Giving Sushi another chance

Hello! My name is Vensy and I adopted Sushi about two years ago. When I adopted him, I wasn't told about his medical condition.  For the past two years I've been trying to make things work with Sushi. I tried everything that I could (vet visits with xrays & cat scans etc, different diets, training, etc), but unfortunately we don't have the proper conditions to take care of him.  I have decided that it would be healthier for everyone (including Sushi) to be in a better environment.


What is his condition?
Sushi broke his lower spine about 2-3 years ago. His previous owners could not pay for his surgery so they scheduled him for euthanesia. The vet decided to ask him to be surrendered instead and they did the surgery probono.  After the surgery they noticed he was biting his tail a lot because the nerves were dead so they had to amputate it.

Sushi was the vet's pet for a while, but they decided he deserved a home so they put him up for adoption. I found him and decided to give him a home. Unfortunately the vet did not inform me about any of his health conditions... I was unprepared to adopt a special needs cat. His spinal injury and lack of tail has caused his sphincter reflex to be weaker than normal, so it's difficult for him to pass stool and urine. He's on a very special Miralax diet because of this.

As much as I would love to keep and care for a special needs cat, I don't have the space for it, nor do I have the budget. I have already spent about $2,000 total on vet bills and probably another $1,000 on special prescription diet and fancy foods for him... Life at home has been too stressful because like I said we simply don't have the space to take care of a special needs cat.


The good news!
I asked around to see if anyone was willing to adopt Sushi in the Los Angeles area, but unfortunately no one was able to. I have an amazing candidate on the east coast who is completely aware of all of his circumstances, issues, and history and is happy to give him a loving home.

It's going to cost a decent amount to bring Sushi to the east coast.. Here's a list of what the gofundme will cover:

- Flight cost for me and a friend (so I'm not alone through this) I'm going to go through SouthWest or JetBlue as I've heard the best things about them regarding flying with pets.. ($500-800)
- Pet fee for airline ($100)
- Vet costs to get some medication for Sushi ($100-500?)
- TSA approved carrier ($50-100)
- Pee pads ($15)
- Cat diapers ($15)
- Misc. supplies to help ease the trip such as Feliway, etc.

I'm also adding on a little extra to cover the Go Fund Me fees. If the trip ends up costing less, or if we make way more than the goal, everything will be donated to Sushi's new family for future vet bills, food, and supplies.

Trust me, I tried all options
I have tried speaking with local no-kill shelters and rescues, but no one is able to help me. One rescue straight up told me I'm lucky I have found ANYONE at all to take him in considering his condition..

Here's what one pet rescue resource replied to me:

"Well, I have to be honest with you – when you have a cat that is either urinary or fecal incontinent, it is not exactly a seller’s market; when you have both, then just having one person anywhere on the planet who might be willing to give him a home is a quite a miracle. I feel fairly comfortable in saying that if you have a single person who is both a good cat person (and not some random weirdo) and who, with full knowledge of his condition, is still willing to take him, then figuring out how to get Sushi there is really the only thing you should be thinking about. I recognize that he does not travel well, and will make a mess of himself, and will be miserable, but that’s a small trade off considering what other options there are (basically, none). I would advise loading him up with gabapentin, getting with him on plane and just bearing with the somewhat messy and unhappy consequences for a few hours. If it’s just a few hours and he’s sedate, you can buy a baby diaper (for an adult cat, size 4 is about right) and fasten it on him, line the carrier with puppy pads, bring a Ziploc bag with you so you can change them out if need be during the flight, and just do whatever it takes to get him through a few hours.

 Nobody is going to judge you for rehoming him. Most people in your situation do what his prior owner tried to do. As I said, with incontinent cats, you take what you can find, and you’ve found a lot more than anyone else I’ve heard who has had a cat like this here in Los Angeles."


Thank you for taking the time to read this and to give Sushi another chance.  We unfortunately don't have the resources or the space to take care of him, but I want to make sure he can live a long and happy life with a new family. He is my best friend and I love him. I want the very best he can have.