Saving HashBrown
Donation protected
Hi everyone!
I’m making this fundraiser for anyone who would like to help us help HashBrown. I expect the totality of his care to exceed the initial fundraising goal, and I will update it as more procedures and testing are done. Even if you can’t donate, if you can share his story, that would be great. I’ve never held a fundraiser for any of my fosters, but I realize that we need help ensuring he gets the best care he can get. If something happens to HashBrown and there are unused funds, I will use those funds to support the many local rescues working hard to control the overpopulation of stray cats in Central Texas-
whether it is with Snip N Tip, Shadow Cats, Austin Humane Society, or other rescues you suggest.
Most people already know all about sweet HashBrown, but for those who don’t, I’ll give you his story
HashBrown was found in a friend’s shed with 3 other kittens. They are presumed to all be littermates, as they were all in the same nest. The family was familiar with the feral mom cat from the neighborhood, but did not realize she had been sheltering her kittens in their shed. The problem was, the other 3 kittens all appeared to be close to 7 weeks old, and HashBrown was still the size of a newborn kitten. He weighed roughly 150 grams, which is equivalent to a 5 day old kitten. The finder knew I rescue neonates, so she texted me and asked if I could help. She showed up with an extremely emaciated, dehydrated, syndromic looking orange floof. I honestly did not think he would survive even the night. I was so confused as to how this newborn kitten (he had no teeth at the time) was with these much older kittens. Did mom find him and take him in? Was he left there by another mom when she tried to move her kittens? But all the other kittens were also orange. And so is mom…
I decided to treat him as if he were a week old. I tube fed him kitten milk, gave him subcutaneous fluids, standard dewormers, and tried to keep him comfortable. I kept him in a small carrier with a heating pad as he wasn’t very active. After 3 days of nutrition and care, I went in one morning and he JUMPED out of the carrier and started running! I was in utter shock, and realized I was in fact dealing with a MUCH older kitten than his physical appearance suggested. He had a deformed front leg, but he was chasing our chihuahua and playing like a full sized kitten. All while being the same size as a one week old kitten.
He seemed to initially be thriving, but then began to struggle. After having him for 10 days, I found him on his heating pad, unresponsive, arched back, barely alive. I immediately started “Fading Kitten Protocol” along with subcutaneous fluids and warm glucose gastric lavage. He came back to me, but I realized I just could not let him die. I knew this kitten had something inside of him that wanted to live. He was fighting, and he needed someone to help him fight.
I tried to get him into Austin Pets Alive, but due to the severity of kitten season and them already being at critical capacity, they were not able to accept him. Therefore, the financial burden of his care landed on us. He is receiving the absolute best care from Dr Breitreiter at South Austin Cat Hospital. But due to his unknown medical needs, the cost of care is substantially more than anticipated. We’ve already spent over $1500, and have several more tests and appointments booked. We can only safely draw a small amount of blood at each visit, so testing is being done slowly over time. We don’t have any answers yet, but are hoping if we can get him to 2 pounds, so more in depth diagnostic imaging can be done❤️
I want to thank you for reading his story, for caring about him as much as I do, and for being a part of his survival
I’m making this fundraiser for anyone who would like to help us help HashBrown. I expect the totality of his care to exceed the initial fundraising goal, and I will update it as more procedures and testing are done. Even if you can’t donate, if you can share his story, that would be great. I’ve never held a fundraiser for any of my fosters, but I realize that we need help ensuring he gets the best care he can get. If something happens to HashBrown and there are unused funds, I will use those funds to support the many local rescues working hard to control the overpopulation of stray cats in Central Texas-
whether it is with Snip N Tip, Shadow Cats, Austin Humane Society, or other rescues you suggest.
Most people already know all about sweet HashBrown, but for those who don’t, I’ll give you his story
HashBrown was found in a friend’s shed with 3 other kittens. They are presumed to all be littermates, as they were all in the same nest. The family was familiar with the feral mom cat from the neighborhood, but did not realize she had been sheltering her kittens in their shed. The problem was, the other 3 kittens all appeared to be close to 7 weeks old, and HashBrown was still the size of a newborn kitten. He weighed roughly 150 grams, which is equivalent to a 5 day old kitten. The finder knew I rescue neonates, so she texted me and asked if I could help. She showed up with an extremely emaciated, dehydrated, syndromic looking orange floof. I honestly did not think he would survive even the night. I was so confused as to how this newborn kitten (he had no teeth at the time) was with these much older kittens. Did mom find him and take him in? Was he left there by another mom when she tried to move her kittens? But all the other kittens were also orange. And so is mom…
I decided to treat him as if he were a week old. I tube fed him kitten milk, gave him subcutaneous fluids, standard dewormers, and tried to keep him comfortable. I kept him in a small carrier with a heating pad as he wasn’t very active. After 3 days of nutrition and care, I went in one morning and he JUMPED out of the carrier and started running! I was in utter shock, and realized I was in fact dealing with a MUCH older kitten than his physical appearance suggested. He had a deformed front leg, but he was chasing our chihuahua and playing like a full sized kitten. All while being the same size as a one week old kitten.
He seemed to initially be thriving, but then began to struggle. After having him for 10 days, I found him on his heating pad, unresponsive, arched back, barely alive. I immediately started “Fading Kitten Protocol” along with subcutaneous fluids and warm glucose gastric lavage. He came back to me, but I realized I just could not let him die. I knew this kitten had something inside of him that wanted to live. He was fighting, and he needed someone to help him fight.
I tried to get him into Austin Pets Alive, but due to the severity of kitten season and them already being at critical capacity, they were not able to accept him. Therefore, the financial burden of his care landed on us. He is receiving the absolute best care from Dr Breitreiter at South Austin Cat Hospital. But due to his unknown medical needs, the cost of care is substantially more than anticipated. We’ve already spent over $1500, and have several more tests and appointments booked. We can only safely draw a small amount of blood at each visit, so testing is being done slowly over time. We don’t have any answers yet, but are hoping if we can get him to 2 pounds, so more in depth diagnostic imaging can be done❤️
I want to thank you for reading his story, for caring about him as much as I do, and for being a part of his survival
Organizer
Anne LeBlanc
Organizer
Austin, TX