Meet Ducky, an extremely sweet and loving 5-month-old kitten that we are so happy to have as part of our family! Ducky was living in the shelter nearby for a couple of months due to a rare genetic condition: medial luxating patellas, and she was diagnosed at a grade 4. This meant that her kneecaps were permanently out of place and we needed to move forward with a surgery.

Initially, we thought that this would wait until she was 11-12 months old, however after meeting with a surgeon they advised to do an additional preliminary surgery that would increase her chances of success.

When we went in for the surgery, they did x-rays to confirm the initial prognosis - with those x-rays, they also noticed a small mass near her lungs and heart. After about a week we learned that she also has a rare congenital diaphragmatic hernia, which can be fatal in cats if left untreated (this is another surgery we need to do for her, as soon as she has recovered from the first).

While we have pet insurance, her luxating patellas are pre-existing conditions and the hernia was identified within the waiting period, so our insurance will not cover any treatment towards these illnesses.

She is currently recovering from her first surgery, but with two more on the horizon we would like to ask for help. This will cost in excess of $12,000 - we are committed to doing these surgeries for her so that Ducky can live a long and happy life, but anything donated will help relieve the financial burden.

Thank you for any support you are able to provide! Everything we receive will go directly towards Ducky's medical costs, for pre-surgery imaging/diagnostics, surgery itself, and any post-surgical therapies to help aid in her recovery.