Help Ollie Fight Cancer

Ollie is starting chemotherapy

A year ago we found a young stray cat with FeLV, an incurable viral disease that puts him at high risk of getting cancer. That has now become a reality, and after a frightening hospital stay our boy Ollie was diagnosed with mediastinal lymphoma. To give Ollie the longest and best life possible, we are starting him on chemotherapy immediately. While this is absolutely the right treatment for the most deserving little cat, it is also the most expensive – and any help is deeply appreciated!

Ollie’s story

Last February we spotted a little kitty living in a drainpipe outside a pizza shop. The staff told us he’d been eating out of their dumpster since he was small and that, after they found another young cat hit by a car in the parking lot, they believed he was alone. It was so cold and he was right next to a freeway, so after reaching out to multiple rescues that were unable to help, we decided to come back for him ourselves.

We set a trap for him, and he was in it before we’d finished ordering pizza. It was honestly funny how fast he got in the trap and how calm he was the whole ride home. It was like he wanted to go home with us. He was dirty and full of worms and he kept trying to climb the walls, like he’d never been inside before; but a bath and medicine and lots of food later, he looked like a totally different cat. He is beautiful, strong, and so, so sweet. We named him Ollie Mozz, short for Olive Mozzarella, since he grew up eating pizza.

Once Ollie was friendly enough to go to the vet, we got some bad news. Ollie has feline leukemia virus, or FeLV. He may have had FeLV his entire life, since kittens can contract it from their mothers. FeLV is a viral infection in cats for which there is no cure and one that makes them very susceptible to other diseases, such as cancer.

Unfortunately, after just over a year with Ollie, that’s exactly what happened. One night Ollie started breathing heavily and fast, like he wasn’t getting enough air. We took him to the ER and he spent three nights in the hospital. After a lot of tests and supportive care, Ollie was diagnosed with a type of lymphoma in his chest that is fast-moving and common in young cats who have FeLV.

Medical diagnosis and treatment

Cancer is never a good diagnosis, but the good news is that this type of cancer is treatable, and the recommended type of treatment, chemotherapy, is usually well tolerated by cats. With any luck, it will actually make him feel much better! Chemo could give Ollie anywhere from six months to over a year of good, quality time with us — and for a cat who’s only been alive for a year and a half, another year almost doubles his lifespan.

Ollie’s quick and positive response to his initial treatment at the hospital is a very promising sign that he may respond well to treatment going forward!

Truly the only con to this chemotherapy protocol is its cost; which is estimated to cost between $10,000 and $12,000 over the next six months. It’s a lot, but we’re still going to do it, because it’s what he deserves.

Our family will be able to manage the cost of his treatment over time, but it will be hard — especially since pet insurance doesn’t cover cats with FeLV — so we made this fundraiser in case kind people hear Ollie’s story and want to help. ♡

Financial info

While we normally have pet insurance for our animals, companies will not insure cats who have been diagnosed with FeLV since it predisposes them to many other illnesses. That means all of Ollie’s medical bills, those we’ve already paid and the many we face going forward, are out of pocket.

The two receipts below are from the two different hospitals that cared for Ollie. Ollie was transferred from one facility to another when the first hospital did not have the specialists he needed.

Ollie’s recent hospital stays, where he was stabilized, diagnosed and began treatment, cost more than $9,000 together. In the unlikely event that there is anything left over after his upcoming chemotherapy bills are paid, we’d certainly appreciate the help with these past hospital bills; but the primary goal of this fundraiser is his care going forward!

Ollie is an incredible cat who has been so unlucky

Between being a stray, having FeLV and getting diagnosed with cancer, Ollie has been through so much. At only a year and a half old, he deserves more time to enjoy life. Thank you for reading his story, and should you choose to help us give him the care he needs, then from the bottom of our hearts and his: THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!