Iris and Booker's Eye Surgery Fund
Donation protected
Foster kittens Iris and Booker are mostly blind. They were born in late summer 2014 with congenital defects of the eye. They need surgery by a specialist in veterinary ophthalmology to preserve what sight they have. (Booker has already lost one eye.)
Sheets Pet Clinic Cat Adoptions needs to raise funds for their surgeries. The specialist’s estimated total for both kittens’ surgeries is $1,400-1,600. We’re aiming to raise $2,000 to cover any additional medical expenses in after-care. An anonymous donor will MATCH your gift it's made before the end of this year!
Iris and Booker can’t have the surgery until they’re 8-10 months of age, but are ready for adoption to their forever home now. Raising the funds for their surgeries increases the chance that they can be adopted, and adopted together, before they are 8-10 months old. They’ll be able to bond with their permanent caretakers in a forever home.
Will you please donate to the Iris and Booker's Eye Surgery Fund? Any amount will help.
If you don’t feel comfortable donating online, but still want to donate, you may mail a check to Sheets Pet Clinic, 809 Chimney Rock Court, Greensboro, NC, 27409 or donate by phone.
Sheets Pet Clinic Cat Adoptions thanks you, very much, for contributing to the Iris and Booker Eye Surgery Fund. We’ll keep you posted on Iris and Booker!
If you can’t donate, you still can give: Share their story. And urge everyone to spay & neuter! Adoption alone will not solve the pet overpopulation program. Education, aggressive spay/neuter efforts, and a shift in thinking about animals are part of the overall solution.
MORE DETAILS ON IRIS AND BOOKER
Where did they come from?
Their mom was a homeless stray who left the kittens when they were 3 ½ weeks old at an office in Greensboro, NC. The employees at the office waited at least 24 hours for mama to return. She never did. So one kind lady who worked at that office took in the kittens and began bottle-feeding them, knowing that she had to find a rescue group for them.
In desperation, she sought help from Sheets Pet Clinic. One day, when the clinic was closed, she knocked on the door. She was holding a cardboard box and it was obvious she’d been crying. She mouthed the words, “Help me.” And so we opened the door.
On evaluation the next work day, Dr. Kimberly Sheets saw that, besides the eye defects, these kittens were healthy, even thrifty. She couldn’t euthanize them.
A Sheets Pet Clinic employee took them home to continue bottle-feeding. They’re still in that foster home.
What exactly are their eye defects?
Eyelid agenesis, failure of anterior segment cleavage, failure of iris to adhere to cornea, secondary trichiasis
What is the name of the surgery they must have?
Cryosurgery
Where will they have the surgery?
Carolina Veterinary Specialists
Why do cryosurgery? Why not just remove their eyes?
Removing their eyes is an option. One of Booker’s eyes has been removed at Sheets Pet Clinic because it ruptured. But with cryosurgery, they’ll be able to have some vision. Booker’s vision is poor. Iris’s is fair to poor. She seems to be able to see shadows of moving objects.
How do they get around if they’re mostly blind?
They get around just fine! They do just about everything a sighted kitten can do. They climb a 6-foot cat tree like monkeys. They never miss their litter boxes and always know where to go to eat and drink.
Will their vision ever improve?
Unfortunately, no. Cryosurgery will help preserve the very limited vision they have.
What will Sheets Pet Clinic Cat Adoptions do with any overage of funds collected?
First, we'll do a happy dance. We’re aiming to raise $2,000 to cover any additional medical expenses for Iris and Booker, should those arise. We’ll apply any overage to the Wilson Fund, named after a clinic feral cat who lived the good life, then finally succumbed to FeLV (feline leukemia). The Wilson Fund will help cats in our program who need critical or emergency care.
Is Sheets Pet Clinic Cat Adoptions a nonprofit?
Not yet. Dr. Sheets funds the adoption program because animal rescue has been her passion since she was a child.
How can I learn more about and see more photos of Iris and Booker?
Write [email redacted]. Visit Sheets Pet Clinic’s Facebook page, where you’ll find an album of Iris’s and Booker’s journey from 3 ½ weeks until now.
We thank Alicia Valenzuela of "Say Cheese" Photography for donating her time to capture these kittens' beauty for a cover photo.
Sheets Pet Clinic Cat Adoptions needs to raise funds for their surgeries. The specialist’s estimated total for both kittens’ surgeries is $1,400-1,600. We’re aiming to raise $2,000 to cover any additional medical expenses in after-care. An anonymous donor will MATCH your gift it's made before the end of this year!
Iris and Booker can’t have the surgery until they’re 8-10 months of age, but are ready for adoption to their forever home now. Raising the funds for their surgeries increases the chance that they can be adopted, and adopted together, before they are 8-10 months old. They’ll be able to bond with their permanent caretakers in a forever home.
Will you please donate to the Iris and Booker's Eye Surgery Fund? Any amount will help.
If you don’t feel comfortable donating online, but still want to donate, you may mail a check to Sheets Pet Clinic, 809 Chimney Rock Court, Greensboro, NC, 27409 or donate by phone.
Sheets Pet Clinic Cat Adoptions thanks you, very much, for contributing to the Iris and Booker Eye Surgery Fund. We’ll keep you posted on Iris and Booker!
If you can’t donate, you still can give: Share their story. And urge everyone to spay & neuter! Adoption alone will not solve the pet overpopulation program. Education, aggressive spay/neuter efforts, and a shift in thinking about animals are part of the overall solution.
MORE DETAILS ON IRIS AND BOOKER
Where did they come from?
Their mom was a homeless stray who left the kittens when they were 3 ½ weeks old at an office in Greensboro, NC. The employees at the office waited at least 24 hours for mama to return. She never did. So one kind lady who worked at that office took in the kittens and began bottle-feeding them, knowing that she had to find a rescue group for them.
In desperation, she sought help from Sheets Pet Clinic. One day, when the clinic was closed, she knocked on the door. She was holding a cardboard box and it was obvious she’d been crying. She mouthed the words, “Help me.” And so we opened the door.
On evaluation the next work day, Dr. Kimberly Sheets saw that, besides the eye defects, these kittens were healthy, even thrifty. She couldn’t euthanize them.
A Sheets Pet Clinic employee took them home to continue bottle-feeding. They’re still in that foster home.
What exactly are their eye defects?
Eyelid agenesis, failure of anterior segment cleavage, failure of iris to adhere to cornea, secondary trichiasis
What is the name of the surgery they must have?
Cryosurgery
Where will they have the surgery?
Carolina Veterinary Specialists
Why do cryosurgery? Why not just remove their eyes?
Removing their eyes is an option. One of Booker’s eyes has been removed at Sheets Pet Clinic because it ruptured. But with cryosurgery, they’ll be able to have some vision. Booker’s vision is poor. Iris’s is fair to poor. She seems to be able to see shadows of moving objects.
How do they get around if they’re mostly blind?
They get around just fine! They do just about everything a sighted kitten can do. They climb a 6-foot cat tree like monkeys. They never miss their litter boxes and always know where to go to eat and drink.
Will their vision ever improve?
Unfortunately, no. Cryosurgery will help preserve the very limited vision they have.
What will Sheets Pet Clinic Cat Adoptions do with any overage of funds collected?
First, we'll do a happy dance. We’re aiming to raise $2,000 to cover any additional medical expenses for Iris and Booker, should those arise. We’ll apply any overage to the Wilson Fund, named after a clinic feral cat who lived the good life, then finally succumbed to FeLV (feline leukemia). The Wilson Fund will help cats in our program who need critical or emergency care.
Is Sheets Pet Clinic Cat Adoptions a nonprofit?
Not yet. Dr. Sheets funds the adoption program because animal rescue has been her passion since she was a child.
How can I learn more about and see more photos of Iris and Booker?
Write [email redacted]. Visit Sheets Pet Clinic’s Facebook page, where you’ll find an album of Iris’s and Booker’s journey from 3 ½ weeks until now.
We thank Alicia Valenzuela of "Say Cheese" Photography for donating her time to capture these kittens' beauty for a cover photo.
Organiser
Sarah Clemmons
Organiser
Greensboro, NC
