ThePlantLady Cork

UPDATE: 24th August: Thank you all so much for helping to raise the funds needed to cover Stage 2 of Betty’s VBO surgery on her right ear. I’m hoping she won’t need an extended hospital stay this time, but in the event that she does, I’ll be keeping this GoFundMe active until her treatment is complete. As before, any excess funds remaining after Betty’s treatment will be donated in full to Cork Cat Action Trust to help other cats in need. Please see below for previous updates and further information. UPDATE 17th August: Betty finally came home today after her surgery last Wednesday and an extended hospital stay. Unfortunately after surgery, she completely refused to eat, resulting in her being re-admitted. After a 4 night stay and more drugs than I've ever even heard of, she finally ate and was allowed to come home today! Her extended stay cost an extra €381, so we are now just short of that for Part 2 of her surgery. If you would like to assist with raising the last little bit, it would be greatly appreciated. Further information and previous updates below. UPDATE (6th August): Betty's CT scan results are back, and the surgeons have agreed that the best course of action is a Ventral Bulla Osteotomy (VBO) rather than a Total Ear Canal Ablation (TECA). This means Betty should be able to keep her hearing, and they expect it to improve significantly. Her CT scan showed that both of her middle ears are filled with fluid, gunk and other and inflammatory material, which is preventing sound from travelling properly. The surgeon compared it to trying to hear a beat from a drum that's full of water, it can't reverberate/amplify sound as it should. That also explains why Betty's hearing improved after her polyp surgery, but is still not 100%. She is booked in for surgery on Wednesday, 12th August, and will likely remain in hospital for a few days afterwards. Thanks to your incredible generosity through both this GoFundMe and Buy Me a Coffee, we've raised a total of €3,217, with €750 of that covering Betty's CT scan. I've been advised that the VBO surgery will cost approximately €2,000–€2,200, which means Betty's surgery is now fully funded. As promised, any funds remaining once all of Betty's treatment is complete will be donated in full to Cork Cat Action Trust to help other cats in need. For that reason, I'll be leaving this GoFundMe open until her treatment is complete. ________________________ BETTY'S STORY: Betty is a former wild cat who came to us just before New Year's Eve with a devastating tail injury that required a partial amputation. With the help of Cork Cat Action Trust, she received the emergency care she needed. I originally tried to find a home for her, but nobody came forward. After months of patience, this once wild cat learned to trust us and became part of our family. Soon after joining us, I noticed Betty constantly shaking her head, scratching her ears and crying out in discomfort. That marked the beginning of 7 months of vet visits, antibiotics, steroids, repeated ear cleans, procedures under anesthetic and specialist care. In May, specialists discovered large inflammatory polyps growing through both of her eardrums. They were removed, but the improvement was only temporary. Betty still has chronic ear disease, a perforated eardrum, middle ear infection, severe bacterial and yeast infections, remaining polyp tissue and permanent damage to her ears. Despite months of treatment, she continues to struggle every day. TECA surgery was recommended, but a veterinary surgeon at the hospital we have chosen for her surgery has now (July 27th) recommended a CT scan before surgery. The scan will determine whether Betty needs a Ventral Bulla Osteotomy (VBO), a Total Ear Canal Ablation (TECA), or a combination of both, on one ear or both. Until then, nobody knows exactly what surgery she needs. Every donation is bringing Betty one step closer to the treatment she has needed her whole life. If you're able to help, every euro will go directly towards her surgery. If you can't donate, sharing this GoFundMe would mean the world to us. After everything she's survived, Betty deserves the chance to live a comfortable, happy life. ❤️ Any excess funds raised will go directly to Cork Cat Action Trust to support their tireless efforts to help cats in Cork. If you'd like to see Betty's journey with us please check our her highlight "Betty Elms" on my Instagram page. Betty is roughly 6 years old. Thank you for giving this little lady a chance at the comfortable and healthy retirement she deserves. ❤️

Hi, my name is Nicole. I’m a full-time carer for foxes, hedgehogs (now hibernating), native Irish birds, stray cats, and our own two cats here in Cork, Ireland. I never wanted to make a GoFundMe for this and I want to be clear: I don’t want a catio. I want my boys, especially 15-year-old Chibs to have freedom to run, nap in the grass, and greet our friendly foxes Mulder and Vivica. But what I want even less is for Mr Eddy to be killed by a car or to chase one of the strays (Dale Cooper, Henry Spencer, or Sailor Ripley) onto the road. This isn’t a luxury, it’s an urgent lifeline. Two years ago, we moved to East Cork to keep our cats Bean and Chibs safe after constant of harassment from neighbours’ and their kids. Six months later, Bean was hit by a car outside and died. Heartbroken, we later adopted Pete to keep Chibs company, but despite fencing and gates we put in place, Pete too was killed on the road. I suffered from panic attacks for months after that, unable to leave the house, but found purpose caring for wild animals who came for food: foxes, hedgeogs, birds, and strays. That’s grown into a small sanctuary supported by kind followers online. This year, a wild cat named Bushnell Mullins came to us. After months of tireless work with him, he finally trusted us enough to come indoors... then was hit by a car that same week. His death broke me. Soon after, three other strays began arriving daily, and I’ve been caring for them since. Then, at the end of July, another cat appeared: Mr Eddy. After trying to find his owner, we had him neutered and had him assessed for a his compulsive overgrooming. He’s now on immunosuppressants and extremely vulnerable, but also reactive to other cats and determined to roam. Despite our fencing attempts, he slips out via the neighbours and chases our strays into the road. I spend hours watching cameras, standing at the roadside to make sure he gets back safely, terrified each time he vanishes. A neighbour’s cat, Teo, was killed on this same road 2 weeks ago. I’ve been campaigning to have the speed limit reduced, but that will take time we don’t have. Chibs can’t live indoors full-time, he’s 15, was wild for 10 years, skittish, and panics when confined. Mr Eddy also struggles with being indoors. Our small cottage simply isn’t suitable for two outdoor cats to be locked inside. That’s why I’m asking for help to build a secure, custom catio, connected to our kitchen window and cat flap: large enough for Mr Eddy to be comfortable and safe. A company has offered to build it next week for €3,800, but it is beyond our reach after unexpected expenses. This isn’t easy to ask. I wish I didn’t have to. But time is running out for Mr Eddy. Every day feels like a countdown, and I can’t lose him the way I’ve lost the others. Please, if you can, help us build this safe space. You won’t just be saving Mr Eddy, you’ll be protecting the other animals who depend on me too. Thank you for reading, for caring, and for recognising that while they may not mean much to the world, they mean the world to me.