Life saving surgery for Murray
To know Dora Tighe, is to know that you are truly loved and cared for by an amazing friend. Dora is the person who answers every call and text when you are in need. When a surprise box appears at your door, it's a full of goodies from Dora because she was thinking of you. She is fiercely loyal of those who are close to her and even more so with her beloved fur babies. I can tell you personally that when my family lost everything 2 years ago, Dora was the one on the phone with me every day and night offering love and support and sending anything she could to help us. Right now is the time for those of us who have been helped by Dora to extend that love right back.
Murray was rescued by Dora in what could literally be a scene out of a movie. Let me set the stage for you.
It was 2016 and Dora was living in Union City, New Jersey. There was a massive snow storm that was about to hit the city. At the time she had one cat named Oliver that she had rescued in the alley of her apartment building the summer before. She was working in Manhattan and commuting to and from work. Dora had seen another kitten in the same alley as this storm was fast approaching and though she wasn't planning on having another cat, she knew that he would not survive this blizzard on his own. He was hiding under a car, so little and terrified, his belly was big and full of parasites. She had a reusable shopping bag and a shawl and laid it down under the stairwell in hopes that he would find that for warmth since he wouldn’t let her get close enough to catch him. When she came down the next morning to peek in the bag, he was curled in a ball on her shawl. Just as soon as she saw him, he looked at her with those big green eyes and bolted again. The snow storm was dangerously close to hitting and she did not want to give up on getting this little kitten inside to safety. With temps in the 20’s, she opened the door of her building that led to the alley and as soon as she did, the freezing little kitten ran right inside. Dora brought him to her apartment and that was the beginning of her journey with Murray. She spent months and months trying to get him healthy again. The parasites were finally cleared and he became her and Oliver's newest roommate. Fun fact, Oliver and Murray are most likely siblings! Same cat momma, different litters and now same human momma.
Murray or Murr's as Dora calls him, has had another health issue since though, one that he most likely has had since birth. He has Feline Idiopathic Cystitis and a slightly enlarged heart causing a murmur. Dora has spent countless hours and dollars trying to manage this condition for him these last few years. The condition leads to inflammation, the formation of crystals in his urine and blockages in his urethra that cause an inability to pass urine. Any blockage in the urethra is life threatening and requires immediate medical intervention. Unfortunately Murray’s cystitis has taken a turn for the worse these last few weeks. Unable to urinate and in extreme pain, he has had to have a catheter put in 3 times in one week. This past weekend after returning from another emergency vet visit, he took a hard turn again. He was still unable to pass urine on his own, shaking and in pain, it was clear he was experiencing extreme suffering that was not being mitigated by pain meds. She rushed him back to the vet, a new catheter was placed and the vet explained that Murray’s best chance for survival is emergency surgery to widen his urethra. The surgery is called PU (perineal urethrostomy) and will remove part of his urethra and....well his manhood to put it lightly. It is a very complex surgery that could be comparative to a gender reassignment. Because of his heart murmur he also has to have an echo cardiogram prior to surgery. As you can imagine, all of these costs are adding up. Murrays care is nearing the
$10,000 mark. Thanks to a veterinary services loan, she is able to do what needs to be done immediately, however, this monthly payment is going to be extraordinarily high. For those of you who do not know, Dora's mother is in the late stages of dementia and it is Dora who is in charge of the cost of her monthly care. The assisted living facility she is in costs $5000 a month. You can do the math here. they need our help and every dollar counts. Every penny that is donated here will be applied towards the hospital bills. Be the person who gives back to our friend, or the stranger in need you've never met, she needs us.
Charles Dickens said "What greater love than the love of a cat." Whether you love cats, dogs or everything in between, I hope you took the time to read this and donate. We love and appreciate all of you.
