Save Casey, itty bitty wonder kitty
The week we were missing our cat, while putting up flyers one street over around 10:30 in the morning of 5/7/15, Jacek (Jack Wojciechowski) found this kitty in someone's driveway. I looked across the street and saw her bobbing in place while sitting in the hot hot sun. I went over and took one look at her knowing she could die and scooped her up in my arms. We took her home immediately. She was severely underweight and had cognitive issues. She hardly fought to get out of my arms and was too weak to push or jump away. She couldn't meow and was covered in fleas. We had tons of dry food but I didn't trust she could handle it. Even though it is not advised to give a cat tuna, it was the only wet food we had. She nearly ate the whole can of tuna and drank lots of water. She had one diarrhea accident on a towel and after that has almost always used the litter.
I posted her also on the lost and found boards. I called Shamrock to reach a message that said they were not helping with cats right now ( I guess they were overwhelmed) so, I had given up on them. After Michelle from Shamrock saw the photos of this little one, she gave me a more direct number to call. Shamrock Foundation helped us get Casey, the itty bitty wonder kitty in to be seen at Grimes Animal Clinic the following day on 5/8/2015. The vet said she was anemic, gave us a small dose of Advantage since the fleas were stealing her blood, gave us antibiotics just in case and a blood builder. He did not want to move around too much as she was super fragile. She weighed just over 4 lbs. Most healthy adult cats weigh at least 8-9 lbs. Imagine being half the weight you are supposed to weigh through being trapped and starved! Over the next few days we took her into the garden where she would explore and frolic when she had the energy. The past two days, however, she had been suddenly lethargic without frolic. She protested when we picked her up in the yard. Today while Jacek was on a house painting job, I began to worry about her health even more. She wasn't drinking water and eating far less of her favorite food (chicken). I couldn't get into Grimes soon enough so I called Shamrock and drove toward an emergency vet. Michelle called me back to reroute me to Gailor. Casey was super happy about this vet. I could tell she liked her because she responded to Dr. Renck's voice with meows and purrs. We got even more medicine and some AD canned food from the vet. She is luckily Feline Leukemia and FIV free. She is not spayed nor microchipped. We are waiting on parasite results from the fecal check. She is still anemic, white blood cell count is high and could POSSIBLY have kidney disease. Her bowels are inflamed and is dehydrated. The vet gave Casey subcutaneous rehydration. The kitty messed on herself on the way home so, I gave her a good bath and hung out with her in the garden to dry from wind and towel. She all of a sudden started shaking and meowing loudly. We took her back inside where she insisted we stay in her company and hold her tight. We just moved her out of the bathroom into our bedroom where there is natural light and to be around us. She will have a lengthy recovery and we are all routing for her. When she is healthy enough, Shamrock will help get her spayed.
Friends have donated money to us, paper towels, old towels and cat food. Thank goodness for those donations. We really needed the towels due to her diarrhea and vomitting accidents.
We took her in for a checkup on 5/15 and she was up to 5 lbs! We were so ecstatic. She has had really vigorous moments of activity (for her condition) where she has walked through the garden and explored everything.
We took her back in for possible fluids and probiotics today (5/19) and she had lost weight. She now weighs 4.5 lbs. The vet was concerned that there was something they were missing since she was on the same meds where she had an upswing and is now all of a sudden on a downswing so, she said Casey needs a specialist. The vet said she was afraid if they don't do something quickly that we could lose her. We certainly don't want to lose her and are praying for the best. They would love to do a biopsy on two lumps they found in her digestive tract but to put her under anesthesia right now could be deadly.
For being hospitalized the quote was $300-500. We said whatever Shamrock cannot pay, we will figure it out. That's what this GoFundMe is for. For a specialist, we have no idea what it will cost but we do know it will be expensive so, currently we (Jacek and Ember) have decided to make the goal $1,500 to help cover previous expenses, current and future expenses.
Expenses so far:
Vet visit #1- $25 paid on unknown amount at Grimes Animal Clinic. We wanted to pay more but they said we would be overpaying if we did.
Visit #2- $290 ($70 of which was paid)
Visit #3 checkup- $56 (paid)
Visit #4 quote- $300-500
We have paid part of the vet bills that we could afford. If you would like to help with the vet costs that Shamrock is helping us cover, you can either pay on the bill directly at Gailor Animal Hospital (Louisville, KY), pay on Shamrock's Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shamrock-Foundation/261789923833?fref=ts , pay on their website: www.shamrockpets.com or even mail in to Sharon Mayes 1446 Goddard Avenue 40204
Please pay in the name of Casey if you pay those ways. If you pay through GoFundMe, we really appreciate that too. We will reward your generosity with handmade gifts!
Thank you in advance!
~Ember (Laurel Fleury)
P.S.- If you have questions, feel free to call me at [phone redacted]
To get to know us better and for updates on Casey and other kitty adventures, visit us here:
http://jacekandember.blogspot.com