Emergency Surgery for Bean the Rescue Cat

Update as of 1/25/25: Bean is home and on the road to recovery. This little guy has been through so much since August and has come such a long way. Other than the cone and the cage, he's happy and eating and peeing all over the place. Hopefully, he heals well and gains weight little by little. His follow-up is in a few weeks.

Update as of 1/23/25: Bean's out of surgery!!! He's still in a critical condition, as he is so frail (barely weighing 4 pounds with hardly any meat on his bones and his blood pressure rises and falls), but he is being monitored and is stable. After picking him up from the emergency animal clinic and bringing him to his follow-up appointment at CEVET to review yesterday's findings from the ER, the doctor decided not to wait until Monday to operate, and instead, kept him for surgery between today and tomorrow, but Bean's already out as of 7 PM. He had such a thin connection (the size of thread) from his bladder (which has been so distended for so long even his other organs had been compacted) to his urethra causing him to urinate only drops at a time. More old excrement was removed. They were able to create a more adecuate connection; however, only time will confirm if the muscle in that area still has strength to function, but it seems so. Three masses were also found and removed for testing. It's been quite a lengthy process full of uncertainty, but for now, he is recovering at CEVET. I'll be able to pick him up in a day or so. Depending on how he recovers, the doctor may or may not have to remove the hernia, but either way, it was too much stress to put Bean through all at once. With time, we'll have a better answer and cross that bridge if/when we get there.

Update as of 1/22: Bean was taken to an emergency animal clinic. CEVET is extremely communicative and called to check on him and confirm surgery for Monday, 1/27. Over the last 12 hours, he has become increasingly lethargic, disoriented and uncoordinated. He hasn't been eating or drinking adecuately since late yesterday, has barely moved, stumbles when he does move and still can't use the bathroom adecuately. After describing his behavior, they urged me to take him to an emergency animal clinic as he unfortunately, couldn't be seen at CEVET on such short notice. His bladder was full, an ongoing issue), but so full that it began affecting his kidneys, causing all the other symptoms he displayed. This was a little bit of a financial setback as the additional expense took away from what I've been saving for his reconstructive surgery, but it had to be done. He stayed overnight and they were able to stabilize him by evacuating his bladder every 8 hours and administering fluids.

Update as of 1/17: Bean was taken back to CEVET to clear his bladder and intestines. He also had a drain inserted because he developed an abscess at the base of his tail where the hernia is, most likely due to an infection caused by the waste he has not been able to excrete independently. About a pound of old poop, most of which had become so hard, was removed with an enema and some was removed manually. While he still cannot excrete waste on his own,(either not enough and often times, not at all) this should at least alleviate the discomfort he feels constantly.

Update as of 1/10/25: Unfortunately, I didn't have enough for Bean's surgery, but I managed to pay the bill he accrued during his two-day stay at CEVET in full in order to release him to me. He's home and is as he was before I brought him in, sadly. Below, is everything I paid plus Bean's evaluation and next steps. As Bean's condition worsens (it, thankfully, hasn't affected his kidneys YET), the doctor urges he undergo surgery within the next week so, I secured an appointment for next week in hopes that I manage to get enough money by then, but truthfully, I don't get paid until the 22nd and that's still only a small fraction of what it costs. His condition is time sensitive and without sufficient funds, I'll have to postpone his surgery once again, causing more stress and damage to Bean, potentially creating a larger expense.

My name is Christina. I moved to Puerto Rico four years ago and in that time, I've rescued many dogs and cats. Bean is only a year-old rescue cat who was run over by a car. The accident severely damaged his urinary system, causing chronic difficulty when using the bathroom. He now has a perineal hernia as a result of the constant straining. He spends his days at the litter box or on the wee wee pad every few minutes because he always has the urge to go, but can no longer relieve himself adequately, only peeing droplets at a time, pooping very little every few days even while taking laxatives and sadly, screaming in pain most of the time he tries to pass anything. At one point, he peed nothing but blood for five consecutive days. His bladder is extremely swollen and he continues to lose weight as he has struggled with this for months now.

I was, thankfully, able to bring him to a specialist for an evaluation on January 3rd after a cancellation advanced my appointment from February 13th. His follow-up/rectal exam was on January 8th. Unfortunately, they found the damage to his urinary system complicates what would otherwise be a common procedure.

I've been able to manage everything out of pocket up until now. His current estimated bill is about $4500, which includes already completed testing, fluids, the surgery yet to be performed, his stay and medications to be prescribed during the recovery phase. Centro de Especialistas Veterinarios (CEVET in Puerto Rico) only accepts insurance from Trupanion, not the insurance I already took out for him from IKON, unfortunately. They told me I can submit the expenses to IKON "to see" if they'd reimburse me only after paying everything in full. CEVET also does not offer payment plans outside of CareCredit, which I do not qualify for, unfortunately. I've tried opening numerous credit cards and taking out personal loans, but none have been approved. I don't have enough for the deposit needed to begin the procedure and only half of what it costs to take him home without even having the procedure done. I don't have the heart to take him home without trying only to watch him suffer when we've come so far considering our options are limited on the island. His condition will continue to worsen without medical intervention.

He's such a sweet boy, but his quality of life continues to decline and I just want to help him. It's a huge and unexpected expense that unfortunately continues to increase over time. Any financial assistance would be greatly appreciated and repaid in full. I don't want handouts. It's just a lot for one person up front. I'm happy to provide more photos, videos and documentation as proof.

Bean is one of my many rescues and while I feel ashamed to ask for help, I'd do anything I could for him and any of my babies. As I mentioned, I exhausted my resources and just don't know what to do anymore. Before it's too late, I just want to help Bean as soon as possible as I don't know how much more his frail body can take.

Thank you so much.

Christina