by TerrieLynn Bach
Several months ago, we were contacted about an older kitten with swelling around the base of his tail. This juvenile kitty was taken to the vet by the finder, who decided she couldn’t afford to help him on her own and contacted Bastrop C.A.T.S. We set up an appointment for him, but then a neighbor decided she would take him to the vet, cover his expenses, and keep him.
Fast forward to December and the original contact person discovers him hanging around her house again, only now the swelling is worse. This is so disappointing that this neighbor neglected to follow through and allowed Kevin to get worse. Bastrop C.A.T.S. agreed again to help him– if the finder would surrender him to us, which she did.
Our local vet Dr. Hatfield neutered this guy and took tissue samples from the surrounding area, which were sent off for biopsy and laboratory testing at Texas A&M to figure out just what was going on. The kitty, now named Kevin, came to live at my house in foster care.
The biopsy was negative but the testing showed that Kevin likely has Pythium insidiosum, an aquatic fungus-like pathogen that causes granulomatous disease, commonly called “swamp cancer.” It’s primarily in horses, cattle and dogs, and it is rare in cats.
Dr. Hatfield and numerous other vets told us that the only solution was to surgically debride the affected area, to remove all the infected tissue. The only problem is that the affected area is the base of his tail, his anus, empty testicle sack, and penis– an area of the body that has a lot of nerve endings, and, in cats, is really small. Nerve damage in that area could leave him incontinent. But with euthanasia as the alternative, we are going to give Kevin the chance to have a life, and hope and pray for the best outcome.
*Content warning: Inflamed back end of Kevin*
During the holidays, which is the worst time to try and schedule with any vet, it took a week of outreach to quite a few specialty vet hospitals in Austin and Houston to finally find a vet surgeon willing to even try to help Kevin.
Finally South Texas Cat Hospital’s Dr. Smith said they would try to help Kevin. They have a specialty vet surgeon who does this kind of surgery in dogs, though this is the first time ever seeing a cat with this pathology.
The last two weeks we have been trying laser treatments to reduce the swelling pre-surgery, but Friday morning, January 20, SACH called and said that the surgeon looked at the pictures of Kevin from yesterday after his fourth laser treatment, and she said, if anything, he was looking worse. They advised me to go ahead and move forward with surgery.
Kevin is scheduled for surgery on Tuesday, January 24. You all can follow with his post surgery updates on our Facebook page or in next month’s newsletter (sign up to get it straight in your email here!).
The estimated cost of the surgery is between $3,000-$4,000. Bastrop C.A.T.S. has already spent nearly $1,000 for Kevin’s vet bills so far, which includes the laser treatments. Please help us reach our goal of paying Kevin’s vet bills in full by donating via PayPal or Venmo. Even $5 helps us get closer to our goal!
If you’ve already seen our ask about helping pay for Kevin’s surgery on Facebook and you’ve donated, thank you! If you clicked the links above and donated, thank you! If you plan on donating once pay day hits, thank you! Thank you, thank you! We. appreciate anyone and everyone who donates whatever they can to help pay with Kevin’s expenses. It TRULY takes a village!
I would like to make a donation to your good cause. I do not use pay-pal. I would need to mail you a check. Where to I send the check and to whom should it be payable? Please let me know.
Thank you for all you do.