Hello animal lovers!



On August 6, 2019 I received a call from one of our elderly residents at 7:45am reporting that a small stray cat was trying to give labor outside her window inside of our grounds. By the time I got at work, one of our maintenance crew, had already jumped in to help mama cat push the kitties out, and overcome that stressful morning. Mama cat delivered 5 kittens, but the first two were dead.

Since we are all caregivers in nature at our job, I took in the entire family and immediately took her to the vet for a checkup. This young cat, was named ISAbella, also named after the previous cat we had in-house as one of our Therapy Animals. Isa and her 3 kitties survived that day, she nursed the kitties, I found loving homes for them and kept Isa for us to use as pet therapy staff.

That was 17 months ago.

 

A week later after the episode, I noticed that Isa’s tail was dragging on the floor, so again took her to the vet and learned that she has fractured her lumbar during the traumatic labor, which now 2 years later has caused a condition called MEGACOLON.

This is a condition when stools may appear smaller than normal or be absent during episodes of constipation. Usually, affected cats pass a large amount of dry and hard stool one to three times per week. Other symptoms include decreased appetite, lethargy, weight loss, dehydration, abdominal pain, straining to defecate, vomiting and anemia. Isa’s mainly suffers of severe constipation, which is currently treated with laxatives 2x a day, but we keep increasing the dose and soon it will no longer work. Surgical treatment is recommended for patients who require frequent trips to the hospital to have stool removed from the colon. And Isa has to go every 2-3 months for an enema. The next option is **“SUBTOTAL COLECTOMY”. During the procedure, an incision will be made into the abdomen to allow the surgeon to examine the internal organs. The colon is removed and the small intestine is surgically connected to the rectum. Bypassing the affected area and allowing her to defecate again on her own and without drugs. Surgical treatment of this condition typically costs anywhere from $3,000 to $6,000. But I found a specialist who feels she is a great candidate and can have a much better life after the surgery. Isa is a very young and playful cat, who had a rough start and  deserves a better chance in life. And that is when you come in!  Please help me, raise enough money for her much needed surgery. The sooner we raise the $4000, the longer she will live.  

Your donation of any amount is much appreciated. I also ask for you to help by sending this page to all your friends who like animals. Once again, thank you, thank you!



**Subtotal colectomy, the removal of the majority of the colon, is considered the treatment of choice for the surgical management of megacolon that is not responsive to dietary and medical management. This is major surgery, but the overwhelming majority of cats respond quite favorably.