04/26/2026
Some of you know that in our free time, we are involved in animal rescue. Adorable little ducklings and baby chickies aren't the only cuties that tug at our heartstrings. We are cat lovers through and through, and frequently foster sick kitties and litters of kittens.
I hope you don't mind that I'm posting in that capacity here tonight. I promise I'll get back to posting pictures of goslings soon!
But I have had a challenging week with a medical foster kitty that I want to tell you all about...
This cutie is Clementine, and she had surgery to remove what was left of her eye and to spay her on Monday. After a serious and exceedingly rare surgical complication, it has been touch and go since. We were at the emergency clinic during the night on Monday, she was hospitalized Tuesday and Wednesday, and I'm typing this post from the emergency vet again tonight.
You all haven't been lucky enough to meet Clementine, so you will need to take my word for it... this girl is just the best kitty. And it's been so difficult to first, watch her lose her eye, and then recover from her rough surgery. She deserves a break. I want so badly for her to be ok and to have a life free of pain.
Her medical costs to date have been nearly $1,000. And her care tonight is estimated to start at an additional $800.
My sweet daughter, Claire, absolutely melted my heart... she donated all of her cello winnings ($750) from a recent scholarship competition to offset the cost of the eye surgery and medical care. 🥹
But I am worried because rescues like the one I'm fostering for aren't set up to absorb too many costs like this. If you are able to donate to Fixin' Feral Felines to help offset some of Clementine's care, I would be forever grateful. This girl has really tugged at our heartstrings and I want to do everything in my power to get her the help she needs.
You can donate to Fixin' Feral Felines using the link below:
https://share.google/GiTdn8mcSTMhKPlct
I met Jane Kosek, the amazing woman that runs this organization, back in 2007 when I worked at an animal hospital in DeKalb. She would bring kitties into our clinic most days--sometimes towers of cages and live traps full of kitties that needed help. Over the last few weeks, I've had the chance to talk with her a lot about her rescue and TNR (trap, neuter, and release) work. In February of this year alone, she took in 53 cats! She is awake all hours of the night helping sick kitties and the people who find them. She is a community resource when other organizations in her community are not stepping up to the plate. Just a rockstar of a person with a heart of gold! 🫶
