Liberty's Broken Heart Surgery
Donation protected
We foster kittens and want to tell you about Liberty ("Libby") who has surprised us quite a few times now. Libby is a small kitten who we worried was not going to make it. The first week, her size, awkwardness, and limited activity made us wonder if she had a medical condition, but she was too small to do anything yet. She had a few spells where she got lethargic and had difficulty breathing. We always had hope but were relieved that each episode was not her last.
As soon as Libby the kitten was big enough, she went to the vet. Libby has a life threatening heart issue. If we don’t treat it, then she will start to decline and die within a year. However, the good news is that her congenital heart issue is correctable, and with surgery she is expected to live many years. The $2000 we hope to raise will cover her heart surgery costs. (photo above 3/20/2017)
Libby’s Story
Libby is a small kitten who has beat the odds and is lucky to have made it so far. At 4 weeks old, she and her three siblings came to our rescue organization from a feral cat colony behind some apartments. If someone in the community had not caught the kittens and brought them to us, Libby and her siblings would likely have died because 3 out of 4 kittens born in the wild die from disease, parasites, and predators before 3 months old.
But luckily, these little ones arrived at Juliet’s House Animal Rescue and our foster home where they got good food, care, and lots of love. They arrived on September 17 which is during Constitution Week. So, we named them Constitution “Connie”, Independence “Indy”, Liberty “Libby,” and “Bill” of Rights. Here the kittens started eating, growing, and playing, but Libby was underweight and lagged behind her siblings in development. We worried about her--she was so small and we could feel her rapid heartbeat. She had a couple episodes of difficulty breathing and we worried she wouldn’t make it. We suspected she had a serious medical condition, probably since birth, but there was not much we could do yet. So we had to wait.
(photo 9/2016)
Libby hung in there, and during the next few weeks gradually caught up a bit to her siblings. She learned to jump and pounce, snuggle on the bed, and play hide and chase with the other kittens. As they all got spayed/neutered and adopted into great homes, we took Libby to the vet to find out how her heart would hold up during a spay surgery. Our local vet confirmed our suspicions—she had a serious heart murmur, but only a veterinary cardiologist could tell us more. The Cardiology team at NC State College of Veterinary Medicine wouldn’t see her until she was six months old, so once again we had to wait. For three months, she ate and played and grew from a tiny kitten into a small cat as we looked to the day of her appointment at NC State Veterinary Cardiology.
(photo 1/2017)
Diagnosis: A Visit to the Veterinary Cardiologist
Finally, the day arrived for her cardiology visit at NC State where we met Dr. K and a team of vet students and interns. They took x-rays and did an ultrasound of her heart. As we suspected, Libby has a complicated case. She has two heart defects. One, called a “ventricular septal defect,” is a tiny hole between her right and left ventricles that allows some blood to flow back and forth. It is inoperable, but many cats live for years with a vsd. The second and more serious problem, called a “patent ductus arteriosus,” is leftover from when she was in the womb. Unborn kittens don't breathe, and so, don't need blood to flow to the lungs. They have a tube/duct that bypasses the flow to the lungs. In a normal kitten, this tube collapses and goes away in the first 7-10 days after birth. Libby's tube is still open and moving blood in the wrong way, leading to extra work for the left side of her heart to compensate. This is why her heartbeat is so rapid and loud—the left side of her heart is enlarged because it is overworked and stretched out from the additional blood pressure.
(photo 3/16/2017)
Dr. K was great and took the time to explain Libby’s condition and her options. Dr. K proposes to perform life-saving surgery on Libby to tie off and close the pda, which will reduce the exertion of her heart muscle and the built up pressure from too much blood flowing the wrong directions. Without surgery, Liberty will not likely make it more than a few more months, a year at the most. Surgery is the best chance to extend her life for many years, although she will need ongoing medication to help out her heart. From watching her zoom around the house and pounce on her toys, you would think Libby is a normal, happy kitten. But her clock is ticking too fast, and she urgently needs this surgery to allow her to keep playing and purring for years to come.
Who We Are: Juliet’s House Animal Rescue
Juliet's House Animal Rescue is a non-profit group of fosters, volunteers, and animal advocates with big hearts and a united goal. We strive to save as many homeless animals as possible by providing them with food, medical care, a stable home, and love. Our goal is to place them in loving homes where they can live out their lives as one of the family. All our animals are taken in from the community or saved from high-kill shelters. We believe that through community and working together that the homeless animal problem can be solved. We do not operate to make a profit. We operate for the animals and in our hearts and minds they are "fur keeps". Juliet's House Animal Rescue is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit; check with your tax adviser to determine if donations are tax-deductible.
Our rescue organization is a responsible steward of money and focuses on how to help the most animals possible. Every dollar we spend on Libby means we can't rescue another kitten or pup. It’s an impossible choice to pick who to save. So, we (and hopefully you) think we can help Libby by funding surgery for her separately without taking away from the general funds we use for all our animals. Any funds raised above the cost of Liberty’s surgery will go towards the care of other animals at Juliet’s House. Adorable, sweet Libby deserves a chance, and we hope you think so, too. Donations in any amount are appreciated!
(photo 3/2017)
One last thing! If you are interested in adopting this awesome cat, that is the best prize we can give! We are not yet taking applications, but let us know if you’d like to give her a forever home!
As soon as Libby the kitten was big enough, she went to the vet. Libby has a life threatening heart issue. If we don’t treat it, then she will start to decline and die within a year. However, the good news is that her congenital heart issue is correctable, and with surgery she is expected to live many years. The $2000 we hope to raise will cover her heart surgery costs. (photo above 3/20/2017)
Libby’s Story
Libby is a small kitten who has beat the odds and is lucky to have made it so far. At 4 weeks old, she and her three siblings came to our rescue organization from a feral cat colony behind some apartments. If someone in the community had not caught the kittens and brought them to us, Libby and her siblings would likely have died because 3 out of 4 kittens born in the wild die from disease, parasites, and predators before 3 months old.
But luckily, these little ones arrived at Juliet’s House Animal Rescue and our foster home where they got good food, care, and lots of love. They arrived on September 17 which is during Constitution Week. So, we named them Constitution “Connie”, Independence “Indy”, Liberty “Libby,” and “Bill” of Rights. Here the kittens started eating, growing, and playing, but Libby was underweight and lagged behind her siblings in development. We worried about her--she was so small and we could feel her rapid heartbeat. She had a couple episodes of difficulty breathing and we worried she wouldn’t make it. We suspected she had a serious medical condition, probably since birth, but there was not much we could do yet. So we had to wait.
(photo 9/2016)Libby hung in there, and during the next few weeks gradually caught up a bit to her siblings. She learned to jump and pounce, snuggle on the bed, and play hide and chase with the other kittens. As they all got spayed/neutered and adopted into great homes, we took Libby to the vet to find out how her heart would hold up during a spay surgery. Our local vet confirmed our suspicions—she had a serious heart murmur, but only a veterinary cardiologist could tell us more. The Cardiology team at NC State College of Veterinary Medicine wouldn’t see her until she was six months old, so once again we had to wait. For three months, she ate and played and grew from a tiny kitten into a small cat as we looked to the day of her appointment at NC State Veterinary Cardiology.
(photo 1/2017)Diagnosis: A Visit to the Veterinary Cardiologist
Finally, the day arrived for her cardiology visit at NC State where we met Dr. K and a team of vet students and interns. They took x-rays and did an ultrasound of her heart. As we suspected, Libby has a complicated case. She has two heart defects. One, called a “ventricular septal defect,” is a tiny hole between her right and left ventricles that allows some blood to flow back and forth. It is inoperable, but many cats live for years with a vsd. The second and more serious problem, called a “patent ductus arteriosus,” is leftover from when she was in the womb. Unborn kittens don't breathe, and so, don't need blood to flow to the lungs. They have a tube/duct that bypasses the flow to the lungs. In a normal kitten, this tube collapses and goes away in the first 7-10 days after birth. Libby's tube is still open and moving blood in the wrong way, leading to extra work for the left side of her heart to compensate. This is why her heartbeat is so rapid and loud—the left side of her heart is enlarged because it is overworked and stretched out from the additional blood pressure.
(photo 3/16/2017)Dr. K was great and took the time to explain Libby’s condition and her options. Dr. K proposes to perform life-saving surgery on Libby to tie off and close the pda, which will reduce the exertion of her heart muscle and the built up pressure from too much blood flowing the wrong directions. Without surgery, Liberty will not likely make it more than a few more months, a year at the most. Surgery is the best chance to extend her life for many years, although she will need ongoing medication to help out her heart. From watching her zoom around the house and pounce on her toys, you would think Libby is a normal, happy kitten. But her clock is ticking too fast, and she urgently needs this surgery to allow her to keep playing and purring for years to come.
Who We Are: Juliet’s House Animal Rescue
Juliet's House Animal Rescue is a non-profit group of fosters, volunteers, and animal advocates with big hearts and a united goal. We strive to save as many homeless animals as possible by providing them with food, medical care, a stable home, and love. Our goal is to place them in loving homes where they can live out their lives as one of the family. All our animals are taken in from the community or saved from high-kill shelters. We believe that through community and working together that the homeless animal problem can be solved. We do not operate to make a profit. We operate for the animals and in our hearts and minds they are "fur keeps". Juliet's House Animal Rescue is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit; check with your tax adviser to determine if donations are tax-deductible. Our rescue organization is a responsible steward of money and focuses on how to help the most animals possible. Every dollar we spend on Libby means we can't rescue another kitten or pup. It’s an impossible choice to pick who to save. So, we (and hopefully you) think we can help Libby by funding surgery for her separately without taking away from the general funds we use for all our animals. Any funds raised above the cost of Liberty’s surgery will go towards the care of other animals at Juliet’s House. Adorable, sweet Libby deserves a chance, and we hope you think so, too. Donations in any amount are appreciated!
(photo 3/2017)One last thing! If you are interested in adopting this awesome cat, that is the best prize we can give! We are not yet taking applications, but let us know if you’d like to give her a forever home!
Organizer and beneficiary
Anne Hardcastle
Organizer
Greensboro, NC
Angela Skinner Appelberg
Beneficiary