Help Danny Boy Heal: Please Support His Surgery

Long-time donor, first-time user of GoFundMe. I’m not a big shopper and I don’t take vacations. I work a lot as a single woman with a mortgage. And now I’m asking for help.

On August 25th, I was driving home from work when the tiniest little kitten darted across my car and found himself now on the other side of a busy boulevard, against a chain-link fence with tarps and tractor trailers and a look of terror on his little face. I kept driving, said a cuss word, and made a U-turn. I parked on the grass with cars zooming by and called for the baby. I saw the tarp move and heard his sweet cries, looked under the tarp, picked him up to put in my car, and off we went to my backyard, which is a feline sanctuary. He quickly got acclimated with his surroundings and new friends, and I went to bed. All was well in the morning, so off to work I go. Eight hours later, I returned and called for the newest resident. He came from the woods behind my home, making his baby cries and running to me. I just love how he already runs to me, I thought, until I noticed he was badly injured. Either something got to him or he got stuck, but his tail became ungloved, and if you don’t know what that is, keep it that way because it’s exactly how it sounds. Horrific and infested, I rushed him to the ER where an emergency consultation was made, and antibiotics and pain meds were prescribed. I was charged a “compassion fee” because he was a stray, and I agreed to schedule surgery immediately for his tail to be amputated. One week ago was his surgery, and he did beautifully. While under anesthesia, he was neutered, vaccinated, and microchipped. I now have a seventh cat, and his name is Danny Boy, because where I found him on that busy boulevard is a local watering hole named Danny’s. He also goes by Danny Bob because of his bob of a behind.

Here’s where things took a turn. That night, he was isolated in the bathroom with the door closed. In the middle of the night, I believe he climbed on his carrier, and all 2 pounds of him must have tried for the sink and fell because I heard a small crash. I looked in, and he was sweet as pie, laying on the floor. All is well, I thought. The next morning, I noticed Danny favoring his right hind leg; there was a bit of lameness. His limp was higher up on his hip joint, however, like how I walk with a limp because of my hip arthritis. It looked stiff. He hasn’t shown any symptoms of pain and still runs and plays, so I took him in for x-rays, and the news is bad. He fractured his hip, and the conservative route won’t benefit him. They will need to remove the little ball in the hip socket, and then scar tissue will take its place. He will live a long and healthy life, but he needs this surgery. Of course, I feel guilty because maybe I should have removed the carrier from the bathroom, or I should have kept him in the carrier. I’ve had 11 cats in my lifetime, and unfortunately, I’m still learning. This tiny creature just went under anesthesia, and I hate for him to have to do it again. I’m concerned about his heart, his body. But he is also pretty scrappy.

The cost so far has been roughly $700, which is awful, but I was able to manage it. The future costs will be around $4,500. That is too much for me, and I need help. I work so much already for everyday expenses and have had to take off from work for Danny’s doctor appointments. He is seeing a specialist on Monday and then I will be scheduling surgery. I will also be applying for a possible grant through Blue Pearl Cares. I’m not too proud to show what tax bracket I’m in.

Today, I came home from work and shared my story with a good friend who suggested I create a YouTube account and share this story to pay off Danny’s medical expenses. That’s a great idea, but I’m exhausted just thinking about it because of my schedule. Then I thought, what about a GoFundMe? I donated to causes before when I had the means, and I thought, why not? This is a huge unexpected expense on a kitten I just met, and for the kitten, he’s had one hell of a rough go at life in his first 13 weeks.

Please help Danny Boy and I if you can. I’m humbled to ask, and any amount we would be most grateful. We both have broken hips… he’s my soul cat!! But Danny gets his hip fixed first