Mending Maple

On Thursday morning, Becca Hahn and Molly Caballero’s beloved cat Maple started to seem a little off. Upon waking up, she began to struggle to walk and didn’t eat breakfast. Her breathing was ragged and began to wobble while trying to navigate the house. Alarmed, Becca brought her to the vet where they ran tests for the majority of the day. The veterinarian reported that Maple was hypothermic and experienced a seizure (possibly not her first one of the day) while at the vet. This was the first indication that her condition was probably neurological (possibly a stroke) and extremely serious. Molly was out of state at the time and booked flights home immediately after hearing the news.

Afterwards, Maple was monitored at home with strict instructions to track if she had another seizure and to bring her body temperature up. That night, they made a call to bring Maple into BEVS (Burlington Emergency & Veterinary Specialists). Maple stayed the night closely cared for and put on seizure medication. The veterinarians at BEVS then referred Maple to a neurologist in Massachusetts.

Molly and Becca drove down with Maple on Friday morning where they awaited care from the neurologist. Maple stayed Friday night at Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital on seizure watch. On Saturday, Maple received an MRI to determine the cause of her sudden condition. With the MRI being inconclusive, a spinal tap was conducted while she was still under anesthesia. While the family awaits the spinal tap results, Maple has been put on antibiotics to aid in any infection that could be present with the fluid found in her brain.

On Saturday afternoon, Becca, Molly, and Maple traveled back to Vermont and are settling in. At this point, a multitude of test results are pending and will determine what future treatment Maple will need.

As many know, emergency veterinary services are costly. This GoFundMe is to ask folks in the community to donate if they are able to help support Becca and Molly with the cost of Maple’s treatment including care, medications, and future visits needed to diagnose Maple and save her life.

Maple means the world to her moms and their people. She is the sweetest girl and her sister Juniper (feline) has missed her companion. Maple is turning four years young this July and is hoping for a long, cozy life. Please consider donating if you are able to help the family heal and ease some of the unexpected financial burden.