Misty's Emergency Tumor Surgery

Misty's Story — Why He Needs Your Help
I am appealing to all my fellow cat and animal lovers, near and far, to come to the aid of a cat in dire need of oral surgery.

My name is Roland Kriewaldt and I am just a private citizen who likes to help animals in need that wander onto the wooded acreage where I live — or fall from their nests, as also happens. I get a fair amount of feral cat traffic here and am well-prepared with good food and warm shelters. And that's how I came to meet "Misty," the feline hero of this GoFundMe story.


MEETING MISTER MISTY:
On November 13, 2017, alerted by the noise of complaining squirrels, I noticed a grey, long haired "Nebelung" cat coming out of my fancy outdoor cat shelter. I assumed he/she was just passing through; maybe a neighbor's cat, I thought...

The next day he was back and trying to hunt down my late season Chipmunks and baby squirrels, so I started feeding him to calm his obvious hunger. It became immediately apparent that this was no ordinary cat. He was super friendly and looked like he had spent his life indoors. His fur was relatively unmatted, his ears perfectly clean and his tail forever high and signalling - "Hey, let's be friends!" And so I accepted his offer. I also named him "Misty" — for the temporary purpose of animal care bureaucracy.

HUMANE SOCIETY GETS INVOLVED
I called the local Humane Society and a woman there brought over some donated food and said she'd help me by bringing him to a vet next week to see if he's got an identity microchip and also get him dewormed, etc. I was really hopeful that he had a microchip; I also couldn't imagine why anyone would allow such a beautiful, affectionate cat stray out of sight. Just to show you how special he is, Misty even rolls on his back and lets me — a complete stranger — brush his belly. And boy, does he purr and drool to show his appreciation.

SIGNS OF TROUBLE
On Sunday, November 19, as I was petting Misty and keeping him company, he yawned and I caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a growth inside his mouth. But it was too fast to get a good view. Later that day, he rubbed against my glove and I noticed some blood in his saliva. It wasn't much and there was none in his feeding bowl or on the paper towels I used to wipe his drooly little face when I was giving him the petting of a lifetime.

Concerned, I phoned the woman from the local Humane Society and asked her to prioritize getting Misty to a vet so that someone could have a look into his mouth and hopefully put my mind at ease that it's nothing to worry about. Maybe a bad tooth or something.

BAD NEWS FROM THE VET:
That hasty visit to the vet took place today, Monday, November 20, 2017 at a clinic in a nearby town. First of all, Misty had no microchip, so there was no way to find out who his owner is/was. Secondly (after an uncomfortable exchange in having to discuss payment for the vet to simply open the cat's mouth and peer inside) I saw with my own eyes a huge mass that had grown on the left side of his tongue and appeared to almost be sealing off his throat. It didn't look good.

This also made me suspicious that Misty's owners just dumped him in the wild because they didn't want to deal with the expense of trying to save his life or care for him. Lucky for him, I'm not one of those people.

Oddly enough, you would NEVER know from Misty's behavior that he was so sick, nor can I see any swelling from the outside. In this way, I'm very lucky to have caught a glimpse inside Misty's mouth as he yawned and also noticed that hint of blood in his drool, otherwise no one would have been the wiser, and I would not be writing this GoFundMe appeal to save his life. He does seem to drool a lot from that one side, but that's not really unusual for a happy, purring cat who loves to be touched by people.

(Misty chowing down after his vet visit today)


THE FINANCIAL CRUNCH:
Presently, my circumstances do not allow me to take in an indoor cat nor pay for Misty's desperately needed surgery. I'm sure you can appreciate how helpless I feel in wanting desperately to help and do what's best, but not having the means to make that happen.

Fortunately, the woman from the local Humane Society suggested that they might be able to pay for his surgery and look after Misty's recovery and adoption. However, no sooner had she spoken those words  when she then asked me to go online and research a discount-priced doctor she had heard about in another nearby town.

I'm not sure how you feel about discount doctors, but a sinking feeling came over me when I realized that Misty's care may fall victim to the "poverty mentality" of the people running that institution. Sure, beggars can't be choosers, but I want to ensure the best possible outcome for my new little (12 lbs!) friend, Misty.  I do not want to disparage the local Humane Society because I know they have a lot more animals than just Misty to worry about, as well operating costs, and salaries.

Another factor for my giving this issue the full court press is I am one of those people who firmly believes that animals are sent to those who can help them. Case in point, two ears ago I saved the life of a large raccoon that even experienced wildlife professionals were ready to euthanize because they felt he/she was dying of Rabies. And as they waited, I continued feeding and caring for that raccoon. Three weeks later, on Christmas Day in fact, and during a fortunate winter thaw, I released "Rocky," my big fat raccoon friend into the wild and in perfect health. No one was more suprised than I.

In short, my devotion to the well-being of animals also makes me an optimist in hoping for the best outcome for each animal that entrusts me with its care. Not every story has had a happy ending, but most do and I'm hoping that there will also be one for little Misty.

Sure, Misty could even die during the operation. But that's a risk any person or animal faces. And he has to have part of his tongue removed, apparently. Again, not the best thing to look forward to. But Eddie Van Halen is missing part of his tongue, too, and he's still wailing. So who is to say that Misty can't keep making a racket as well — actually, he sounds just like "Simon's Cat," and just as persistent when wanting my attention. :)

The main thing is that Misty is otherwise a strong, healthy and HAPPY cat! Today I watched him jump five feet straight up onto a ledge. For that reason, I can't imagine having some vet just stick a needle into his body and say: "Well, sorry for your loss. That'll be fifty bucks. Next patient, please!"

Misty is a powerhouse and deserves to live.

[King Misty, getting his royal ear tweaking treatment]




WHAT I PLAN TO DO WITH THE MONEY:
My plan is to collect enough money so that I can ensure that the Humane Society can make the best choice of veterinary surgeon instead of settling for the cheapest one — as seems to be the general strategy. I would like to have a "surgery and aftercare budget" where I can pay for his medical bills rather than have an already cash-strapped animal shelter roll up its pennies to toss into the Misty healthcare jar. My current financial goal is $2000, but I may have to adjust that figure as I suspect it's going to be somewhat higher. I'll post an update after I make some further inquiries.

CAN YOU HELP ME HELP MISTY?
I know that sounds so Jerry McGuire, but if you are the proud servant of a cat or dog, or just an animal lover like me who understands the deep emotional bonds that we can form with animals, even if newly arrived into our hearts as unexpected dinner guests, then perhaps you are the kind of person who might also put a few dollars toward Misty's surgery and care. I would certainly be grateful, on both our behalf.

The situation is serious and dire. When the vet looked into Misty's mouth he quite dispassionately declared that he needs "emergency" surgery - I believe that's the term he used. He said the tumor did not appear to be causing him pain yet, but that it would soon block his throat and take his life. I try not to think what that would be like for any animal to go through, especially if he had not found his way to my outdoor shelter or I had not begun to care for him so that he'd stop picking on my squirrel friends.

I can't let Misty die. I have to do something to keep him alive and happy.  Ordinarily, as with most things, I would have tried to do this quietly and on my own, but I need a small miracle  to happen here and that's why I'm reaching out to complete strangers. But then again, people who love animals are not really strangers to each other. I think we are the kind of people who go that extra mile, because it's what we do...

So please understand, I need your help right now. More importantly, Misty needs our help to remove that tumor on his tongue that will soon block his throat. I don't mind doing all the leg work to make this a reality, but I need some financial assistance from you to help pull this off.

My personal identity is out in the open; I have a facebook page and websites that carry my name. I do good work, whether I am rewarded for it or not. As for the other people that I may involve, I want to keep their names out of this to protect their privacy. They have not asked me to talk about them nor make their information public. I want to honor that and not breach any bond of trust that we must maintain. As for me, I am forced to make this a public matter for Misty's sake, otherwise he will die a horrible death, or get inferior medical care if money becomes the barrier to getting him the best of care.

So please, help this (beautiful, drooly, grey fluffy) cat if you can by donating a few dollars toward his care.

As for me, I will keep you posted on new developments as they unfold. Hopefully this will all go like clockwork. I don't see any other option but moving fast forward.

Thank you, everyone,
Roland Kriewaldt

P.S. One person asked me to provide a PayPal link because they preferred to pay that way. If you also prefer PayPal, please use the following link:

https://www.paypal.me/RolandKriewaldt

( Hopefully GoFundMe will not mind this link. After all, this is about fundraising, right? )