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Please help save the life of a super sweet FIV+ cat named Dafu. He got bite by a coyote. The wound on his back is large and deep, and heals extremely slow. He needs significant amount of medical supplies and special care. Dafu is an amazing cat, and with your donation and support, he can survive! Here is his story:

We found him in our backyard on September 13th, 2023. He came to eat the cat food we had left out for stray cats. At that time, he had a large open wound on his back. We took him to a doctor, and it was confirmed that he had been bitten by a coyote. We believe he fought back against the coyote to survive. His injuries were terribly severe; one-third of the skin and flesh on his back was gone. The hole was so deep that it was only millimeters away from his lungs. The spine was completely exposed, and there was also another coin-sized wound on his hind legs. The doctor told us that he would have died in a couple of days without intervention.

So far, the medical expenses for Dafu have exceeded $10,000+(by 11/22/2024), not counting food costs. Despite this, we never gave up on him because he is a young and strong cat. Many doctors advised us to put him to sleep, but we know he wants to stay alive. He eats and drinks a lot every day, showing us how much he enjoys eating and wants to play with other cats. He is still so young (about 4 yo) and wants to enjoy his life for much longer! When you look into his eyes and spend time with him, you can feel how sweet he is. Even in pain, he tries to show us his belly. He always expresses love through his actions and expressions. Taking care of him is healing for us; he is a purring machine!

Since he was diagnosed with FIV+, his wounds heal more slowly than regular cats. After undergoing several suture surgeries, his hind leg is fully recovered, but the back wound proves challenging to heal. Recently, we reached out a much better doctor named David Beltran at Veterinary Healthcare Center. We underwent another surgery to cut away the dead skin, leaving the wound wide open. This necessitates careful and complicated treatment, including thorough cleaning with saline, then drying the wound. Applying a thin layer of Manuka Honey or stem cell gels (bought from China). We then bandage the wound. We repeat this treatment everyday until the wound significantly reduces in size. During the period of treating the wound, we need to make sure the wound doesn't get any affection.

The wound size has reduced from 5x5 inches to 3x3 inches in almost a year after the last surgery. The wound also expands every month. Now the wound maintain the size in between 2.7" x 3" and 3.2" x 3.5". One doctor suggested having skin graft surgery to completely close the wound, but our research showed that puncture wounds are very difficult to heal. It's normal for the wound to expand because the deep tissue heals more slowly than the surface skin. As a result, the skin reopens to allow discharges to come out from the deeper tissues.

We don't know how long it will take for the wound to heal—maybe at least 2 years, or even longer. If Dafu's wound never heals, we will continue to take care of him and clean his wound every day to keep him alive and happy for as long as possible! The doctors, volunteers, and we all have faith, time, energy, and patience to cure Dafu.

However, the substantial medical fees are causing stress. So far we have spent $10k+ for the medical cares over a year, it would be really helpful and grateful to have your financial support (any amount of your support could save Dafu's life)! Or any good puncture wound treatment suggestions! We genuinely appreciate your help and kindness!