Saving Kevin
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This is Kevin - a very special cat who had a really rough month in December 2020. I created this GoFundMe to share Kevin's survival story and to seek help covering the cost of his medical expenses. These expenses included the costs of emergency vet visits, medications, sedations, surgeries, and a few supplies.
To all those who expressed an interest in chipping in to help with Kevin's medical expenses - thank you from the bottom of my heart. This means so much to me.
For those who do not yet know Kevin's story, please read below!
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Many people in our little neighborhood work together to support a colony of about 20 feral cats, including neutering, feeding, and providing some shelter in cold weather. One of these cats, a 2.5 year old tuxedo cat named Kevin, has a special spot in many of our hearts.
Kevin is a familiar and beloved character in the neighborhood, known to be bold, curious, and friendly. He's even a favorite of some of the local dogs and housecats who get a chance to meet him. Along with his matching tuxedo sister, Sylvie, Kevin has spent much of his short life lounging around my porch or my back yard. The two siblings stick together, cuddling when its cold, relaxing and playing when its nice out, and defending each other from unfriendly cats who might fight them or take their food.
However, on the night of December 3, 2020 , a horrific attack left Kevin seriously injured and at risk of dying from infection. While Kevin slept away the cold winter night in a small insulated cat house, a large raccoon forced its way in, preventing his escape. When Kevin was finally able to slip out of the cat house, the raccoon held him trapped by his hind leg, biting Kevin's foot and doing serious damage.
I was able to find Kevin the next morning, injured and crying, his white foot marked with blood. I reached out to neighbors and a veterinarian friend to help catch him and get him medical attention. We worked all day carefully trying to catch him, but as a sick feral cat, he was scared and resisted our efforts. When we finally caught him the following day, the emergency veterinary team said infection was already setting in, and Kevin was clearly unwell.
Fortunately, his rabies vaccine was still current. His wounds were cleaned and he was sent home with antibiotics and pain meds. I set up two large connected dog crates in my basement, giving him a warm, clean space to heal. Despite being scared and dealing with an injured leg, Kevin was sweet and friendly. He was clearly lonely though, missing Sylvie. He craved pets and attention, and was happy to have occasional visits from my curious inside cat, Stella.
After a week of care, including at-home vet visits to sedate him and clean his wounds, Kevin's injuries were sadly not improving, and we discovered that the infection was spreading. Following another visit to the emergency vet, a decision had to be made; the infected and damaged tissue might be saved with an extensive debridement procedure (removing and cleaning out infected tissue), followed by a long period of daily bandage changes and cleanings, or Kevin could he humanely euthanized, or we could choose to amputate his leg. After consulting with my veterinarian friend, we determined that an amputation was the best option.
I was heartbroken to make this choice, but I knew Kevin was a strong, healthy young cat with years of life ahead of him, and I wanted to give him the best chance to have that life. I was immensely lucky to be connected to Dr. Andrea Jensen and the team at VCA Mill Run Veterinary Hospital, who fit him in for surgery the very next day. A few days later Kevin was home again, healing again. It was tough - he had to wear a cone and get feedings via a feeding tube, and he had to take lots of meds. Unfortunately, Kevin was not yet on the path to recovery. We soon realized that the area around his incision was still fighting an infection, and an abscess had formed. We spent several days trying to resolve the infection with additional antibiotics and wound cleaning, but the weekend after Christmas, it was clear that he needed another surgery to clean out the infected and unhealthy tissue.
Following this urgent surgery, Kevin got the VIP treatment, going home with Dr. Jensen for expert care. One week later, Kevin was finally doing great and able to come home once again. This time, Kevin was done with meds, he no longer had to have a feeding tube, and he was free to go without his cone. He was delighted to be able to roam the house freely, and he quickly reunited with my cat Stella. Although he was adjusting to the loss of his hind leg, he quickly showed that he had no problem jumping up on comfy couches and following me upstairs. Clearly, he was adjusting quickly to the life of an indoor cat. It was wonderful to see him healthy, relaxed, and comfortable at last.
The only remaining issue was his partner in crime, Sylvie. Since December 6th, she had been on her own. We all made sure she had access to food, but she was missing her protector, playmate, and cuddle buddy. She spent many cold nights on her own. She also spent lots of time looking sadly in through my back door windows, waiting eagerly for me to come out and give her some attention. She even started allowing me to pet her. Once Kevin was well, he spent much of his time watching out those same windows, often meowing at Sylvie.
Finally, on January 19th, I was able to pick up Sylvie and quickly bring her inside. She was scared and crying loudly, and Kevin immediately came to check her out. It didn't take long for Sylvie to learn that the inside cat life was pretty nice, and though she was timid, she relished in pets and soft places to sleep. She and Kevin both discovered a love for toy mice and cat nip, and a deep love of cat treats.
I woul have loved to keep these two sweethearts in my own home, but unfortunately, this was too stressful to my older cat, who has some stress- induced health issues. Fortunately, others love them just as much as I do. On January 23rd, I was able send the two tuxedo kitties off to their new forever home with Rob, a friend of the neighbor's, who has known (and loved) Kevin and Sylvie their whole lives. I know I will miss seeing their sweet faces every day, but I am so thankful that they are safe and warm and together.
I am so thankful to the many friends and neighbors who played a role in saving Kevin. Without them, Kevin would not be alive today. Big thanks to Molly, Suzanne, Rob, Judy, Muriel, Dr. Jensen, Dr. Vazquez, and all of the staff at VCA Mill Run Animal Hospital, OSU Veterinary Hospital, and Noah's Ark Veterinary Hospital.
To all those who expressed an interest in chipping in to help with Kevin's medical expenses - thank you from the bottom of my heart. This means so much to me.
For those who do not yet know Kevin's story, please read below!
_________________________________________Many people in our little neighborhood work together to support a colony of about 20 feral cats, including neutering, feeding, and providing some shelter in cold weather. One of these cats, a 2.5 year old tuxedo cat named Kevin, has a special spot in many of our hearts.
Kevin is a familiar and beloved character in the neighborhood, known to be bold, curious, and friendly. He's even a favorite of some of the local dogs and housecats who get a chance to meet him. Along with his matching tuxedo sister, Sylvie, Kevin has spent much of his short life lounging around my porch or my back yard. The two siblings stick together, cuddling when its cold, relaxing and playing when its nice out, and defending each other from unfriendly cats who might fight them or take their food.
However, on the night of December 3, 2020 , a horrific attack left Kevin seriously injured and at risk of dying from infection. While Kevin slept away the cold winter night in a small insulated cat house, a large raccoon forced its way in, preventing his escape. When Kevin was finally able to slip out of the cat house, the raccoon held him trapped by his hind leg, biting Kevin's foot and doing serious damage.
I was able to find Kevin the next morning, injured and crying, his white foot marked with blood. I reached out to neighbors and a veterinarian friend to help catch him and get him medical attention. We worked all day carefully trying to catch him, but as a sick feral cat, he was scared and resisted our efforts. When we finally caught him the following day, the emergency veterinary team said infection was already setting in, and Kevin was clearly unwell.
Fortunately, his rabies vaccine was still current. His wounds were cleaned and he was sent home with antibiotics and pain meds. I set up two large connected dog crates in my basement, giving him a warm, clean space to heal. Despite being scared and dealing with an injured leg, Kevin was sweet and friendly. He was clearly lonely though, missing Sylvie. He craved pets and attention, and was happy to have occasional visits from my curious inside cat, Stella.
After a week of care, including at-home vet visits to sedate him and clean his wounds, Kevin's injuries were sadly not improving, and we discovered that the infection was spreading. Following another visit to the emergency vet, a decision had to be made; the infected and damaged tissue might be saved with an extensive debridement procedure (removing and cleaning out infected tissue), followed by a long period of daily bandage changes and cleanings, or Kevin could he humanely euthanized, or we could choose to amputate his leg. After consulting with my veterinarian friend, we determined that an amputation was the best option.
I was heartbroken to make this choice, but I knew Kevin was a strong, healthy young cat with years of life ahead of him, and I wanted to give him the best chance to have that life. I was immensely lucky to be connected to Dr. Andrea Jensen and the team at VCA Mill Run Veterinary Hospital, who fit him in for surgery the very next day. A few days later Kevin was home again, healing again. It was tough - he had to wear a cone and get feedings via a feeding tube, and he had to take lots of meds. Unfortunately, Kevin was not yet on the path to recovery. We soon realized that the area around his incision was still fighting an infection, and an abscess had formed. We spent several days trying to resolve the infection with additional antibiotics and wound cleaning, but the weekend after Christmas, it was clear that he needed another surgery to clean out the infected and unhealthy tissue.
Following this urgent surgery, Kevin got the VIP treatment, going home with Dr. Jensen for expert care. One week later, Kevin was finally doing great and able to come home once again. This time, Kevin was done with meds, he no longer had to have a feeding tube, and he was free to go without his cone. He was delighted to be able to roam the house freely, and he quickly reunited with my cat Stella. Although he was adjusting to the loss of his hind leg, he quickly showed that he had no problem jumping up on comfy couches and following me upstairs. Clearly, he was adjusting quickly to the life of an indoor cat. It was wonderful to see him healthy, relaxed, and comfortable at last.
The only remaining issue was his partner in crime, Sylvie. Since December 6th, she had been on her own. We all made sure she had access to food, but she was missing her protector, playmate, and cuddle buddy. She spent many cold nights on her own. She also spent lots of time looking sadly in through my back door windows, waiting eagerly for me to come out and give her some attention. She even started allowing me to pet her. Once Kevin was well, he spent much of his time watching out those same windows, often meowing at Sylvie.
Finally, on January 19th, I was able to pick up Sylvie and quickly bring her inside. She was scared and crying loudly, and Kevin immediately came to check her out. It didn't take long for Sylvie to learn that the inside cat life was pretty nice, and though she was timid, she relished in pets and soft places to sleep. She and Kevin both discovered a love for toy mice and cat nip, and a deep love of cat treats.
I woul have loved to keep these two sweethearts in my own home, but unfortunately, this was too stressful to my older cat, who has some stress- induced health issues. Fortunately, others love them just as much as I do. On January 23rd, I was able send the two tuxedo kitties off to their new forever home with Rob, a friend of the neighbor's, who has known (and loved) Kevin and Sylvie their whole lives. I know I will miss seeing their sweet faces every day, but I am so thankful that they are safe and warm and together.
I am so thankful to the many friends and neighbors who played a role in saving Kevin. Without them, Kevin would not be alive today. Big thanks to Molly, Suzanne, Rob, Judy, Muriel, Dr. Jensen, Dr. Vazquez, and all of the staff at VCA Mill Run Animal Hospital, OSU Veterinary Hospital, and Noah's Ark Veterinary Hospital.
Organizer
Sarah Savage
Organizer
Columbus, OH