Willow's Ongoing Care Fund

On July 2nd I received a call from my neighbor explaining that a friend of theirs had found a kitten behind a taco shop in East LA. Unable to find it's mother or siblings, and with local shelters full of kittens, they didn't know where to take it. Not wanting to abandon the kitten, yet already full-up of foster kittens himself, my neighbor asked if I would foster the kitten until was big enough go to it's furr-ever home.

(They weigh less than two pounds!)

We received the kitten on July 3rd, and it was clear they had a chest cold, so we quarantined them in our bathroom (for the health and safety of our senior-aged cat) with all the good kitten amenities: food, water, toys, a box, a tea-towel blanket, and a litter-box. They proved to be a sweet little thing: chatty, playful, and lovey. They were eating, pooping, and sleeping well in their temporary home without problems.

We took them to the vet on Friday the 5th for a check-up (because of the cold). The kitten had a slight fever (104°) and the vet gave us some antibiotics to give the kitten in case their snot became green and scheduled a follow-up visit for Sunday the 15th for blood-work and vaccinations.

The kitten maintained their good-nature and health: even in 114° degree heat on Saturday, July 7! We created a pop-up Kitten City™ and shut the kitten in our air conditioned bedroom to escape the heat.


But Sunday night the kitten took a turn for the worse. They were extremely lethargic and bloated, had stopped eating, their fever hadn't broken, and they were projectile-pooping mucus everywhere. The vets had all closed for the day so we took the kitten to an emergency vet for assessment and treatment. There we nicknamed the kitten Willow. (After Catherine Willows of CSI, and Willow Rosenberg from Buffy.)

(At the vet, sad after pooping on their yellow tea-towel.)

The vets took an x-ray but were unsure whether Willow's newest symptom is a bowel obstruction or intestinal narrowing due to parasites. They quoted us an estimate of $1,020 for the x-rays, a blood panel with glucose, an enema, and various on-site treatments.


We couldn't afford the $1,020 so we had the x-rays done, fluid under Willow's skin, and received an anti-parasite prescription (at a total of $403). We decided to go home for the night and schedule an appointment with our regular vet asap.



After the first two doses of the anti-parasite meds Willow is more playful and energetic, and is eating again (a huge relief!), but they're still extremely bloated (like a tiny Violet Beauregarde) and now they're not pooping at all (though they're sure trying!). We have a follow-up appointment with the vet tomorrow (Tuesday, July 10) for more tests and treatment; and we sure could use some financial help to cover the costs.

We've already raised $290 before launching this GoFundMe, and are only asking for $160 to cover Sunday night's emergency vet expenses (including processing fees). Anything raised beyond the goal will go to Tuesday's appointment and treatment, and Sunday's appointment and vaccinations.

Thank you so much for reading through Willow's story. We're going to do whatever necessary to get Willow well ASAP but the financial help from other good cat friends will make it happen quicker and faster. Thank you for your help!