This is posted with permission of the adopting family.

Dash was found in a barn when he was only a day or two old. After spending 15 weeks with a foster family, he and his sister were adopted into their forever home. Then, less than two months later, he was hospitalized with a life-threatening congenital illness.

Dash, now known as Dude, is scheduled for surgery in two weeks. (See his full story and pictures below). We hope you’ll consider donating to help cover his large, unexpected medical bills.

Dash’s Story

Hello. My name is Andrea. If you don’t know me, I foster and rescue cats and kittens through a local rescue Cat Canton Rescue. My family and I have been volunteering with this wonderful nonprofit rescue for 3 years, during which time we’ve welcomed close to 100 cats and kittens into our home. I never set out to be a kitten lady, but it’s been such an honor helping feral and surrendered cats and kittens connect with their forever families.

On September 2, 2023, I received a call that someone in town had found a very small kitten in their barn but they hadn’t seen a mother cat.

When I arrived, I noted that the kitten was maybe a day old, and clearly needed special care and feeding if he was going to survive. I took him home, bottle fed him every two hours, made sure he was warmed appropriately in an incubator, and took care of all his hygiene.

I hesitated to give him a name because so much can happen with motherless kittens that young. Against the odds, he thrived. Then, about two weeks later, another kitten was found in that barn–his littermate sister. So now I was keeping two neonatal kittens alive. And that was the beginning of my journey with Dash and Daisy.

As the weeks went by, the two met milestones, putting on weight and transitioning from bottles and formula to kitten wet food. They learned to use a litter box. They learned to run and play and climb stairs and eventually they were free to roam our home. They were affectionate with each other and with everyone they met.

Then, when they were about six weeks old, I noticed that they were both a bit off. They were quieter and sleepier than was normal for them. I made sure they were still eating, and drinking and using the litter box, but by Sunday it was clear something wasn’t quite right. They’d stopped grooming themselves and were very lethargic. Dash was limping. Daisy had sores in her mouth. They weren’t eating, and they both were sneezing and developing conjunctivitis. We immediately took them to vet urgent care where they both had fevers and required fluids for hydration. Test results confirmed the diagnosis of Limping Calicivirus. This was something I’d never experienced before, but I knew it could be fatal if untreated. They were both given medications for their eyes and mouth sores, a preventative antibiotic, and a special high calorie food to help their bodies have the necessary strength to fight the virus. Their situation was tenuous for a couple of days, and then they began to turn a corner. They survived. And continued to thrive physically and socially.

A wonderful couple put in an application for Dash and Daisy when this adorable pair was about 15 weeks old. They came to my home for a meet and greet, and it was clear right away that this would be a perfect match. The adopters had recently lost their cat suddenly after he had a surgery on his leg. They were devastated, as you can imagine. Their hearts were ready to open up for new kittens, and it was really one of those situations of “when you know, you know.” I knew Daisy and Dash were meant for this couple, to heal their hearts and have wonderful lives in their home.

During the weeks that followed, I received fairly regular updates and pictures. It was wonderful to see them grow! Then, on February 26, I received a voicemail from one of the adopters: something was wrong with Dash. I learned that Dash (now called Dude by his family) was rushed to Tufts Animal Hospital because he had collapsed. He had been showing various symptoms that their personal vet couldn’t make sense of–some drooling, being a little spacy. When he collapsed, his family knew this was something critical.

Tufts soon determined that Dash had a congenital porto-systemic shunt. I had zero experience with this, but I knew it wasn’t good.

Here is what I have since learned: When abdominal blood vessels develop normally, blood from all the abdominal organs drains through the major liver vessel called the portal vein. The liver filters this blood before it goes to the heart and lungs. The main function of this filtering mechanism is removing the byproducts of protein metabolism, but the liver also has other detoxifying functions. In animals with portosystemic shunts, an anatomic abnormality results in blood being diverted around the liver. This results in blood being circulated without the benefit of the liver’s detoxifying function and also deprives the liver of nutrients. As I understand it, his little body was poisoning itself because the shunt was preventing his liver from doing its job: filtering the blood.

Dash spent two and a half days at Tufts being tested, treated, and stabilized before returning home with medications and a surgery date. While he is feeling better at the moment, this is far from the end of his medical needs.

As you can imagine, the cost of Dash’s amazing care is INCREDIBLY expensive. I know personally how stressful it is when a beloved pet is sick, let alone trying to figure out how to pay for essential veterinary care. Dash’s family is also still dealing with the medical bills from their cat that passed after leg surgery.

Thank you for reading Dash’s story. I truly believe that Dash and Daisy were found and survived the challenges of their first weeks for a reason. They have helped a wonderful family heal after loss. These kittens are their world.

With their permission, and the encouragement of friends who have watched Dash and Daisy grow from teeny little neonatal kittens into beautiful sweet lovebugs, I’m creating this go fund me to help Dash’s family with some of the financial burden so they can focus on Dash’s future care.

I hope you will find it in your heart to help however you can.