About Doo!

Our fantastically mustached little man, "Dooey-Doo" was rescued from our local animal shelter 11 years ago. Part of a Star Wars themed litter, his shelter nickname was Darth Mittens. We knew immediately he was ours when he climbed right into our laps and purred away, and we took him home that day. Even as an kitten, he brought comfort to everyone and everything: a few days after bringing him home, we learned that he had bonded with an abused, very timid black kitten named Sam, who had withdrawn once Doo left with us... So of course, we went back for him, too!

Now, 11 years old, he is still just as sweet of a cat who thinks he might be part dog and part human. Possibly also part macaroni, given his love for sleeping in tupperware bins. He comes trotting in when you call him, leads us to the fridge at meal times, relaxes and hands you his paws for his mani-pedis, and snuggles his human-mom every night... Curled against her side, with his head and arm on her chest, like a person. His favorite past time is rocking with her in the rocking chair, one paw on each shoulder. He is the ruler of the dogs and playmate for his humans.

Illness strikes...

Mid August, we took him in for treatment for a pretty bad ear infection. A few days later, he had an extreme case of vertigo, and gave us all quite a scare in the middle of the night (isn't it always in the middle of the night?). We rushed him to the vet, worried he was having seizures or a stroke. He couldn't stand, couldn't focus his eyes, and wanted to just be held.

He was given two anti nausea/dizzy/motion sickness meds, antibiotics, steroid drops, and plenty of injections. He was diagnosed with a deep inner ear infection causing vestibular disease symptoms.

He has made so much improvement as the infection cleared in the past three weeks of aggressive treatment, but he is still having trouble walking, swallowing solid food due to the internal pressure, and balancing. Despite it all, he has been in good spirits. He still is loving and snuggly, still tries to play with Sam and their toys (which sometimes ends in a somersault, if he pounces too hard). But we can tell he is in pain, and has plateaued.

Finally, a good look!

Our vet was finally able to get a better view inside his ear at his most recent follow up, now that most of the fluid and enough swelling from the infection has gone down. His eardrum is bulging outward, yet the bloodwork came back clean, meaning that even thought he infection is gone, there is some sort of mass in there, threatening to burst.

Next steps...

Our next step is a CT scan and then surgery to remove the mass and clear out his inner ear canal. The CT scan alone is expected to be between $2000-3000, though we are getting quotes from facilities as far as a few hours away to keep costs under control. The surgery is expected to be around $4000.

Prognosis:

Other than this, he is healthy and active. Our veterinarian does not think it is cancerous, and that the removal would be "fairly routine" and curative, giving him another 5-8 years with us as he is only 11 and has no other issues. You would never guess his age if you didn't know it!

Without the removal, however, his quality of life would be very poor, and tougher decisions will have to be considered. The bulging eardrum is a ticking time-bomb that is entirely fixable. Expensive, but fixable.

So, here we are...

We have already spent a few thousand dollars over the past month, exhausting every non-surgical option for him.. And now we are putting our pride aside and asking for some help. Even just a few dollars, or a share on social media, would mean the world to us while we work to save this very special cat. Every donation will go directly to his care.

We are so grateful for any support you can give, whether it's a donation or share. Doo has brought us so much comfort and happiness, and we want to do everything possible to help him have many more years.