Help Paulie Heal: Support for Abandoned, Injured Kitten

Meet Paulie.

On Saturday May 17, we found an abandoned kitten in a cardboard box at Polifly Park (that's why I named him Paulie). He is very tiny, and has some injuries. We were convinced right away that fate put him in our path for a reason and committed to giving him a loving home.

We got kitten formula and a bottle at the pet store and he greedily drank, but didn’t seem to know how to drink from standing water or eat solids yet. He needs a 20mL bottle every 3 hours or so. (Yes I'm getting up middle of the night when he cries).

I bought a soft sided cat carrier so he can come to the office with me and I can give him bottle feedings and keep him warm and cozy. He loves to have a big messy meal and then conk out for an epic nap before meowing and playing until hunger strikes again.

On Monday after finding him, Great Bay Animal Hospital was able to see him for a checkup and evaluation. His right ear was cut/torn nearly in half and infected. The doctor cleaned out the pus and started him in antibiotics so it will heal. The wound wasn’t fresh when we found him, hard to guess how long ago it happened. Shockingly it doesn't seem to be causing him much pain, but it looks gnarly up close.

His back left femure is also fractured. He'll be going back weekly for splint changes for the next few weeks.

The vet team estimates he is about 4 weeks old. He weighs 15oz.

We obviously weren’t expecting these expenses right now and so we are asking the community to help the initial “start up costs”. We already have one senior cat, so we don't have much supply needs. With his first checkup done and the infected wound treated, we mainly need to plan for getting his broken leg healed, vaccinations and tests to start next month (he’s still too young) and neutering once he's old enough.

We have a safe, loving home to offer him. We’ll grit through to provide what he needs on our own if we must, but maybe a few other folks out there want to share the load to make saving this adorable guy a bit less stressful. He's already started to play and seem happy and normal. My heart is so full knowing he'll have the chance to live happily ever after.

We know fairly well what to expect for his first 6 months of vaccines and neutering. And the ear will always be mostly missing once it's healed, but will be OK. The wild card will be seeing how that bad leg heals and if he's able to walk on it soon.

In the event we get more help than Paulie ends up needing, all the rest will go to benefit animals via programs with the NH SPCA and Great Bay Animal Hospital.

Known costs breakdown:

The total for his known future treatment needs established at the first vet visit is around $2,200.

Total already spent on vet and medication is $110

Total spent on supplies for him so far is about $150 (new cat carrier, kitten food, kitten formula, puppy pads, etc.)