Fundraising update - Fluffy, Button and Nyssa
UPDATE - Feb. 13 - We have now reached our fundraising goal! Thanks so much to everyone who donated!
On Feb. 5, Regina Cat Rescue (RCR) appealed to the public for funds to help Fluffy, Button & Nyssa get the veterinary treatment they need, and you responded! Thanks to your generous support we've hit 72 per cent of our fundraising goal. Thank you to everyone who has donated already! If you haven't donated yet, please consider doing so today to help us reach our goal of $1,500.
You can donate by PayPal, e-transfer or cheque.
Help Fluffy, Button and Nyssa by donating now!
Fluffy recovering after his surgery
We are happy to share that Fluffy has now had dental surgery. He is recovering well and his foster mom has even noticed a difference in his behaviour. While Fluffy was standoffish before his surgery because of the pain in his mouth, post-surgery he has started coming to his mom for cuddles and is showing his snuggly side! We are thrilled to see him happy and healthy.
Button's surgery to have her eye removed has now been scheduled for Feb. 18. We will provide an update once the procedure has been completed.
Nyssa's treatment is ongoing and requires special drops that are made from donor blood. The donor cat is none other than former RCR foster kitty, Orin!
Nyssa and Orin head to the vet for an appointment to help save Nyssa's sight.
Orin on the night of his arrival in RCR care (Sept. 27, 2012),
When Orin and his brothers arrived in RCR care in September 2012, they had severe eye infections, were only five weeks old and had been found in a cardboard box that had been duct taped shut and thrown in a dumpster. Considering how young the boys were, and the severity of their eye infection, there was serious concern for the kittens eye sight. Thankfully, with an attentive foster mom and much eye medications, the brothers' eyes recovered completely and Orin was adopted by his foster mom. Given the condition he was in when he arrived in RCR care, it’s an odd twist of fate that now Orin is helping a new foster cat keep her eyesight.
After numerous eye medications, ointments and oral drugs, the vets elected to try a treatment more commonly used in dogs in order to treat Nyssa’s eye ulcers which were getting worse. The new treatment - which has made a huge difference for Nyssa - is serum from blood. The blood is spun in a centrifuge to separate the serum from the rest of the blood. The serum is then put in the eyes just like an eye medication would be. Usually the vet uses the animal's own blood for this treatment, however, Nyssa is too small to give her own blood to use.
That is where Orin stepped in. Being that he is a healthy cat, and knowing how important it was to try the blood serum on Nyssa’s eyes, Orin’s mom (who is also Nyssa’s foster mom) made the decision to volunteer Orin to donate the blood. At first a small amount was taken to see if the treatment would work. When it was apparent at Nyssa's re-check that the blood serum was working, Orin donated more blood to be able to complete a three week course.
Orin in the process of donating blood to help his foster sister.
Without the serum to help Nyssa’s eyes regenerate and to heal the ulcers there was a real possibility that Nyssa would have to have both of her eyes removed. Thanks to her foster brother Orin, she is now on the slow road to recovery.
Though it is not something we think about often, dogs and cats both need blood donations on occasion. The need can be for something similar to Nyssa’s treatment or it can be something as serious as a dog or cat needing a blood transfusion due to surgery, being hit by a car, or treatments for anemia. If you have a healthy dog or cat, consider discussing blood donation with your veterinarian. The donation could one day save a life, or in Nyssa’s case, her sight.
- Jaimie and Rachel