Hello everyone ! Thank you for taking the time to read my gofund me ! I am not one to ask for financial help, but now times are financially tougher for myself then ever.
I started to rescue cats with my sister almost 20 years ago. Back then, I had a great job with benefits and I was able to financially support all the financial, daily and medical costs of the cats that we have rescued over the years.
Our rescue mission first started with 2 kittens that were twins, born in a backyard in north Toronto and no one was willing to take them in. So this is how our hearts flowed with rescuing stray/abandoned cats over the years. One of our first rescue cats is still alive at the age of 19 years old, but sadly her twin sister had to be euthanized a couple years ago due to senior health related issues.
Our next cat rescues were unexpected. One was rescued from low income residential area of Toronto from a stray cat that gave birth to a large litter. This was our first and only female tuxedo cat that we rescued. She was flea infested and required urgent medical care. She had many medical issues that required thousands of dollars in surgeries and special food, but sadly, she succumbed to her medical issues a few years ago.
We then had 2 additional rescues within the same month. One was rescued from a truck stop just outside of Toronto as a kitten, as well was birthed from a stray cat. The vet had stated if we did not rescue her that day, she only had 1 or 2 days left to live. She had an eye infection so bad at the time of rescue, she could not open her eyes. We got her emergency medical attention and she has been in our lives for the last 13.5 years. We also rescued the same week unexpectedly a 1 year old cat that was part of the TNR program (trap, neuter, release) and it was our first male cat rescue. We also noticed he had an eye infection and as well took him to our 24/7 emergency vet clinic and got him urgent medical attention with the necessary medications. This was my first and only experience with learning about the TNR program, and how the rescues release them into residential areas in hopes that someone will house them. He came to me while I was on my front porch steps of my previous home, and I gave him a permanent house as there was a massive storm coming that night.
Over the years these cats required many surgeries. From Bladder Stone surgeries, to massive dental surgeries, one of which required all of their teeth to be pulled due to having an internal infection stemming from their days as a stray. Our 13.5 year old rescue has also to have 2 complex dental operations to have surgically teeth extracted due to decay (even though we have the cats on oral care food and are properly cared for). Sadly, these are common issues with cats, but are extremely expensive. The last dental surgery was nearly $4,000.00.
We have mainly rescued female cats, coincidentally, but one day, on Dec. 23, 2014 the weather was -`17c. We were home and heard a cat crying. We could tell it was not one of our cats as it had a unique meow. The ground was full of snow. It was absolutely freezing. I opened my front door to see if I could spot this crying cat and it was trying to find a warm spot to survive. I immediately ran into my house, grabbed some towels and rescued this cat. We segregated this cat and immediately tried to warm him up. He had icicles forming on his long haired fur. At the time, we didn't know if it was male or female (but vet confirmed it was a male). We kept him overnight in a safe and warm room so he could get some rest. Gave him fresh litter, food and water ! He was parched. Thankfully we segregated him from our other 5 cats we had at the time as we found out he had a severe case of worms. I immediately drove him to an emergency vet who took amazing care of him. The vet said he had the worst case of worms he has ever seen in a cat. We got him the necessary medication to treat the issue. We found out the cat was neutered and approx 5 to 6 years old. After additional testing it was found he was an indoor cat that was abandoned. The vet said it is common for cat to be abandoned. I broke down crying because he was the sweetest cat we came across.
After being treated with medications for a couple weeks, we got the clearance for him to be released into the house to blend with the other cats. He got along with all of them and they formed a clique. It was so amazing to see the joy the cats gave us and how much fun they had as a group.
Sadly, with years that pass, comes complex medical issues, specialty food requirements, medications for various conditions, and these costs are in the tens of thousands. I could estimate that in a 10 year period at least $25,000 just alone in medical care has been provided to all the cats, from the surgeries to medications. Sadly, the last rescue that was just discussed passed away this year (May 2025) after a 4.5 year battle with feline hyperthyroidism.
On Feb. 12, 2025 I received a call for urgent help of a young cat between 5 and 7 months old that needed rescuing and a warm home. The worst snow storm was set to hit the city the following day. The cat had visible eye issues. This was at a dirty recycling/trash plan just north of Toronto. There was a stray cat issue and the city had stated that they would be sending animal services to trap the animals and could lead to euthenization. This broke my heart. I was sent a picture of the cat and I requested the cat be brought to me for urgent care. The cat is a female cat.
Once the snow storm subsided, and it was safe to drive. We booked an appointment with a vet to ensure that this cat did not have any medical diseases or issues. It was confirmed she was blind in one eye. After a full blood panel was completed, it was found that she tested positive for toxoplasmosis. This required expensive medication and an expensive follow up vet visit to retest the blood work 3 weeks after the medications were provided. It was also found at the follow up that was pregnant. Yes, being only approx. 6 months old at the time of rescue, she was a kitten that was pregnant with kittens !! This was a shock to me. With my years of rescuing cats, mainly female, I never ran into this risk or issue.
The vet stated that since we were unable to determine the conception date, it was required that we allow her to carry the litter to full term (especially with her age and fragile state). On May 14th, 2025...63 days after her rescue, she gave birth to 4 beautiful kittens ! This has been the most amazing cat experience, but has financially taken a toll on me. We are ensuring all of the kittens and mom are being spayed and neutered (she gave birth to 2 boys and 2 girls). One of the girls was born with no eye balls and will require eye surgery to seal the eyes.
Sadly though, a little over 2 years ago I was laid off with thousands of other colleagues from a company I worked for, for 18 years. This job allowed me the financial stability to care for these cats. I have depleted my severance to care for the cats and I went from a well paying office job, to cleaning homes to continue to stream an income in. I am receiving no government assistance. My family has already contributed so much by housing me and my cats during this financial crisis.
The costs of their feeding the cats due to the rising cost of cat food is at around $500 a month.
We have spayed the mother which was almost $1000.00
Found out that they all contracted worms which was $250.00 to treat all of them with deworming medications.
The 2 boy kittens were recently neutered and the cost for that was almost $1300.00
We still have the 2 female kittens to spay and microchip, and that will be a cost of nearly $2000.00. The vet wants to do a full blood panel on the blind kitten which will be another $1000 +, the future surgery for her eyes.
I am financially depleted !! I am financially stressed out.
On top of all of this, I am dealing with many medical battles, but these cats have brought me so much comfort and joy and I will not give up on them. I love them so much and want to ensure they all get the proper care for life.
I will be looking for a more financially stable career in the new year, but for now, I also need to take care of my health. Which has been very challenging and expensive without benefits.
I am asking for any type of financial help.
Even if it is a $1.00.
I have set up a bank account solely for the care of the cats.
Any assistance is appreciated !
Organiser
Liz M.
Organiser
Thornhill, ON