Please help this not have to be about price.
https://gofund.me/ee74e1af6
This is Moomoo. He was found trapped in my dad's garage last march. He wouldn't come out with people around, only meow at the inner door when my year old kitten would sit in the windows. We couldn't get him out, and leaving the garage door open only ended up inviting another cat in, which luckily had the good sense to leave. Over about a week, I was able to get Moomoo to eat and drink with no humans around. He would also use the provided litter box, and we could watch him on a camera I had from when my cat was little little a d had some breathing issues I wanted to monitor from work. Eventually a coworker who also works for a rescue was able to lend me a have a heart trap, and the same day I bought him a kennel, he finally got himself in that trap.
At this point, we thought this handsome boy was actually a pregnant female, and were desperate to get “her” into a vet, but no one around would take a spicy feral as a new patient, and all the local rescues were at capacity. I kept Moomoo in that extra large dog kennel for about a half a month in my garage before he was seen and assessed to be not chipped, not pregnant, and oh yeah, male.
At this point the vet offered to do a TNR for him, but even “donating his time” the total was goo g to run over $400. I told him I'd have to wait until I was paid to be able to do that, which was a whole cycle away at that point. Luckily, in the meantime, my coworker was able to put me in contact with a different rescue she sometimes takes kittens to, who, with the threat of that random May heatwave already heating up the garage, agreed to squeeze him in that weekend for a fraction of the cost, got him shots and a SNAP test, blessedly and entirely surprisingly showing him negative for every bad thing It is always possible an outdoor kitty could have.
Armed with new knowledge about his perfect health and newly fixed, I was finally able to bring him inside to his own room, to begin slow instruction with my household cat (my 1 y/o kitten who Moomoo initially revealed himself for) with the intent to foster out.
Well they both had other plans and rushed the introductions even faster than I was expecting, and they became thick as thieves. Even when I was afraid of potential spice from Moomoo and only petting him while he was eating - a carry over from when I would spend a couple hours a day out in the garage with hin watching YouTube and Netflix and just chilling next to his kennel - Felix and Moomoo had no issues rushing to each other at meet-up times, bathing and running around and wrestling together. I separated them a few times before someone had to inform me that was in fact play, not a fight. “You'll KNOW when cats fight.”
For a good portion into June, even with Moomoo rubbing all over my legs when I came in and talking to me when getting his food around, I was still inexplicably afraid to pet him most of the time.
Until one day I wasn't. I went in in the morning with breakfast, and reached down and pet him without giving it a thought. Like I'd been doing it all our lives, and it was the most natural thing in the world.
And from that moment on, he was my little snuggle bug. When he became comfortable to wander the whole house, he was always at my heel. He would herd me in the evenings to his favorite chair, just so I would sit down and he could get up with me. He would lean into my side and look up at me with more love in his eyes than I've ever seen another living being hold. In the mornings he'd see me wake up and come lay down with me just for snuggles, spinning and rubbing first his face, then whole body up against my head and shoulders. He'd do the same in my arms when I'd get home from work, or out of a shower, and sometimes other random times without seemingly any rhyme or reason.
I'd always heard of ferals choosing a human and flipping a switch to sweetest cats imaginable, but I never thought I'd be so lucky as to be someone blessed enough to form that kind of relationship themselves. Him and Felix truly are my everything,
And that's what makes this so hard.
Over the last 36 hours, Moomoo suddenly became lethargic, with labored breaths and barely any interest in (non-wet/treat) food, play, or snuggles. A few days prior to that we had noticed he had slowed down significantly, and wasn't running around with Felix as much. However, we knew he had had back and hip stiffness since we got him, and it always acts up in changing weather, which our area of upstate New York had had in spades this past week.
Last night I thought I had noticed some labored breathing when I had curled myself around him when he was in my spot in bed, but eventually dismissed it as my paranoia from health issues Felix had when he was younger, and the fact that I could tell Moomoo was purring his brains out like normal. All the same since he'd clearly had a bad joint day, I carried him from the tower to his bed on my bed near my pillow at sleepy time, and held his paw as we fell asleep, with Felix between us. His breathing seemed normal again and when he flipped over to use my hand as a pillow, he let out a big happy sigh and fell silently asleep.
Fast forward to this morning and for some reason I wakeup insanely hot. I start working myself out from under my blankets trying not to disturb the cats (unsuccessfully!) Felix gets down, and Moomoo wakes up, does a biiiig stretchy, walks in a circle and flops back down.
And thebaI hear him breathing.
Two beats, one big inhale, one noisy exhale. And this time he's not purring.
My sister and I had already had plans to do both our families' shopping, like most Saturdays, so I asked her if we could take Moomoo to emergency, instead. The one nearest us was full, and the next one was over double the distance–nearly 2 hours– away. Being only half an hour or so from when Urgent Cares would start opening we waited to call so we could try and find him something closer, Unfortunately we were met with the answer each time. “We don't have oxygen, please try somewhere else.”
Moomoo luckily in this time had gone back to nearly normal breathing, but you simply don't stick your head in the sand about abdominal breathing and pretend everything's okay,
After the absolute most happy, engaging, and chillest car ride I've ever taken with any animal ever (including Moomoo worming his way out of the head hole I made him so he could be held and pretend to sniff things at high speed as they passed,) we arrived at the emergency vet. He is given an initial assessment, admitted to the back, and I sign consent for payment for the lowest level emergency they offered. Not because I didn't want to spend a lot and got to choose his level, but because his assessment put him as low risk.
Fast forward eight hours, and now he's been found to have liquid on his lungs,which upon a chest tap is bloody and mixed with pus. He has a severe infection causing the build up, and seemingly no wound for it to stem from.
The bill has skyrocketed to $5500.
This is my worst nightmare.
As of now, they have drained his fluid, and have done xrays, and are awaiting diagnostics to decipher the results. Since it was an infection and he needs a chest tube to levage him, a hospital stay is required.
Expected cost from previous cases like his average at $13,000. *If* he doesn't need surgery.
CareCredit only approved me for $7,000, but regardless if they had approved me at that estimate, I do not make enough to cover even the lowest monthly payments it would require.
If he does not show dramatic “you can take him home and care for him there” progress overnight, I will have to say goodbye.
Even if he makes amazing progress overnight, home care is going to come with its own costs and a higher risk of sepsis, and still potentially require humane euthanasia.
His first best chance is for me to miraculously come up with another $8,000 in 24-48 hours.
I haven't even officially had Moomoo as “mine” for a year.
I don't know where else to turn.
Please if you have any way to help, please please please reach out.
I've been alternating crying and falling asleep trying to write this. They could call as early as 6 hours from now, or even earlier if they run into complications, so if there are questions I promise I will get to them in the morning.
Please don't make his life rest on prohibitively expensive care.
He's come so far and has so much love in him. I want him to get to continue to share that.
Please. Please help if you can
https://gofund.me/ee74e1af6
(Included pictures are of a $1600 and $2100 bill increase. Initial unpictured deposit at intake was $550)
