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Special Needs Kitten In Need Of Help

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Hello dear friends!

Meet Panther. She needs your help. Below is her story. For a quick version, see paragraph below:

Panther came into our lives as a helpless kitten who almost got hit my a car. Within a week of her under our care, we noticed she has seizures. They are detrimental to her well-being. We quickly sought out a rescue who could help us, as we weren't sure we could keep her with our dog's prey drive. AARF stepped up and funded her; we fostered. They covered 6 months of her Phenobarbital, which has helped immensely. Unfortunately, because she keeps growing, she has yet to be stable for much longer than 2 months. It is evident from her walking strides that she may have endured some sort of trauma before I found her. Over time, Khaleesi has learned to like her and thus we have decided to keep her! We can't imagine giving up this sweet little munchkin. First and foremost, we are seeking funds to take her to a neurologist to determine the cause of seizures; is it indeed head trauma? Or worse..a brain tumor? From there we will know how to properly treat her. Out ultimate goal would be to find a way to treat her seizures and still be able to wean off Phenobarbital. If that is possible, who knows how many other pets with epilepsy that we could help!! We appreciate any donation in any amount. Every cent helps. 





If you have time for the long story :) Here it is:

Driving along the beautiful roads of Carroll County, a car stops short in front of me, as does the car on the other side of the  road. A frantic black blur shoots across the cars and into the cornfield. I focus in on the now still black being...it's a kitten. I can't leave, so I pull over, shut off the engine and approach the kitten. She stays perfectly still and lets me scoop her up. Fitting in the palm of my hand, there she stays for the entire 2 hour trip home. She even is calm, cool and collected as I carry her into the petstore to pick up some essentials for her.

Not thinking we could keep her with our (at the time) prey-driven, cat fixated dog , I knew she needed a home or foster ASAP. But, our home would do just fine temporarily.. except, no one took in this cute little fluffball right away. Within a few days, I had a name (the first solid sign of attachment)...Panther. In one of her pictures, she looks like a miniature black panther. She must be mighty to have  survived so far. It didn't take long for her to build trust with me, to realize how delightful a human hand is along her spine or side of her cheek, to realize that when I called her name, good things like food or soft pets happen. We learned that she is about 7 months old...though due to being severely underweight, she only looked to be about 4 months. She happily learned that her bowl is always filled with food. However, within a couple weeks we started noticing abnormal behaviors....and finally we witnessed why.

Seizures. And  they're INTENSE. The poor sweetheart, who normally is a playful, curious kitten that endulges in purrs, pets, cradling & cuddles, turns to an agitated, terrified and bewildered kitten. In a crazed fear, any noise or swift movement would send her scurrying, seemingly blind, and at a speed like no other. Then the seizure. Sometimes mild and quick, sometimes longer and intense. In some, all four legs splay out to the sides as she tenses up, mouth wide open as if she had a mighty yawn, eyes clenched shut. She convulses, sometimes foams at the mouth and salivates uncontrollably. Sometimes she's frozen in that state. In others she seems to be half aware, and frantically trying to escape the seizure. She'll urinate, run like the wind straight into walls, seizing and convulsing while trying to escape. They are such sad moments to witness, especially because there is little you can do to help. Even when they're over, she takes a while to be back to her normal state. Sometimes a couple days. Her post-seizure behavior tends to be anxious and fearful.

Unsure of what  to do, I called many rescues, shelters, and consulted with my vet tech friends. Shelters would not take her because she was found in Carroll County...I had  to call the Carroll County Humane Society. I spoke on the phone with an unpleasant woman who demanded I bring Panther in so that she could be euthanized. Once I relinquished her they would inject the lethal substance. According to them, she OBVIOUSLY had rabies and could not live another day. Except, this kitten was almost through a 10 day quarantine and though she had seizures, she did not exhibit the normal symptoms or the correct progression of symptoms to be rabid. I knew I could not take her to this awful place. So I seeked further.

Luckily, I found our saving grace! We have been blessed with Animal Allies Rescue Foundation, who have been kind enough to sponsor Panther so long as we found her a foster. Well, we became those foster parents and I couldn't be happier doing so. AARF has funded her basic medical needs for 6 months, including phenobarbital.

Wonderful news! We are delighted to share that Khaleesi and Panther now get along BEAUTIFULLY! And we cannot even fathom giving Panther up. SO we have become her forever home!!!! We are continuing her basic care needs; but given that Panther is a special needs kitten..that's where you come in; we need your help.

Panther's seizures are subdued thanks to phenobarbital...but it's not enough. We still have issues with seizures, anxieties and agitations. During our last appointment, Panther's vet recommmended she see a neurologist. We are guessing she suffered head trauma at some point during her 7 months of fending for herself. Her vet would like to see an MRI to figure out what is going on. We need to make sure it is indeed head trauma and not something worse, such as a brain tumomr. Phenobarbital is an intense medicine...how wonderful it would be if there is an alternative for her. Unforunately, signifcant funds are required to seek that route.

We so desperately want Panther to have a healthy, wholesome life. She deserves peace in her life, and has suffered far too long for how short of a time she's been here. With your help, we can get Panther the funds she needs for further medical treatment.
  Our goal is $3000, ASAP. Any additional money donated that exceeds the cost of her treatment will be donated to AARF! AARF endlessly dedicates its time and funds to support the needs of homeless dogs and animals; we are so thankful for their kindness to Panther.
Please help us help Panther and AARF. All the little animal souls will thank you a thousand times over. We appreciate any penny or dollar that you are able to offer.  THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for helping save a life!

Organizer

Becca Steinbach
Organizer
Baltimore, MD

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