Dear all,

I need your help. My friend was driving home from work and found a cat lying on the side of the road. He was worn down, filthy, covered in bugs and in obvious pain. My friend has two cats in her home and could not bring in the stray given all the unknowns. However, she did take him to her yard, cleaned him up as best she could and gave him food and water. The cat hung out in her shed for two days and never left. He was looking to her for help. After two days of phone calls to several local cat rescues, all were either over capacity or responses were still pending. That's when I agreed to take the cat under my temporary care and set him up with a makeshift bed and bathroom (litter box) in my garage.

I immediately booked an appointment with the emergency vet in East Syracuse. Unfortunately, the preliminary outlook was not good. The cat was underweight, covered in fleas and had pain/sensitivity around his kidneys. Most notably, his mouth was covered in foul-smelling pus. The vet said he very well could have intestinal parasites, potential kidney failure or cancer and faced a major uphill battle with his mouth. Under the circumstances, it would have been reasonable to put the cat down. However, I couldn't consciously make that decision without knowing for sure if the cat was terminal. I paid $1100 for the required diagnostics and got emotional when I found out that the cat was surprisingly cancer-free and kidney data was normal. He also didn't have a single intestinal parasite. He had a slight heart murmur, needed flea meds, and his teeth were an absolute disaster, but he was not terminal. Despite the pain in his mouth, he ate all his food, and his stool was normal. This cat was showing a strong will to live and the vet said if his mouth gets fixed he can live a normal / healthy life. The diagnostics testing effectively changed his destiny - now he had a fighting shot.

This issue with his mouth is the critical point. To fix his mouth the cat needs a full tooth extraction with special attention / preparation due to the heart murmor. The estimate for this is as high as $6760 and I'm already invested close to $1500 between the initial vet visits, diagnostic testing, meds and basic care (food, bedding, litter, etc) the last few weeks. All in if I did this myself I'd be close to $8500 to save this cat - an expense that is just too high for me alone, especially as I aspire to continue my efforts to help other animals in need (helpful to mention I spent $3K out of pocket to help save a dog last year).

As a dog dad of three and only ever having worked with dogs, I never thought I'd play the role of cat rescuer. But here I am, completely out of my element and clueless on cats but taking it day by day and learning a lot. The cat seems to be comfortable for the most part but eating is a task and takes him a very long time to get through both soft and hard food. There is a noticeable pool of blood that leaks onto the floor as he eats (see included picture) and the drool is constant. He has to turn his head side to side to position food and navigate tooth sensitivity.

I originally had him spending most of his time in the attached/heated garage, but over the course of two weeks and a slow introduction to my three dogs, they have all taken to each other and enjoy each other's company. This honestly was my highest point of anxiety trying to figure out how I could have this cat around with three dogs. Having the cat around showed me a soft side of my dogs I don't know that I ever would have had the pleasure of experiencing without taking him in. There seem to be little miracles taking place all along the way.

I'm happy to report that the cat spends all of his time inside the comfort of the heated garage and inside my home. He is not outside nor cold/wet and has regular meals. He has even had a few naps in my bed with his new fur friends. As I write this, he is in a ball sleeping on my shoulder and snoring in my ear with my three dogs all sleeping adjacent. It pains me to say that my plan is still to get this sweet boy adopted out since he gets along with all my dogs. I won't say it's definite since four months is a long foster time but the reality is that I can't keep every animal I try to rescue and I also cannot fund every rescue myself. I need your help to save his little cat and find him a forever home.

His surgery is tentatively scheduled for Feb 6 but I'm hoping to get that moved up depending on how soon funds can be raised and how close to the goal we get. The cheaper options also come with a further surgery date. I will certainly foster him until then and any funds raised at or beyond the cost of just the surgery will go towards his interim care.

We all have tough financial decisions to make and everyone should be particular about where they spend their funds. I know this is just one cat, but on that note, he's a very sweet and special little man that has endured a ton of pain and at this point only wants affection. I'm doing what I can to get him over the hump and on the road to recovery so I can assure you that your donation will be put to good use. He will get the utmost care between my foster care and the vets selected to help him.

As things stand currently, he is glued to my side and constantly seeking a soft touch. He's identical to a lap dog and prefers to spend most of his time napping in a ball on top of me or nestled in my neck. He surprisingly is a great conversationalist over a meal. Aside from constant laundry and wiping his fur (drooling will stop after surgery), he has been very easy maintenance and he even used his litter box the very first time he had to go to the bathroom. It's like he's been here the whole time and my routine really hasn't had to change. He's a wonderful cat with a lot of life left and love to give. Can't help but think just how lucky he will be to have a new lease on life and how much pleasure he could bring to someone's home.

As you may be curious, I don't have an exact age but he's not a baby. He was neutered at some point too. I imagine he used to be someone else's pet or the product of a spay/neuter program but he has only experienced neglect the last several months/years living on the street. There is no record of him in any forum anywhere, no chips, tags, etc. So at this point, we are all he has. Without the funding, the dental disease will likely lead to more issues. I would be grateful for your support.

I swear I'm not getting attached, but the cat was named TBD during his vet visits and he now has a temporary name, Mr. Skip Jones. It was initially Mr. Jones due to a scene from Indiana Jones where drool was involved but my niece and nephews said I may as well make it Mr. Skip Jones after the children's book character Skip Jones... a cat that thinks he's a dog? I'll take their word for it. The way he mimics the behavior of my dogs... maybe it's meant to be.

Once he's fully healthy I will likely begin the search for a suitable owner - hopefully someone I know where I can remain in his support circle. I will play this part by ear. Thank you again for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Joe T. (So Many Animals)