Help with Midnights vet bills after BB att•ck!
Donation protected
Someone shot our cat multiple times and apparently tried to kill our cat Midnight with a BB gun.
A little backstory on our kitty…
We estimate Midnight is around 7-8 based on talking to neighbors that have lived in this area a long time. She “came with the house” because she was here when we came to look at our place to start renting it potentially (we have since April). And as people who already had two cats and a dog, we just sort of laughed and said “well, I guess we have another cat.” (“I’ll never have more than two again!” Ha) She instantly stole our hearts and became part of our family.
She has spent the majority of her life outdoors, has had kittens outside, avoided everything that could have possibly killed her, amazing hunter, incredibly smart, intuitive…she is a survivor. I’ve seen her puff up her tail and not back down from a dog while protecting her kittens. She is an amazing mama.
After what happened, finally finding her, calling the vet and being told to bring her in, I arrived at the family vet and agreed to do bloodwork and X-ray. It wasn’t much later that Dr. Ellis called me and told me she had fluid around her lungs (originally he thought to be inside her lower lungs from the X-Ray), and that she was severely anemic to the point of needing a blood transfusion which would require emergency care. White blood cell count up so some sort of infection.
Then he said, “and… it looks like someone shot her a bunch of times with a BB gun, with different size BBs.” I was not expecting that. One in the very top of her head “execution style” as one Vet Tech put it. What I thought might have been a tick or scab from a fight was in fact a BB (and is still in the top of her head now).
He also said one of them actually went into her abdomen and could have been causing that infection. They only X-rayed her from the chest down so we could only count the BBs from the X-rays pictured and from the ones we can palpate. But we are counting at least 8-9 shots. At least. I think I may have felt one in her leg also but we won’t know until we do a full scan, and obviously she’s very tender in those areas and areas with shrapnel.
So this stain on society, whoever it is, committed one senseless act (possibly in a matter of seconds) and has cost us around $7200 and climbing so far in Vet Bills due to requiring such intensive care at the Vet ER. We are still going to have to continue non-emergency treatment elsewhere, so that number will be higher soon.
We just really need help with these unexpected bills this holiday season, over some careless person’s decision to hurt an animal, someone’s pet. If you can donate anything at all we truly appreciate it from the bottom of our hearts and everything helps. You’re not just helping us, you are helping an innocent animal and our other rescues.
We thank you all for the prayers, love, light, and any financial support you can give at this time is also greatly, greatly appreciated. No amount is too small.
All donations will go towards veterinary care and the goal listed is a rough estimate for now. Invoices are posted on here as the slow process of healing begins!
Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to you all.
THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts!
Ian & Kristen
**Most recent update** After they saved her life at the emergency vet, we were finally able to bring her home from the hospital Sunday night (12/17) but had to bring her back the following day (12/18) due to elevated respiratory rate. Continuing to monitor it per doctor’s orders along with giving her meds at home, but her albumin levels and calcium were slightly low when they did bloodwork 12/18. They didn’t feel it was cause for concern due to it most likely be her body using her albumin at a very high rate to heal infection which in turn is affecting her calcium. And that bloodwork was done yesterday as I’m writing this.***
FULL STORY BELOW:
All in all, it’s just hard to wrap your head around. Neighbors around us know Midnight (we didn’t even name her) and she’s never had any problems with people that we know of. She’s a very sweet kitty, loves to be fed, pet, & cuddled. We waited until her kittens turned 6 weeks and started letting her back outside just to relieve her anxiety, let her hunt, help them all get along, keep the peace indoors, and keep the pee outside!
“My” first two cats are indoor only now just because of safety, but for the outdoor kitties we have made exceptions and so far been just fine. Midnight would have been fine too, if not for this person. This was the THIRD time letting her out since allowing her outside again.
She would hang around the house mostly especially because of her kittens being inside our house and would even wait at the door and run back inside. That’s why I thought it was odd that we let her out Friday morning and she didn’t come back that night. Saw her run by on camera 10:56 pm Friday evening, and that was my last and only clue of the direction she went.
I went out and called her right after I saw that but I didn’t see the video clip of her walking by until almost an hour later. That’s why I fear that this senseless act possibly took place in that time because she still didn’t come when I called her, even though I knew she was close by (and probably hungry).
But just tried to stay positive. We told ourselves, “she has her spots, she knows how to survive, she’s a smart girl, maybe she just wanted to go hunting with being in the house so much, she’d rather go catch a mouse than eat this canned food.” Even then still in the back of my mind I couldn’t help but think it was weird she would just leave her babies. Ian too.
Saturday and Sunday went by. We had that really awful thunderstorm as well, and I just hoped and prayed she was okay. We had still been trying to call her home during those few days, of course. Thank God it wasn’t freezing out.
Monday morning we needed cat food. Because of the storm the night before, I had decided then to go in the morning. Rode to Food Lion and back. As soon as I turned on our street I rolled down my car window and loudly called for Midnight out of the window all the way down the street. I pulled in our driveway, put the car in park, and brought the grocery bags in.
One of her babies (a now 8 month old kitten) named Cleo then ran out the door in that split second. Cleo is very difficult to get back in the house, because she always runs away from you and is incredibly fast. I grumbled and went out to try to get her back inside.
She ran towards the back field behind our house, which was to my left. I looked over to my right, and there in our gravel driveway, was Midnight! On all fours, on her tummy just looking at me. She didn’t run up meowing and purring and demanding cans of Fancy Feast as usual. She looked tired and weak, but she had been out for a couple of days, so the optimist in me said dehydration or hunger.
At the time I was just so happy to see her and couldn’t believe it. Scooped her up and ran her back inside. My boyfriend Ian’s mouth dropped open; he couldn’t believe I finally got her back either. My first thought carrying her in my arms was that something happened to her. She seemed traumatized like maybe she had been in a fight.
I wondered if she was in heat and came in contact with a male. She just seemed lethargic and subdued. I noticed a bite on her ear (so I thought) and felt what I thought was a tick on her the top of her head where she likes to be pet. I parted her fur there to examine, and all I saw was a scab which I didn’t want to mess with.
I thought the areas of those injuries were consistent with a fight, such as a scratch to the head, or a male cat biting her ear or something. I examined her belly, under her tail, looked at her ear more thoroughly (which did have blood stains inside). I was just looking for any injuries on her in the obvious places.
I knew something wasn’t right with her, but I didn’t think to be looking for bullet holes. It wasn’t long after that I noticed her breathing was very labored. Did some Googling, checked her gums…they weren’t blue, but I still called our Family Vet (formerly Randall; now Plaza Animal Hospital). They told me to check her gums again and asked if they were white and I did say they were very light pink. They said to bring her in.
They wouldn’t tell me what it meant, that it could be different things. But I wanted to be prepared and not be anxious about the possibilities. I wanted to know what I was walking into. So, did a *quick* Google search: “White gums cat meaning” “Heart disease, lung disease, lung infection, anemia, bacterial infection, cancer” so I was expecting any of those. I fed all the rest of the animals, and was getting ready to head out the door.
Miraculously, right before I had to leave, I opened the door to go to my car and Cleo ran inside the house on her own. The one we can hardly get inside the house, who climbs trees to run away from us, running at cheetah speed, actually waited at the door and ran back in on her own. I couldn’t believe it. I have to wonder if Cleo was there to help me find Midnight or lead me to her. I truly believe animals know and feel much more than we do, so you have to wonder.
I buckled in her carrier and took off to the family vet. After dropping her off, agreeing to the bloodwork and X-ray, it wasn’t much later that Dr. Ellis called me and told me she had fluid around her lungs (originally he thought to be inside her lower lungs from the X-Ray), and that she was severely anemic to the point of needing a blood transfusion which would require emergency care.
White blood cell count up so some sort of infection. Then he said, “and… it looks like someone shot her a bunch of times with a BB gun, with different size BBs.” Gut punch. Shock. I was not expecting that. One in the very top of her head “execution style” as one Vet Tech put it.
The thing I thought was a tick is a BB. He also said one of them actually went into her abdomen and could have caused that infection. They only X-rayed her from the chest down so we could only count the BBs from the X-rays pictured and from the ones we can palpate. But we are counting at least 8-9 shots. I think I may have felt one in her leg also but we won’t know until we do a full scan, and obviously she’s very tender in those areas and areas with shrapnel.
I was so worried when I dropped her off that I never actually left the parking lot, even though they said “we’ll call you.” So after I had that conversation with him on the phone I was able to rush right back inside.
The shock wore off, I just put my elbows up on the counter at the vet, buried my face in my hands and broke down, sobbing.
My thoughts… Who could do this to her? She didn’t deserve it. Anger. Asking why. Fear of the unknown, of her health, of our neighbors, of anything. The pain she went through, not being able to even begin to understand how, when, why. Regret, guilt. Why did I let her outside? I could have prevented this. I didn’t and couldn’t protect her. She was probably so scared. Why my sweet Midnight? The one who loves people and is afraid of the squirt bottle?
Randall Vet told me I need to take her to the animal ER immediately. I rushed her down to Carolina Veterinary Specialists (CVS) in Huntersville and they knew I was on the way thanks to Dr. Ellis calling them. A week in the ER, blood and plasma transfusion, anesthetized twice, drained 30 mL of fluid from her chest but continued to fill up again.
The ER Vet ended up having to place chest tubes, which she had in until the day of being discharged. Lots of pain meds of course. But she got lots of Fancy Feast, affection, snuggles, and even apparently lying in the lap of Dr. Royer. Lots of love to and from the staff.
They didn’t know how she was going to do, she was holding with the treatment but things weren’t improving much, then apparently Friday, she turned a corner. Eventually all the fluid stopped, and we got the news yesterday that we finally got to bring our resilient, tenacious girl back home.
It’s completely disheartening, trying to give these outdoor cats a chance after we moved into an issue with cats not being spayed and/or being abandoned. Having made TNR (Trap/Neuter/Release) and medical efforts, it is completely devastating and a setback to be afraid to let them outside again. It’s terrifying not knowing who did this or where. We’re lost because we just don’t know what to do or where to begin. They could live three doors down from us, it’s just a sea of uncertainty. And we don’t know all the neighbors.
Regardless, we are just amazed, thankful, and almost dumbfounded that she not only made it back home, but is now hopefully on her way to making a full recovery.
This whole thing, as traumatic and stressful as it has been, has taught me a few things. There are some really awful “people” in this world that do horrific things. There are also still good, kindhearted souls out there too who want to help. Including the person who anonymously called up there to pay $300 towards our bill. Thankful doesn’t cover it…Thank you, whoever you are. Thank you.
And that the “good” people have to make significant efforts to simply clean up the messes of the “bad.” Messes that took mere seconds to create. One impulsive decision can destroy so much so quickly, yet take so much longer to fix it.
The result? Broken hearts, doctors working ‘round the clock to save a cat’s life, pages of medications and treatments done on her, thousands of dollars spent, an entire week in the ER. All the time, money, energy spent just to save her life.
The cause? One coldhearted act towards an innocent animal. A matter of seconds. One quick-snap decision (I’m assuming and hoping it wasn’t planned or thought out) caused all of that. It’s easy to break something, much harder to fix it. And life is very fragile.
It is bittersweet in a way that there are such good, caring people who want to help. That Midnight touches the hearts of those around her and is loved. That she had the CVS staff in tears when it was time for her to go home (with a can of Fancy Feast!). That a sweet woman named Diana there said Midnight was a bright spot throughout the week with all the sad things they have to see and deal with.
So even in a time she almost lost her life, a traumatic or difficult time for everyone involved, she still brightened the lives of others and made work a little less sad for them for a week. Yes, bad people are everywhere and you can never really assume it’s safe. But someone out there always cares and wants to help even if you think you’re facing an issue alone.
Angels walk this Earth. And I hope that one day I can be someone’s angel when they need it. We thank you all for the prayers, love, light, and any financial support you can give at this time is also greatly, greatly appreciated.
Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to you all.
THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts!
Ian & Kristen ♥️
We estimate Midnight is around 7-8 based on talking to neighbors that have lived in this area a long time. She “came with the house” because she was here when we came to look at our place to start renting it potentially (we have since April). And as people who already had two cats and a dog, we just sort of laughed and said “well, I guess we have another cat.” (“I’ll never have more than two again!” Ha) She instantly stole our hearts and became part of our family.
She has spent the majority of her life outdoors, has had kittens outside, avoided everything that could have possibly killed her, amazing hunter, incredibly smart, intuitive…she is a survivor. I’ve seen her puff up her tail and not back down from a dog while protecting her kittens. She is an amazing mama.
After what happened, finally finding her, calling the vet and being told to bring her in, I arrived at the family vet and agreed to do bloodwork and X-ray. It wasn’t much later that Dr. Ellis called me and told me she had fluid around her lungs (originally he thought to be inside her lower lungs from the X-Ray), and that she was severely anemic to the point of needing a blood transfusion which would require emergency care. White blood cell count up so some sort of infection.
Then he said, “and… it looks like someone shot her a bunch of times with a BB gun, with different size BBs.” I was not expecting that. One in the very top of her head “execution style” as one Vet Tech put it. What I thought might have been a tick or scab from a fight was in fact a BB (and is still in the top of her head now).
He also said one of them actually went into her abdomen and could have been causing that infection. They only X-rayed her from the chest down so we could only count the BBs from the X-rays pictured and from the ones we can palpate. But we are counting at least 8-9 shots. At least. I think I may have felt one in her leg also but we won’t know until we do a full scan, and obviously she’s very tender in those areas and areas with shrapnel.
So this stain on society, whoever it is, committed one senseless act (possibly in a matter of seconds) and has cost us around $7200 and climbing so far in Vet Bills due to requiring such intensive care at the Vet ER. We are still going to have to continue non-emergency treatment elsewhere, so that number will be higher soon.
We just really need help with these unexpected bills this holiday season, over some careless person’s decision to hurt an animal, someone’s pet. If you can donate anything at all we truly appreciate it from the bottom of our hearts and everything helps. You’re not just helping us, you are helping an innocent animal and our other rescues.
We thank you all for the prayers, love, light, and any financial support you can give at this time is also greatly, greatly appreciated. No amount is too small.
All donations will go towards veterinary care and the goal listed is a rough estimate for now. Invoices are posted on here as the slow process of healing begins!
Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to you all.
THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts!
Ian & Kristen
**Most recent update** After they saved her life at the emergency vet, we were finally able to bring her home from the hospital Sunday night (12/17) but had to bring her back the following day (12/18) due to elevated respiratory rate. Continuing to monitor it per doctor’s orders along with giving her meds at home, but her albumin levels and calcium were slightly low when they did bloodwork 12/18. They didn’t feel it was cause for concern due to it most likely be her body using her albumin at a very high rate to heal infection which in turn is affecting her calcium. And that bloodwork was done yesterday as I’m writing this.***
FULL STORY BELOW:
All in all, it’s just hard to wrap your head around. Neighbors around us know Midnight (we didn’t even name her) and she’s never had any problems with people that we know of. She’s a very sweet kitty, loves to be fed, pet, & cuddled. We waited until her kittens turned 6 weeks and started letting her back outside just to relieve her anxiety, let her hunt, help them all get along, keep the peace indoors, and keep the pee outside!
“My” first two cats are indoor only now just because of safety, but for the outdoor kitties we have made exceptions and so far been just fine. Midnight would have been fine too, if not for this person. This was the THIRD time letting her out since allowing her outside again.
She would hang around the house mostly especially because of her kittens being inside our house and would even wait at the door and run back inside. That’s why I thought it was odd that we let her out Friday morning and she didn’t come back that night. Saw her run by on camera 10:56 pm Friday evening, and that was my last and only clue of the direction she went.
I went out and called her right after I saw that but I didn’t see the video clip of her walking by until almost an hour later. That’s why I fear that this senseless act possibly took place in that time because she still didn’t come when I called her, even though I knew she was close by (and probably hungry).
But just tried to stay positive. We told ourselves, “she has her spots, she knows how to survive, she’s a smart girl, maybe she just wanted to go hunting with being in the house so much, she’d rather go catch a mouse than eat this canned food.” Even then still in the back of my mind I couldn’t help but think it was weird she would just leave her babies. Ian too.
Saturday and Sunday went by. We had that really awful thunderstorm as well, and I just hoped and prayed she was okay. We had still been trying to call her home during those few days, of course. Thank God it wasn’t freezing out.
Monday morning we needed cat food. Because of the storm the night before, I had decided then to go in the morning. Rode to Food Lion and back. As soon as I turned on our street I rolled down my car window and loudly called for Midnight out of the window all the way down the street. I pulled in our driveway, put the car in park, and brought the grocery bags in.
One of her babies (a now 8 month old kitten) named Cleo then ran out the door in that split second. Cleo is very difficult to get back in the house, because she always runs away from you and is incredibly fast. I grumbled and went out to try to get her back inside.
She ran towards the back field behind our house, which was to my left. I looked over to my right, and there in our gravel driveway, was Midnight! On all fours, on her tummy just looking at me. She didn’t run up meowing and purring and demanding cans of Fancy Feast as usual. She looked tired and weak, but she had been out for a couple of days, so the optimist in me said dehydration or hunger.
At the time I was just so happy to see her and couldn’t believe it. Scooped her up and ran her back inside. My boyfriend Ian’s mouth dropped open; he couldn’t believe I finally got her back either. My first thought carrying her in my arms was that something happened to her. She seemed traumatized like maybe she had been in a fight.
I wondered if she was in heat and came in contact with a male. She just seemed lethargic and subdued. I noticed a bite on her ear (so I thought) and felt what I thought was a tick on her the top of her head where she likes to be pet. I parted her fur there to examine, and all I saw was a scab which I didn’t want to mess with.
I thought the areas of those injuries were consistent with a fight, such as a scratch to the head, or a male cat biting her ear or something. I examined her belly, under her tail, looked at her ear more thoroughly (which did have blood stains inside). I was just looking for any injuries on her in the obvious places.
I knew something wasn’t right with her, but I didn’t think to be looking for bullet holes. It wasn’t long after that I noticed her breathing was very labored. Did some Googling, checked her gums…they weren’t blue, but I still called our Family Vet (formerly Randall; now Plaza Animal Hospital). They told me to check her gums again and asked if they were white and I did say they were very light pink. They said to bring her in.
They wouldn’t tell me what it meant, that it could be different things. But I wanted to be prepared and not be anxious about the possibilities. I wanted to know what I was walking into. So, did a *quick* Google search: “White gums cat meaning” “Heart disease, lung disease, lung infection, anemia, bacterial infection, cancer” so I was expecting any of those. I fed all the rest of the animals, and was getting ready to head out the door.
Miraculously, right before I had to leave, I opened the door to go to my car and Cleo ran inside the house on her own. The one we can hardly get inside the house, who climbs trees to run away from us, running at cheetah speed, actually waited at the door and ran back in on her own. I couldn’t believe it. I have to wonder if Cleo was there to help me find Midnight or lead me to her. I truly believe animals know and feel much more than we do, so you have to wonder.
I buckled in her carrier and took off to the family vet. After dropping her off, agreeing to the bloodwork and X-ray, it wasn’t much later that Dr. Ellis called me and told me she had fluid around her lungs (originally he thought to be inside her lower lungs from the X-Ray), and that she was severely anemic to the point of needing a blood transfusion which would require emergency care.
White blood cell count up so some sort of infection. Then he said, “and… it looks like someone shot her a bunch of times with a BB gun, with different size BBs.” Gut punch. Shock. I was not expecting that. One in the very top of her head “execution style” as one Vet Tech put it.
The thing I thought was a tick is a BB. He also said one of them actually went into her abdomen and could have caused that infection. They only X-rayed her from the chest down so we could only count the BBs from the X-rays pictured and from the ones we can palpate. But we are counting at least 8-9 shots. I think I may have felt one in her leg also but we won’t know until we do a full scan, and obviously she’s very tender in those areas and areas with shrapnel.
I was so worried when I dropped her off that I never actually left the parking lot, even though they said “we’ll call you.” So after I had that conversation with him on the phone I was able to rush right back inside.
The shock wore off, I just put my elbows up on the counter at the vet, buried my face in my hands and broke down, sobbing.
My thoughts… Who could do this to her? She didn’t deserve it. Anger. Asking why. Fear of the unknown, of her health, of our neighbors, of anything. The pain she went through, not being able to even begin to understand how, when, why. Regret, guilt. Why did I let her outside? I could have prevented this. I didn’t and couldn’t protect her. She was probably so scared. Why my sweet Midnight? The one who loves people and is afraid of the squirt bottle?
Randall Vet told me I need to take her to the animal ER immediately. I rushed her down to Carolina Veterinary Specialists (CVS) in Huntersville and they knew I was on the way thanks to Dr. Ellis calling them. A week in the ER, blood and plasma transfusion, anesthetized twice, drained 30 mL of fluid from her chest but continued to fill up again.
The ER Vet ended up having to place chest tubes, which she had in until the day of being discharged. Lots of pain meds of course. But she got lots of Fancy Feast, affection, snuggles, and even apparently lying in the lap of Dr. Royer. Lots of love to and from the staff.
They didn’t know how she was going to do, she was holding with the treatment but things weren’t improving much, then apparently Friday, she turned a corner. Eventually all the fluid stopped, and we got the news yesterday that we finally got to bring our resilient, tenacious girl back home.
It’s completely disheartening, trying to give these outdoor cats a chance after we moved into an issue with cats not being spayed and/or being abandoned. Having made TNR (Trap/Neuter/Release) and medical efforts, it is completely devastating and a setback to be afraid to let them outside again. It’s terrifying not knowing who did this or where. We’re lost because we just don’t know what to do or where to begin. They could live three doors down from us, it’s just a sea of uncertainty. And we don’t know all the neighbors.
Regardless, we are just amazed, thankful, and almost dumbfounded that she not only made it back home, but is now hopefully on her way to making a full recovery.
This whole thing, as traumatic and stressful as it has been, has taught me a few things. There are some really awful “people” in this world that do horrific things. There are also still good, kindhearted souls out there too who want to help. Including the person who anonymously called up there to pay $300 towards our bill. Thankful doesn’t cover it…Thank you, whoever you are. Thank you.
And that the “good” people have to make significant efforts to simply clean up the messes of the “bad.” Messes that took mere seconds to create. One impulsive decision can destroy so much so quickly, yet take so much longer to fix it.
The result? Broken hearts, doctors working ‘round the clock to save a cat’s life, pages of medications and treatments done on her, thousands of dollars spent, an entire week in the ER. All the time, money, energy spent just to save her life.
The cause? One coldhearted act towards an innocent animal. A matter of seconds. One quick-snap decision (I’m assuming and hoping it wasn’t planned or thought out) caused all of that. It’s easy to break something, much harder to fix it. And life is very fragile.
It is bittersweet in a way that there are such good, caring people who want to help. That Midnight touches the hearts of those around her and is loved. That she had the CVS staff in tears when it was time for her to go home (with a can of Fancy Feast!). That a sweet woman named Diana there said Midnight was a bright spot throughout the week with all the sad things they have to see and deal with.
So even in a time she almost lost her life, a traumatic or difficult time for everyone involved, she still brightened the lives of others and made work a little less sad for them for a week. Yes, bad people are everywhere and you can never really assume it’s safe. But someone out there always cares and wants to help even if you think you’re facing an issue alone.
Angels walk this Earth. And I hope that one day I can be someone’s angel when they need it. We thank you all for the prayers, love, light, and any financial support you can give at this time is also greatly, greatly appreciated.
Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to you all.
THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts!
Ian & Kristen ♥️
Organizer
Ian Walters
Organizer
Mooresville, NC