Stray Boy in Shocking Condition Needs Your Help
We have once again accepted an extremely unwell stray cat into the care of the charity, and are left with no option but to launch yet another fundraising appeal in hopes of covering the costs of the extensive veterinary treatment that he so desperately needs.
Bonjeck is approximately six years old and arrived at our North London Cat Clinic last week with the lower half of his body encrusted in feces. He has chronic diarrhea, so severe that he ‘leaks’ small amounts of excrement almost constantly, and has clearly been steadily losing weight for some time; he is now frighteningly thin.
Bonjeck has been surviving in this desperate state whilst living as an unneutered stray, which has inevitably led to him contracting FIV, likely from repeated fights with other cats. He also has cat flu symptoms, and is generally a very poorly boy indeed.
The cause of Bonjeck’s severe diarrhea is currently unclear, and for this reason, his treatment promises to be costly, ongoing, and potentially challenging.
Already, he has undergone neutering at our North London Cat Clinic, in addition to a FeLV and FIV test - the latter of which was sadly positive - and a thorough wash whilst under anesthetic. He is on two different types of antibiotics for his cat flu symptoms, and a strict diet of Gastrointestinal food, designed for easy digestion, which will cost us around £20 per week. Crucially, he has also had further blood tests - at a cost of £75 each - the results of which will determine the next steps for his treatment. We expect that within the month, an abdominal ultrasound will be necessary, which will cost around £150 per session, with additional fees for specialist evaluation. Bonjeck is unsurprisingly mistrustful of people, so must be sedated for each of these treatments, incurring further costs. Isolation protocol, as a result of him being infectious with cat flu, also means that we must limit how many procedures are performed on the days in which he is treated at the Clinic, leading to a loss of income from routine ops. So from the offset, we are facing a bill of at least £800 for Bonjeck's care.
For the moment, he is at least considerably more comfortable than he has been in many months, in a heated suite at Catcuddles HQ.
At this early stage, we’re reluctant to make predictions about his prognosis but have no doubt that we are at the beginning of a very long road. This is true both for our veterinary team and for our daily routine volunteers, who are tasked with the challenge of keeping Bonjeck and his environment at CCHQ clean and hygienic; in addition to the ‘leaking’, he is so unused to living in a home that a litter tray is an entirely new concept to him. He also must be cared for under strict isolation protocol due to his cat flu symptoms.
We are up for the challenge however, and will do whatever is necessary and possible to restore Bonjeck to health, with the ultimate goal - or hope - of finding him a loving home for the rest of his days. But we need your help to do that, though we know we have asked for it repeatedly in recent months, and constantly fret that we are over-burdening our wonderful community of donors and supporters. The simple truth is that we can’t continue to offer a lifeline to the most broken, neglected, and downtrodden of cats without these constant fundraising efforts - without all of you.
Donations can be sent at https://www.catcuddles.org.uk/donate#donate-money. Every contribution, no matter how big or small, is appreciated, and takes Bonjeck one tiny step closer to a life free of the discomfort and suffering that he has lived with for so long. Thank you for your continued support.
Published by Rae. Find out more about the Catcuddles Team >