PLEASE HELP SAVE MY KITTY'S LIFE

Hello Everyone, my name is Dana and I'm making this fundraiser for my kitty named Coonie. (I named her that thinking she was a Maine Coon cause of the "M" on her forehead but later learned she's just a tabby) This all started on 10/11/23 when I had noticed my cat had a prolapsed colon, she wasn't acting herself earlier that day and then I noticed blood on the floor. I immediately took her to Melbourne Animal Hospital and they kept her over night. When I came to pick her up they said they put a "purse string suture" in (its to keep the prolapse from coming back out) but said they took it out.. Which I thought was odd so I asked & they said it was because they wanted the muscle to go back into place (which still made zero sense to me) They charged me $648. ALL they wanted was for me to come back on the 19th with a stool sample. As soon as I got home is when I read online that if a cat/dog has a prolapse the vet keeps the stitches (& purse string suture) in place for 5-7 days before removing it.

Coonie was home with me for almost 4 days before the prolapse happened again & this time it looked A LOT more inflamed than the last time. When I got there I was told to go an hour up north to see the same vet at Parkway Animal Hospital because he was working up there. When I arrived at Parkway & the vet saw the prolapse he was shocked by how much worse it looked this time around and told me that she was going to have to be taken in the back right away for surgery. He then came back in the room with a medical procedure book explaining to me the process & that he was going to amputate a portion of her colon. I was told she would have to stay for 3-4 days. Yesterday I went to go pick her up at 11am. I was charged $945 for the operation & everything else they did while she was there. When I brought her home she seemed perfectly fine. She was so happy to see me, she was purring up a storm, rubbing her sweet face up against me and her body was glued to my side:

^Coonie content & purring up against me

I gave her some wet food, since I was advised the food had to be wet so that she could pass her stools easily (I was also given Lactose Suspension to give to her every 12 hours to help aid her with going to the bathroom easily. When I fed her, she ate about half her can of food like she hadn't ate in days. I had even sent a video to my Mom so happy over the fact she was eating so well but in the back of my mind I thought "geeze they must've not given her much to eat during her entire stay for her to be eating like that!". She then laid down next to me on the pillow across from mine, occasionally getting up to give me cuddles & I took a nap with her. Around 8pm I had woken up & looked over at her, she looked so content so I took a photo of her all sprawled out & content looking on my pillow:

^ AN hr before the 3rd prolapse

I then watched her get up and take a few sips of water. She then went into her litter box and had a bowel movement. I knew this because she let out a sound & I could tell that it was painful. I figured that was normal because she had just had surgery back there. She then went back to sit on the pillow she had just been laying on but this time she didn't look like her alert cheerful self. I said to her "Coonie baby what's the matter?" & I could just tell by her face that something wasn't right. It was the same face she had on her the two other times the prolapse happened. She looked sad and scared and wouldn't move. So I went up to her, pet her precious little head & then lifed her tail & noticed she had prolapsed AGAIN & she let out a little sound, me just gently lifting her tail hurt her. I was in total disbelief! By this time it was an hour since I had taken the photo of her all happy on the pillow. I hadn't even been home for 9 hours & this was happening again! I freaked out & then took her to the 24hr Animal Specialty & Emergency Center of Brevard. The vet there took her back to examine her & he said whatever they said they did to her IT WAS VERY UNBELIEVABLE because she should've had an incision on her chest from when they put the purse string suture in, she had no incisions at all. He also had to sedate her because her colon was so swollen he couldn't even have a good look at it. He said he couldn't even see an opening to her colon where she could possibly pass a stool because it was so swollen. He was also too scared to push the prolapse back in because it was so swollen. I was told that the only thing I could do was wash it and put saline solution on it along with a lubricant to keep it from drying up. I then asked him what the next step was after doing that til Monday and he gave me two references to specialists to call on Monday. I asked the vet if he could could he please give me an estimate on how much it would cost and he said around $5,000. I started to cry, I had just spent every dime I had. If I don't come up with this by Monday (Wednesday the latest) my poor baby is going to have to be put down. All the nurses came up to me apologizing about my situation & thought it was really messed up with how wrong the other place treated her, they were even shocked. I'm at a loss of words, I've never EVER EVER in my life have ever felt so helpless in my life. I had just lost my Grandma in July, which anyone reading this who knows me personally knows how much my Nan (Ann) meant to me and vice versa, which I'm still healing from that. I'm not ready to say goodbye to my baby, another living being that means that absolute world to me. She is literally ALL I have.

WHAT MAKES COONIE SPECIAL?

^ My favorite photo I've taken of her, she was looking at a bug outside but it looks like she's modeling ♥️

Ironically in 2 weeks it'll be exactly 11 years since I found her & she found me. She looked to be about 9 months old not even barely a year old when I first found her. So she will be turning 12 years old around the 10th of November (which is still very young for a cat). When I found her I was wanting a cat so bad, I would literally obsesss over it, it's ALL I'd talk about & just one day when I wasn't even going to go outside, I just decided to go outside & that day & heard a kitty meowing. Meowing as if she was eager for a human to find her. When I approached her she was actually standing next to another kitty & looked at it & hissed basically to say "Hey! This is my human!" So the other kitty ran away and I picked her up & she was instantly purring in my arms. When I let her down in my apt she was rolling around all happy and was honestly the happiest kitty, giving me tons & tons of kisses. My friend said that she was the same cat who had been playing with his two little kids for the past few days.

WHEN I FIRST FOUND HER:

^ She's been so lovable from the beginning, such a Momma's girl ♥️

Over the years Coonie has become my baby, anyone who knows me personally knows that she's my baby, my everything. When they call me they ask how she's doing. I don't have any kids so she's my child. I've had cats growing up but there's something special about Coonie & I've NEVER loved an animal more. I'll be crying from another room (not even a hard cry, just sad tears coming down from my face) & it NEVER fails, Coonie will come running to come comfort me by laying on my chest and soaking up my face with kisses as to say "Don't cry Mommy, I love you..I'm here for you" and no matter what I was going through wouldn't feel so bad anymore. It was just me & her & that's all that mattered . I mention her ability to know when I'm not well to everyone I know because it just blows my mind like "How'd she know I was upset?? How did she know??!"..She's like an angel. Anyone who comes in contact with Coonie instantly loves her because she's so loving, not a single mean bone in her body. I truly believe she was put in my life for a reason. The first 5 years after her being in my life I was going through some tough times and she NEVER EVER left my side:

^ Coonie glued to me cause I was crying comforting me in bed during a tough time in my life. ♥️

^ During a 12hr car ride, she never left my side, only to use the restroom at a rest stop or to come up front on my lap, she's ALWAYS gotta be next to me, she's also the perfect copilot.

Like I said, this precious baby will go out of her way if she knows I'm upset or hurting to make sure I'm feeling better. I'm crying as I write this because she is just so precious and I'm not ready to day goodbye to not just my baby but my best friend. PLEASE PLEASE donate whatever you can even if it's just $1 , it all adds up. If anyone wants to see all my vet paperwork & receipts along with pictures of her at the vet's office along with pictures or even videos of her situation PLEASE feel free to ask me. Every single cent will be used for Coonie & her entire situation, even her going to see the specialist etc. I will also continue to provide updates on Coonie's situation on a daily basis. To all of the animal lovers/owners out there, you know what it's like to have an animal you deeply care about, they are our literally our entire world, they're our family, our babies and we'll do ANYTHING for them.

I'm pleading & asking you PLEASE HELP SAVE COONIE'S LIFE, she's too precious, she's literally on this earth to give nothing but love. Thank you to everyone in advance. Again, I will be updating everyone with details as they go on. Thank you from the bottom of my heart ❤️..

Much love ❤️ Coonie & Dana

^making Momma smile

^Coonie with my Nephew ♥️