Tests and Surgery for Bromley

Anyone who knows us, knows that we live for our animals - and they also know Bromley.
 
Bromley was our first adopted baby when we moved away from our family and down to Melbourne 5 years ago. He was one of only two siblings, with the other passing away soon after birth. Bromley was born abnormally small and with a heart murmur – both contributing to his mother refusing to care for him, and subsequently being tube fed and kept away from the other cats till he was strong enough.
 
Since coming home with us Bromley has gained many doting fans via @bromley_and_co. His upbringing means he’s not your typical cat - he doesn't jump on furniture, can't really groom himself, only learnt to use the scratching post by copying our second cat, and due to the shape of his face, has difficulty eating and drinking. Most visitors have been lucky enough to get his super wet bearded hugs (equally unpleasant and endearing).
 
Two years ago we ran into complications with Bromley (or Pud as he's lovingly called). He was admitted to The Cat Clinic in Prahran with a bad cough and vomiting. They sensed it was something a little more sinister though and quickly admitted him for X-Rays finding a number of his organs sitting in his chest cavity.
 
He was rushed to CARE Emergency Vet for immediate surgery presenting with a diaphragmatic hernia and haemothorax (blood in the lining of the lungs). Surgery was successful and we were able to take our little Pud home a few days later.
 
During the time after his surgery things seemed to be going relatively well. Bromley is a fairly quiet little guy (outside of feed time) and as the vets labelled on his transcripts 'a stoic cat, who fights through pain'. So it can be hard to tell how he's really feeling - hard to believe for something that barely weighs 3kg.
 
Approximately 6 months after his surgery we noticed he was a little quieter than usual. I returned home one day to find him out of breath and upside down in his litter tray. Without a second thought we rushed straight back to CARE Emergency Vet.
 
Arriving, they triaged him immediately and came back to us with the worst possible news. He had herniated again with associated haemothorax, this time also requiring a splenectomy and correction of gastric dilation (twisted stomach).
 
The vets suggest we euthanise as the above combination of issues is incredibly urgent and life threatening (statistically, there is only a 30-60% success rate of gastric dilation in dogs, and the condition is almost unheard of in cats). This coupled with the hernia and ruptured spleen meant they were giving him a mere 20% chance of surviving the surgery - and that even if the surgery was successful, the severity of the issues coupled with his small size could lead to cardiac arrest.
 
It was a no brainer for us though – euthanising him was not an option.
 
We couldn't fathom giving up on Bromley given how much he's fought in his short 5 years with us.
 
Thankfully due to the immense skill and care of all the vets and nurses at CARE we were able to bring our little man home. It was a long 2 weeks of nursing and recovery, but we couldn't have been more proud of him. Our little fighter.
 
Amidst all these trials he's been put through, he’s remained the most cheerful little cat. Always wanting cuddles, love and fresh water to dip his face in.
 
And yet, Bromley has unfortunately had further issues that need investigating.
 
Since he was a kitten he has struggled with breathing (a sad by-product of the Persian breed). This issue has been exacerbated with the number of surgeries and the amount of stress his little body has been put under. He had a CT scan at the end of 2019, where the vets suggested it may be asthma. Months later, using a steroid inhaler multiple times a day, we noticed little difference.
 
We were lucky enough to be recommended the incredible team at Melbourne Cat Vets and would not be able to go through this without them.
 
Through a number of vet visits we have determined that Bromley requires testing for laryngeal disease (as opposed to asthma). This includes X-Rays, an Ultrasound Echo (for his heart murmur) and Endoscopy (camera into his larynx). Not to mention all the required hospital fees, care and medication. In addition, they have requested a veterinary anaesthesia specialist to oversee the tests as Bromley is in a high-risk category. This means there is high chance his larynx could collapse as he's waking up from the anaesthesia. Plus, a subsequent surgery which will likely involve opening his airways or removing polyps if any are found.
 
It is incredibly overwhelming; however we have no option but to soldier on and do what is required.
 
We understand that it’s an incredibly difficult time for everyone and donating towards someone else’s pet simply may not be feasible. We have both been financially compromised by COVID-19 so know how horrible this situation is for many, thus appreciate you even stopping by to read Bromley’s story!
 
To help raise the much needed funds required for Bromley’s lifesaving tests and subsequent surgery, we have both started this Go-Fund Me and further opened an online store [LINK TO STORE ] to sell off some of our beautiful pottery homewares - handmade by my talented mother. The pieces are all bespoke one offs - you won't find any two pieces alike. Hopefully, a little reminder of your incredibly generous contribution, and a little way for us to give back  for all the support.
 
100% of all proceeds from the online store sales, and this Go Fund Me, will go directly to Bromley’s medical care – to vet bills from the past few weeks, to his tests and to his upcoming surgery.
 
No matter how small your contribution, we are so incredibly grateful for your support.
 
Thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts.
 
Much love xx