Help Monchi Get Life-Saving Surgery

Ann Schmitz is organizing this fundraiser.

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Hello. Thank you for visiting my fundraising page for my young cat, Monchi. She has too many stones in her bladder to dissolve on their own and needs surgery to remove them. The stones are the white clusters in the center of pic parallel to the leg bones.

While I started her on urinary health food to keep the stones from developing after surgery, the operation should be done ASAP. The estimate is below:

She seems in good spirits, but I can tell she is not well because her urine is pink and she is using her box frequently and is very thirsty. The vet said she needs to have the operation soon because a stone could lodge itself and cause infection and death. Any donation amount will be very much appreciated!

If you want to learn more about how I found Monchi and made my 3-kitty home her home, please see pics and read below:

When I was walking at lunchtime in the parking lot at work at the end of summer 2018, I heard a persistent meowing from a kitten. The animal was deep in thick bushes where I could not get close. I tried unsuccessfully to get her to come over, but it would not come near me that first day. I put a bowl of water out for her and told myself I would try to catch her the next day with some canned food, if she was still there. I was happy to hear her meowing in the bushes the following afternoon. Again, I couldn't get near her. So, I put out a plate of food, put on gloves in case I was scratched or bitten and got a box ready to put her in. I felt like a giant hawk snatching her up so quickly and rough. I would not have had another chance so I couldn’t miss. But, just as soon as I caught her, I placed her gently in the box. She was very frightened and cried terribly for a long time. The shelters around the area were full and would not take new animals. At a few months old, I took her home to my garage. This is one of the first pics I could get of Monchi:

She hid under anything she could for several days and only would come out to eat. Soon, I was able to pet her and while it was a relief to comfort her, I found a giant wound in the front of her neck the size of a 50-cent piece (you cannot see the hole in the pic above.) I needed to get her to the vet for a complete check-up and heal that hole. After about a week, I wrangled her in a travel box to the vet. Again, she hated being in the carrier and cried and tried to get out.

The poor cat had many types of worms in her stomach and her lungs and they could not do anything with the hole in her neck. She was treated with antibiotics and worm medicine. Those treatments would have to go on for 2 months to make sure no worms could be transferred to my other 3 cats through kitty litter boxes. I really did not have room for another cat because I had just taken on an unwanted cat a year earlier. I was going to fix her up and find another home for her.

Within a month, Monchi seemed to be trusting me more and finding a routine with the noises of the house. I found a high-quality herbal salve and mixed it with betadine to rub on around the open wound. Slowly with daily cleaning, the salve started to close the hole in her neck. The worms stayed in her lungs the longest, but finally medicine cleared them out. We were very lucky. The day after I caught her a terrible storm had pushed thru the area; she probably would not have survived.

She has white feet with one grey toe, an extended fang front tooth and a bent, white-tipped tail. Early pictures suggest she has crossed eyes too. But I fell in love with her and decided to keep her. The next step was letting her meet the other 3 adult cats.

That’s Boo. He is deaf now, but he was around 6 yrs. old when I took him in. Monchi is in the window.

Lady Jaye (grey) and Timber were shelter cats. My sister helped me get Timber when she pointed him out playing with another cat in the pen. He was an important part of making Monchi so sweet and to feel loved.

Of course they did not like her in the beginning and hissing was abundant the first few days. Boo did not really want anything to do with her. Lady Jaye hated her (and still does:), but I did have a fluffy love-button named Timber who was sweet to the gangly kitten. He sort of was a mom to her, even though he was a boy cat. I have vids of them playing I can upload in a few days.

They all tolerate each other now. Lady Jaye plays with her sometimes, but also makes it known she is the top kitty of the house. Monchi now plays with Boo, but mostly rolls around on the ground like an upside down wiggle-worm playing with sticks, jute rope and me.