital 5 days after surgery. The procedure went well, and they reported during observation that he had passed several blood clots and was now urinating clear through his catheter while receiving fluids through his IV to flush out the bladder. They let me know that my very smart cat somehow figure out how to get around his cone, and had chewed out his catheter on multiple occasions--each time requiring sedation so they could re-insert the catheter. Upon coming home, he was attentive, no longer in pain, happy, and extra snuggly. He is using his litterbox like a champ and he is loving his new prescription diet, which is permanent and will hopefully serve as a preventative measure for future blockages. 



What will the funds be used for?

$1500 - To repay Project MEOW for this most recent surgery
$1500- To repay Project MEOW for his last surgery (detailed below)
$350- Vet bills aside from the surgery 
$150- Towards Prescription cat food 

Any additional funds raised will be donated to Project MEOW for ongoing life-saving surgeries for rescues.



How I Came To Love Snuggs and Project MEOW:

Snuggs was a young kitty that was mostly living on the porch of the folks that I dog sat for, along with a very feral friend of his. Each time I came to dogsit, he would lavish me in love, crawl into my lap, and give me snuggles. One time he followed me to my car and climbed in, trying to go home with me. I often called him Meow Meow or referred to in as The Porch Snuggler. He shared a wooden box filled with blankets as a warm bed in the winter months with his feral friend who would never come within 10 feet of me. I'd looked into getting him adopted by someone because he clearly wanted a home, but there were hesitations about separating him from his friend that had kept me from doing so.

(Snuggs being a Porch Snuggler! This was me starting to fall in love with him)

(Snuggs in the box he slept in on the porch.)

Then, I showed up to dog sit for a full week, longer than my usual weekend check ins. Snuggs was limping and unable to bear weight. He was in severe pain and had a wound on his leg. I didn't know what to do, and I didn't want him to hide and then die of infection, so I put him in a dog crate on their porch and started making calls. I contacted Project MEOW who agreed that he needed to see a vet ASAP. They agreed to take him on as a foster cat if indeed he didn't have an owner. I was instructed to take him to Philadelphia Animal Hospital, where they did X-Rays and determined that he had a deep bone infection from a bite wound. They gave him an immediate dose of anti-biotics and rabies vaccine, as well as antibiotics to go home with him. They also said he may need to be rabies quarantined since they did not know the source of the bite nor his vaccine history.  When he was scanned, a chip was found which indicated that he had been adopted through the ASPCA. He had been adopted without being given a rabies shot per being too young. His owner had been instructed to bring him back for a shot, which they did not do.


I was able to speak to his owner who was excited that he was found but it was unclear if she even knew how long he was missing. She initially wanted him back, however after acknowledging that she had not followed up with a rabies shot, it became clear that he would need to be quarantined for 6 months. She agreed that with a young infant at home, it would be a risk to have a cat on quarantine in her home--both for her child and because she was unable to keep him from escaping as he had done previously. He had been living on his own for about 4 months at that point. I couldn't bear the thought of Snuggs being quarantined at a facility for 6 months, so I agreed to foster him and quarantine him in my own home. At this point, Project MEOW had me come up with a name and they said that it should be several words and unique so as not to repeat the name of their many other fosters. Snuggs' legal name became Meow Meow Porch Snuggler, Snuggs for short.

I took him home and obtained three very large metal dog crates which I zip-tied together to make one large pen for him to walk around in. As the weeks went on and it became clear that he was not going to develop rabies, I slowly let him out of the pen more often. First, in a back storage room, then in my bed room, and eventually with free range of the whole apartment. Snuggs had to revisit Philadelphia Animal Hospital several times, as it took at least 3-4 courses of anti-biotics for the bone infection to fully go away. There may have been some tendon damage because on rare occasions he still will show a slight limp. Snuggs had to be quarantined for 6 months, but it took way less time for me to fall in love with him and decide that he was officially home with me and my 11 pound pup Bhakti. Bhakti previously feared most cats, as he had been swiped by claws and nibbled on by kittens with sharp teeth, but Snuggs was persistent and eventually won Bhakti over.

 (Beginning to win Bhakti over)

(Squeezing himself in!)

(And finally, spooning!)

I found out I had to move this past winter as I was getting priced out of my apartment, and it was really difficult to find a place that would take both a cat and a dog within my price range. I surveyed my options, with several places willing to accept my dog but not Snuggs. Knowing that Snuggs was now a full-time part of this family, I continued my search and less than a week before move-out, I finally was able to secure a house that welcomed both of my fur babies. About a month prior to moving, Snuggs had been showing signs and symptoms of not feeling well and was not eating or drinking, and began vomiting. Project MEOW had me take him in to Philadelphia Animal Hospital again and it turned out that Snuggs had swallowed an ear bud from a headphones set which was now blocking his intestines. He required emergency surgery to remove the ear bud and Philadelphia Animal Hospital took very good care of him, with extra love from his favorite Vet Tech Crystal. I got picture updates from Project Meow that had been sent by her during his surgery.  Snuggs recovered well, and luckily Project MEOW covered the costs even though I was about to sign the paperwork to adopt him as my own. I agreed to do a fundraiser to try and make some of the money back, however things got very hectic with my move and trying to make ends meet. Regrettably, I've not been able to fundraise until now.

(Snuggs after his last surgery)

Snuggs quickly became the king of the castle at my new house. He visits each of my roommates, and sprawls our across the living room floor, taking up as much space as he can. Often, he rolls over and asks for belly rubs from the nearest passerby. When he's cold, he likes to climb into the tiny dog bed and squeeze in alongside Bhakti, who begrudgingly allows his brother to share the bed despite his clear preference for more personal space.


Because of Project MEOW, Snuggs is a happy, healthy member of my family and this household. He brings joy to others lives daily. I'm grateful for any donations that can help me begin to repay Project MEOW for all they've done so that they can continue to do this loving work for our community and our furry friends like Snuggs!

Organizer and beneficiary

Eli MH
Organizer
Philadelphia, PA
Project Meow
Beneficiary

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