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My name is Cameryn. I'm the director of a local cat rescue, a cat mom, a veterinary assistant, and a volunteer.
Mango is a 21 month old tuxedo cat who is loved beyond words. In the Summer of 2024, I took in four 5-week-old kittens as a volunteer foster. I named them Mango, Eddie, Luca, and Petunia. Petunia passed away unexpectedly at 12 weeks old. Luca was adopted by a loving home at 3 months old. I adopted Eddie and Mango in November 2024.
In August 2025, Mango's brother, Eddie was diagnosed with sudden onset kidney disease and failure. We ruled out toxins, concluding that the entire litter is predisposed to CKD (chronic kidney disease). Luca's adopter was notified, he was tested and cleared. Mango was tested and given fluids short-term to be safe. Eddie was given a prognosis of about three months. We did daily fluid therapy and weekly B12 shots until we had to make the decision to euthanize on November 19, 2025.
Mango was tested regularly following Eddie's passing and was always on the high side of normal.
Suddenly last week, Mango developed severe gum disease which was not appreciated at an exam two weeks prior or at any previous appointments. His immune system is attacking his teeth. We scheduled a dental and did another blood test and this time, his levels had skyrocketed.
Mango's levels indicate permanent kidney damage and subsequent pancreatitis. This is exactly how things started with Eddie. I had to watch my baby deteriorate through the months while we did everything in our power to keep him comfortable.
The Good: I caught it earlier this time. Mango has no other symptoms other than his dental issue. I reached out to the University of Pennsylvania's team of veterinary professionals who specialize in renal transplantation. I got a prompt reply. I have hope that Mango might have a fighting chance, if I can get help from you.
WHAT THE PROCESS LOOKS LIKE:
PreOp Testing
- Complete blood count
- Serum chemistry profile
- Urinalysis
- Urine culture – off of antibiotics for at least one week
- Urine protein: Cr ratio
- Echocardiogram
- Abdominal ultrasound
- Thoracic and abdominal radiographs
- FeLV/FIV (Done : Neg/Neg/Neg)
- Thyroid (T4) level
- Blood typing
- Toxoplasmosis titer: IgG and IgM
- Intestinal biopsies if ultrasound is suggestive of cancer
- Mycoplasma sp. titers
- Bartonella Western PCR
These tests can be done through his regular vet.
Donor Selection
The renal donors are healthy, young adult cats free of any underlying disease. Donor selection for a specific recipient is based on blood cross-match compatibility which involves a simple blood test. The owner of the recipient is required to adopt the donor cat since no cat is ever euthanized for the program. If the owner would like to use one of the cats in their household, that is not a problem as long as the cat is found to be free of infectious or organic disease and is compatible to the recipient.
We have 31 cats between our rescue members' owned cats and foster-cats. If a foster cat is selected, I will adopt them. Your contribution will save Mango's life, and possibly help a cat get a home!
Mango will be admitted to the transplant facility and put on IV fluid therapy. Any other health issues will be addressed at this time. He will be put on an immunosupressant, a steroid, and given another blood test.
The entire surgery will take between six to eight hours.
He is then expected to recover in the hospital for 10-14 days following surgery.
The cost for renal transplantation in cats (barring major complications) is approximately $24,000-$28,000, which includes a complete work-up, the cost of surgery, general anesthesia and post-operative care of both recipient and donor cats.
We will need $385 for our initial consult, which I am prepared to cover now. Mango will be put on file and the doctor will review his full medical record. Then, a video-call will be scheduled. After that, we will complete preop testing. I need help from my community to pay for PreOp Testing, Surgery, and Hospitalization. I work full time and plan to use my entire income for this, but I don't make enough per week to cover it all in time.
I am starting with a goal of $600 to cover any PreOp testing that I can check off the list during his dental surgery on Monday, March 2, 2026. (CBC, T4 levels, Mycoplasma titers, Urinalysis)
I believe with a community of cat-lovers coming together to aggressively fundraise, we will save Mango. One person can't do it all, but everyone can do one thing.
My boy deserves a full life, not euthanasia before his second year on earth. I have spent 7 amazing years providing care and rescue to other cat lovers during their darkest times, now I need you.
Please consider donating any amount to save Mango's life. Thank you so much.
UPenn Renal Transplantation: https://www.vet.upenn.edu/ryan-hospital/clinical-services/advanced-urinary-care/renal-transplantation/
My Pet Rescue: www.humanebean.org
More about Mango:
- I named him 'Mango' because he was very round at 5 weeks old, like a Mango!
- He sleeps next to me every night.
- I took in Mango and his siblings a few weeks after the tragic loss of my soul cat, Jackson Michael, who developed an esophageal tumor. The chances of a cat developing an esophageal tumor is less than 0.5%. He was diagnosed on a Thursday, and the tumor grew so quickly, he was euthanized peacefully at home that following Sunday.
- Mango and his siblings were born in Canton, Ohio in a neighborhood. None of them could open their eyes due to infection at the time. Mango has come so far!
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Organizer
