Thank you so much, everyone, for your concern, comments and interest in the wee rescue cat we have named Sweetie. Please scroll through our earlier posts to learn about his condition.
So far he has had three vet visits, with a fourth scheduled for next week.
His current outstanding bill is $2,123.76. Please help us to pay these initial costs, so we can take the next steps for him.
Donation methods are at the bottom. Huge thanks for your anticipated support.
When he arrived in mid-April, Sweetie’s state was dire. He smelled like a corpse, was utterly disheveled and crying out in pain, loneliness and despair; he was starving, barely able to walk, weighed 2.1kg, and was full of worms, fleas and maggots; he had urine scalding around his genitals, legs and belly and was covered in faeces; his coat was patchy and falling out and he had a hugely swollen bladder that was dripping urine. His future looked bleak, but due to decades of experience, we absolutely believe in second chances and the power of love and rehabilitation… so began what we knew would be a long journey - one that would, hopefully, lead to recovery.
After three days of loving touch, hearty meals, of having his bladder manually expressed, of being bathed, flea and worm treated at our home-based shelter, we took Sweetie to meet lovely Doctor Claudia - pictured at East Coast Bays Vet.
As expected, she put him on an intravenous drip and hospitalized him overnight so the fluids could continue throughout the next day. His urinalysis showed blood and a urinary tract infection, so antibiotic treatment was started.
His blood results were not good. They indicated malnutrition and that he had alarmingly low calcium levels, low potassium chloride, and anaemia. He was given a dose of B vitamins and had four calcium infusions over two days.
At his second vet visit, Sweetie’s weight had increased to 3.1kg and it was confirmed that the UTI had cleared. The ringworm test proved negative, and he had his nails clipped before having his blood/chemistry done, along with subcutaneous fluids and a B12 injection. His calcium level was just under normal, his sodium levels were elevated, and his anaemia was still apparent.
At his third visit, Sweetie would not comply to having his bloods taken, so he is rebooked for next week. His urinalysis showed that his proteins and glucose levels were elevated. His weight had increased to 3.3kg. It took three treatments to finally clear Sweetie’s worm burden and we continue to manually express his bladder 3-4 times daily.
Depending on the results of his next blood tests, we need to explore reasons for Sweetie’s lack of bladder control and hind leg gait. If the tests are normal, we will be able to anaesthetize him for X-rays and neutering… and potentially, an ultrasound scan.
Meanwhile, we have him on a daily exercise programme where his walking is strengthening in a safe, warm, and loving environment. He is a young cat (with beautiful teeth), who is estimated to be between 12-24 months old.
Please, please make a donation and check back for an update next week.
Donations by -
Credit card. Givealittle page: http://www.givealittle.co.nz/org/animalrehoming
Online or at the counter:
ASB Account number: 12 3059 0650626 00 (Please reference with your name)
Overseas Transfers:
The Swift code / IBAN number is: ASBBNZ2A
The BIC / BSB number is: 12-3059
The ASB bank postal address (if required) is: PO BOX 35, Shortland Street, Auckland 1140, New Zealand
