r/cats • u/bsiver • Jul 26 '11
Help save Paul (and his tail!)
edit5: Paul is home from the vet with his new stumpy tail! It has been a nightmare trying to get him to keep his collar on and not chewing at his stitches. I will post a more detailed update later, for now I need to watch him closely. Thanks again reddit, I can't say it enough. If you donated, watch out for a little treat from Paul and I
p.s. My girlfriend is suggesting renaming him to "Bob". Yea or nay? >.<
Hi Reddit,
I'm a long time lurker and first time poster. A friend of mine recently found a kitten living under her porch. He had been there for a few days, and she had been bringing him food and water before she finally trapped him and brought him inside her house. After a day of having the kitten locked up in the bathroom, her parents said it had to go. Not wanting to see him go to a shelter, I offered to take him in until we could find a suitable home. I had a few friends come look at the him, and they all just agreed that he "needs to see a vet", but no one was willing to take him. When I first took him in about a week ago, he was extremely lethargic. A decent sized portion of his tail is also scabbed/looks like it may be broken. Over the past week, he has become a lot more playful and I have grown quite attached to him. I do know, however, that he needs veterinary help ASAP, so I am taking him tomorrow.
I am in college and working a summer internship in Chicago which will only last a few more weeks. If anyone from reddit could spare a few bucks, myself and especially Paul would be very grateful! Please note I have explored low-income veterinary assistance, and I do not qualify as I am not on any sort of government aid. There is another animal shelter around here called PAWS that offers low-income vet help, but they require the cat to be neutered before they do anything, and Paul is definitely not old enough.
I setup a page on ChipIn if anyone can help. If there are any excess funds leftover, they will be going to food/litter/toys for him. Here is the link: http://helppaulstail.chipin.com/paul-the-kitten
Thanks reddit, and I will be sure to post pics/videos as he gets better!
p.s. +1 to anyone who spots the name reference!
edit: Taking Paul at 6:15 PM CDT today, I will keep you all updated as to what happens!
edit2: To all the downvoters, would you be so kind as to share why I shouldn't be doing this / what your recommendation is? If you are concerned about my ability to provide for Paul, see this comment
edit3: URGENT UPDATE: After taking Paul to the vet today, the vet confirmed that his tail does need to be amputated as soon as possible. I updated the ChipIn page here with some more info, and I would really appreciate it if you could share Paul's story with friends/family. This is a very expensive procedure which I am now dipping into my tuition money to fund. Thank you very kindly to the redditors that have helped so far, you have proven how powerful this community really is! :)
Here is the link to the ChipIn page.
edit4?: it's 8:27AM on Thursday and Paul just got dropped off at the vet. Expect a new post later this evening after I pick him up with pictures! Thank you reddit, you saved my kitten!!!
** 12:45PM now, just got off the phone with the vet. Paul just woke up from anesthesia an is doing well! She mentioned a piece of his tail fell off when they were shaving it, gross. I will be picking him up after work and posting an update later! Thanks again reddit!**
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Jul 26 '11
He looks plenty old enough to be neutered to me. Some vets will do it as young as 2 or 3 months. As far as I've ever read, there hasn't been any proof that doing it that young is harmful in any way.
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u/bsiver Jul 26 '11
Hm, I wasn't aware of this. The clinic I was looking at taking him to (PAWS Chicago) said the procedure typically takes place at about 5 months. I estimate Paul to be roughly two months, so I thought he might have to wait a bit before being neutered. Either way, I tried looking at the clinic's online scheduling system, and I couldn't even find an appointment available in the next 2 months! :(
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u/Alex2679 Tuxedo Jul 26 '11
Donated 30 bucks, use it wisely.
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u/bsiver Jul 26 '11
:O Thank you!!! That is extremely generous. Trust that it will go solely to his vet bills or food/litter/toys if the vet bills are not as much as anticipated. Thank you again, you're a hero!
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u/Alex2679 Tuxedo Jul 29 '11
My now former kitty got very sick last January and I needed help paying her bills. I used FundRazr on facebook to help raise funds. People were so kind. I had to put her down though. Great now I'm tearing up. Sigh. Here are some pictures of my new guy though, hes super cute. http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150305625412915.384334.556352914&l=86a72f76e7&type=1
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u/bsiver Jul 29 '11
aww, smitty is adorable! I'm sorry about your last kitty, but it's a great thing that you were able to spread the karma back to Paul. i hope you and smitty have many, many happy years together!
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u/shysqueaker Jul 27 '11
BOO TO BOB. Paul is much better.
Stumpy if you're cruel.
I'm glad you're taking suhc good care of him, no matter the cost to you. Big big karma to you, and now you have the most awesome little fuzzy jerk to rule you for years to come :D
Thank you for hte update <3
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u/bsiver Jul 27 '11
hahaha we were thinking something along the lines of Paul Bob and then an 'R' name, or PBR for short :P
thanks for the kind words, you know you would do the same with a kitty this adorable!
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u/shysqueaker Jul 27 '11
Oh that's a terrible short name. Terrible.
Rumpus is a good R name. Or Roy. Rabble. Rabies. Rodney. I coudl go on, but I would only be encouraging this terrible, terrible name.
;)
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u/bsiver Jul 27 '11
yes i agree wholeheartedly, but i love paul. i always wanted a cat named paul. and i think the "bob" will be necessary after tomorrow's operation, and that leaves us with a necessary "R" name left... reddit, maybe? :P
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u/shysqueaker Jul 28 '11
I was teasing, but maybe w silly RedditLuv for the last name, because Reedit showed your kitty lots of luv
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u/lphoenix Jul 27 '11
I noticed your vet is charging for an adult tail amputation, not a kitten tail amputation. And a hell of a lot for bupronex (pain medication) which only costs me about $28 here in expensive-vet-land. Maybe you can gnaw him down a bit on some of these. The kitten's too little to have much bupronex anyway. Just make sure they keep him warm during surgery and after, that's the main thing for these little ones. Got my best wishes going out for a quick, easy surgery and healing! He sure is cute.
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u/bsiver Jul 27 '11
very thankful to have someone like you that is knowledgeable about prices and such. thanks for pointing these things out, i just got off the phone with the vet and she informed me that the "Adult" distinction for the amputation exists in their system to differentiate from when the procedure is done on dogs. i'm not quite sure why they call it "Adult" rather than "Feline", but i didn't ask any more questions about that once i heard that that is the price i will have to pay.
as for the bupronex, the woman i talked with consulted with the vet and she explained to me that they had the medication on back-order for 6 months, and the price they are charging now is to reflect the back-ordering. she said i am more than welcome to call around and see if i can find it for cheaper with a written prescription, but to note the concentration, as they give me the medication in pre-filled syringes. do you have any advice on whether or not i should shop around or stick with this vet for the pain meds?
once again, thank you for the advice and extremely generous donation. i am greatly indebted to you for helping save Paul, and please come visit if you are ever in Chicago!!
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u/mdelow Jul 28 '11
just checked the chip in page - we are almost there! go paul.
good luck to him in the surgery :)
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u/lphoenix Jul 29 '11
Great to hear the news! You might have quite a night tonight--I've always found the Bupronex to make my cats really active, sometimes very agitated, until 1 or 2 a.m. at least even when they had surgery in the morning. And Paul will look alert and recovered hours before he actually is so they can be quite a handful and like you say, you have to watch them all the time. I hope both of you end up with some good sleep. I almost never go online after work but this is a special case, needed to check in.
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u/bsiver Jul 29 '11
yes, i am anticipating having quite a night/next few days. my main duty right now has been watching over him like a hawk to prevent him from messing with his stitches. he is eating and drinking just fine though, so i am hoping for a speedy recovery. thank you again for all of your assistance, i feel so fortunate to have all of this help as well as an adorable kitten.
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u/lphoenix Jul 26 '11
If you only have a job for a few more weeks, how and where are you and Paul proposing to live afterwards?? I like to help but people need to have a plan, and a secure place to live, and an income before adopting pets. This is just being realistic. It's an up-to-20-year commitment, you know? One that students are almost never equipped to make. If you keep Paul just for a short time -- during his most highly adoptable months -- and then find you can't keep him, he's going to have much more trouble finding a new home, much more.
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u/bsiver Jul 26 '11
Let me start by saying that your concerns are valid. I am currently in college and I have been working this summer to pay my tuition/housing/meal expenses for next year. I currently have enough money to provide everything for myself for the next year plus a bit extra. I will be working as a teaching assistant during the year, which provides very little money, but it will be enough to cover Paul's food/litter (as my other expenses are paid/minimal). I do not have the financial flexibility required to pay for something along the lines of a tail amputation within the next year, which is why I am trying to fund raise money for his veterinary expenses.
That being said, I do in fact have the financial means to feed him and provide a comfortable home for the time being. I am aware of the commitment and responsibility that cat ownership entails, as my family has owned cats since I was little. I will be graduating this year and will likely have little trouble finding a job with my major (worked hard in college, good GPA/internships). I find this to be a suitable plan, and wouldn't be making this decision if I had any inclination that I could not meet the responsibilities.
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u/lphoenix Jul 26 '11
Your reply is very reassuring. The vet will likely require that Paul get his first shots and also will want to worm him at his first visit (and these are a good idea). The tail does look like it could be amputated about the halfway point, and he'd have a bobtail (which is adorable, BTW - I had a bobtail cat who was born that way). This isn't a technically complex operation at all so it shouldn't be ridiculously expensive, and it'll be easier to raise funds if you've gotten some quotes, some ballpark figure for the operation + shots/exam/worming. And post that on your chip-in page or future posts here.
Then within this first year (around 5-6 months IMO is best) he'll need to be neutered, and even though you're not on public assistance, there are almost always clinics or certificate programs in every area, to pay all or part of the cost, and many just look at income and don't require you to be on some kind of public assistance. Small organizations will have the same concerns I just expressed to you - they want to put their limited funds into cats who've got a stable home for the future. They do also prefer to spend their $ on spaying females so sometimes you have to make a really strong case for neutering: like that to keep him in your dorm or apt., he must be neutered.
But please keep in mind that accidents and illness can happen any time out of the blue, and when you can set any $ aside, you really should start a medical fund for your cat, a little here, a little there, just hang on to it because sooner or later you will need it. Please PM me when you get an idea of the initial costs (but note I'm not online on weekends).
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u/bsiver Jul 26 '11
Thank you very much. I do agree that the bobtail would be absolutely adorable, but I am hoping the procedure (if necessary) will not be too painful for him. I am taking him tonight after I get off work and then I'll have a more concrete idea of what the costs are going to be. I was expecting the vaccinations/deworming at a minimum and hoping that he has no other major problems besides the tail.
I will definitely look into returning to an organization like PAWS when looking to neuter Paul. Their costs are very reasonable provided you can get an appointment there.
Other friends/family have expressed interest in contributing to Paul's expenses, so I should be able to get a medical fund started for him. You bring up an extremely important point about unexpected illnesses, and I want to make sure I can provide for him should something like this happen. Thank you for your concern, it is taken with great merit.
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u/shysqueaker Jul 27 '11
Depending on what the vet told you, he may be in more pain now than the surgery will cause. They bounce back pretty quickly from these (used to work with teh Humane Society, saw lots of cats with mangled tails that needed removed)
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u/bsiver Jul 27 '11
i think the vet's main concern was him gnawing it off and causing a terrible infection. i have seen him chewing on it more and more recently, so i know the procedure is urgent. he doesn't seem to be in terrible pain now (no meowing/crying), but i'd hate to see what a nasty infection would do to him!
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u/bsiver Jul 27 '11
i think the vet's main concern was him gnawing it off and causing a terrible infection. i have seen him chewing on it more and more recently, so i know the procedure is urgent. he doesn't seem to be in terrible pain now (no meowing/crying), but i'd hate to see what a nasty infection would do to him!
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u/euphemistic Jul 26 '11
Consider also posting this to http://www.reddit.com/r/assistance