Help Sparky Tabasco See Again
HELP SPARKY TABASCO SEE AGAIN
Sparky Tabasco is my young cat that I found in a barn as a starving orphan on the 4th of July, 2013. She was only 3 weeks old and barely weighed 9 ounces, but it was love at first sight. (How could you not love a cross-eyed orphan with extra toes?) I named her Sparky in honor of the 4th of July, and Tabasco because she was a hot little number, full of determination and a strong will to survive. I took her home and fed her every 4 hours and gave her lots of love. Now she's a big kitty with her own fan club and 8 godmothers (yes, everyone loves Sparky).
On Sunday, July 6, Sparky was fine. On Monday she was blind. Horrified, I rushed her to the vet. They could find nothing wrong. All her expensive lab work came back negative. They consulted with an animal eye specialist in Seattle, and though he was booked solid, he squeezed me in. I drove 115 miles with Sparky in her carrier, praying all the way. After seeing the specialist, we finally had a diagnosis: chorioretinitis and optic neuritis. In lay terms, a fungal infection and swollen optic nerves. Cause: unknown. Treatment: an expensive ant-ifungal pill called Fluconazole. Prognosis: guarded. Will Sparky remain permanently blind? Possible. Is it reversible? Possible.
The Fluconazole seems to be working! A few days ago I noticed Sparky's pupils weren't as dilated as they had been. After that, she seemed to be seeing a little. Each day I'm notiing more improvement. Sparky's vets and I are thrilled! We're still awaiting the results of one final lab test for Cryptococcus, but in the meantime the Fluconazole is working!
Sparky's medical expenses are hefty, and I don't know what future veterinary care she'll need or how long she has to stay on Fluconazole. Today, Sparky's eyes looked almost normal. I'll do whatever it takes to banish Sparky's blindness. She means the world to me, and her many fans eagerly read her weekly blog posts. (Sample here: http://tinyurl.com/qc6robw ) In the meantime, my checkbook and VISA have taken a hard hit. I'm retired and on Social Security, so this has taken a huge chunk out of my finances.
On the advice of the wonderful Word Wenches ( http://www.wordwenches.com ), all eight of them self-appointed as Sparky's godmothers who told me about crowd funding, I'm presenting Sparky Tabasco's case to you, and if you feel moved to make a donation toward her 
medical expenses, she and I would be forever grateful. I'm estimating expenses to be about $750. I've already spent $700. I'm planning on building a large outdoor play area for Sparky (a" catio!") and if donations exceed $750, the extra will go toward the catio, which I estimate will cost $2000-$3000. Sparky adores being outside, and is very unhappy at being kept inside due to her blindness. Even if she regains most of her sight back, she'll still be vulnerable to predators (I live in the country), so a catio is my way of keeping her safe AND happy.
Thank you, not only to the donors, but to those who take the time to read this but don't have the wherewithal to make a donation. Your prayers and good wishes are just as valuable.
