Support Vernon's Urgent Medical Needs

Welcome to Vernon's story! We rescued Vernon when he was about five weeks old and bottle-fed him for the first few weeks we had him. He quickly grew into his strong-willed, rambunctious little self, developing Vernon's unique quirks. He has been loved by everyone he has met, always offering up his fluffy chest to fluff.

Nathan woke up on Saturday, March 22nd, to Vernon making some unusual sounds indicating possible pain. He watched him over the next few hours and thought maybe Vernon was dealing with a UTI, so he tried some over-the-counter UTI drops. By evening, Vernon took a turn and vomited up clear liquid. Nathan called me to let me know what was happening, and I met them at VEG (Veterinarian Emergency Group) in Maple Grove. After being examined, they sedated him and inserted a catheter to help unblock his bladder. His kidney and potassium levels were scary high, so they needed to get those under control. He was admitted into the hospital for the next 48 hours, getting amazing care. It was determined that his urethra was being blocked up with struvite crystals, a mucus plug, and some particle buildup. Apparently, male cats between the ages of two and five are most susceptible to urethra blockages, ESPECIALLY orange cats. Who knew! Vernon just turned five on March 15th, so I guess he decided it was time to cause some trouble. He was discharged the afternoon of Monday, March 24th, and we were happy to get him packed up. Prior to taking him home, he was only urinating on my lap or Nathan's, so that was fun! He was not eating very well at the hospital, but we thought maybe he would eat for Nathan when he was back in his own environment. Vernon did not do very well overnight, and by morning he was not able to stand up by himself and was lethargic. Nathan took him back to VEG, and they put a catheter back in to get him unblocked. He was blocked with the same struvite crystals, particle buildup, and some blood clots this time. After spending the day at VEG, it came time to make a decision. Vernon had to have a Perineal Urethrostomy (PU) or euthanasia because he would continually keep getting blocked. Hearing that, it seemed like a very simple decision because there was no way I was letting my baby boy die. VEG referred us to Mission Animal Hospital so Vernon could get his surgery at a more affordable price due to our financial limitations. We had to wait until the next day before taking him to Mission because they are not open 24 hours. They had Vernon's records and knew what an urgent matter it was to get him in. They took him back right away and got him hooked up; he was already blocked again, so they put in a catheter as well. He needed to stay overnight so his kidney levels could stabilize before surgery and was scheduled for surgery right away in the morning on Thursday, March 27th. Nathan got the call about 10:00 AM that Vernon got through surgery and was doing very well. Venus and Virgil were definitely looking over him!

We got to pick him up at 4:00 PM, and we couldn't wait to see him. The nurse said he was being the sweetest boy, which was wonderful to hear. She went over all the changes Vernon will need to make going forward. For the next two weeks, he will need to be secluded from his brothers and sister with no running or jumping. Besides napping, that's Vernon's life, so it's going to be interesting as he starts to heal and feel better. He will also need to be on RX urinary tract cat food, both kibble and wet. In a house of four cats, it would be impossible to separate which cat gets what food, so Nathan will have to start feeding this RX food to all four of the cats. Nathan and I have been doing a great job co-parenting our fur babies, so we are going to work together to make this transition as easy as possible.

Between VEG and Mission Animal Hospital, Vernon's hospital bills total about $8500, plus we have had to start buying his RX food and after-surgery care supplies. I decided to start Vernon's page to let people know what happened to him and maybe make other orange cat parents aware of this possible issue. If anyone wanted to donate to Vernon, it would go to pay for his medical treatment and his RX food, both kibble and wet. They also make RX treats, so it would be nice to get him some of those down the road.

As of this afternoon, March 28th, he is eating again and using the litter box! All very good signs that he is making his way back to being his old self again!

Thank you in advance for your donation, prayers, and for keeping Vernon in your thoughts. He is a very special cat to me, so I appreciate you reading his story.

Best Wishes,

Amanda

Nathan

Vernon

Vera

Vinnie

Valentino