Support Baili After the Heartbreaking Loss of Cinnamon

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Hi! My name is Baili and this is Cinnamon. He is a Snowshoe and almost 2 years old. Back in November I adopted his brother, Ralphie, from a hoarding situation and Cinnamon was taken by an ex-coworker of mine. Both cats were in perfect health when adopted. Just last week, he reached out to me saying he was moving back home and couldn’t take Cinnamon with him. He informed me that Cinnamon had not been eating or going to the bathroom for a few days and was probably just constipated. I was more than happy to agree to adopt Cinnamon and offered to get him checked out. My ex-coworker dropped him off at the emergency vet and I took it from there. Unfortunately, things were so much worse than I’d ever imagined. The vet called me and made it clear that he was neglected, malnourished and emaciated. All of his vitals were low, and there was no doubt that he had been suffering for a very long time. An x-ray showed there was a foreign body in his intestines. He needed to be given fluids and rushed into emergency surgery to save him. He had foam stuck in his intestines, leaving his intestines perforated and infected. My guess is that he was so hungry from being neglected that he ate whatever he could. Part of his intestines were removed and biopsied and staples were put in. Everything was happening so fast. 3 days later, I saw him for the first time since I adopted his brother Ralphie. He was dirty, frail and weak- I was horrified and heartbroken to see the state he was in.

I was able to take him home. Cinnamon is so loving, he wanted to be held and cuddled and pet the entire time. He was eating small amounts of food and getting all of his medications. I was so happy to get him home to give him a long life filled with the love he deserved. The total cost was my entire life’s savings of $10,000. I was truly hoping Cinnamon didn’t need any more vet care and was on the mend to a full recovery. A few days later I took him back to the vet for a follow up. The vet said his chest cavity was filled with fluid and they would need to keep him overnight to drain it. He would also be receiving blood and then would need to be taken to a cardiologist. They believe it’s because his body is working overtime to heal. I was in anguish over Cinnamon’s need to endure more procedures. I wanted so badly to save him. He deserves a second chance after 8 months of neglect and starvation. He’s barely two years old and he’s already suffered so much. The veterinarians loved and adored him, saying they’ve never seen such a sweet cat. The vet said to me, “I love all my patients, but this cat is truly special”. Cinnamon was fighting hard, and I decided I would too. I borrowed $7000 from my sister and was moving forward, truly believing he would get through this.

After the fluid was removed from his chest and he was given blood, I was able to take Cinnamon to the cardiologist. They ran an EKG and took a biopsy. The vet said he would need additional testing and stay in the hospital another 4 to 5 days to get his vitals up while hooked up to a feeding tube. He estimated this would cost another $5000 to continue. The cardiologist expressed that his prognosis is poor, he is weak and will most likely continue to decline. In his opinion he recommended humane euthanasia. I was overwhelmed with grief and loss. I felt so defeated and deeply heartbroken.

Cinnamon passed peacefully in my arms last night, and I am truly devastated. Although it was only a week, I fell in love with his gentle soul immediately. I gave this cat every ounce of love I had as well as all of my life’s savings and more to save him. It has been such a whirlwind of hope and sorrow. All his overnight stays, treatments, and surgery has totaled $17,000. I wish so badly that it worked and he was home with me doing well and making beautiful memories. I can’t believe what my ex-coworker has done to Cinnamon. I will never understand how anyone can mistreat, neglect and abuse an animal. It’s so wrong and inhumane. At this moment I am trying to deal with the heartache and am hoping to maybe recover even a small portion of my costs. If you can help me by donating even a little bit or sharing this around to spread the word, I would be eternally grateful!