This crazy little guy is the first recipient of Walter’s Fund.
He is 8-month’s old and his name is Van Helsing. Kind of a dignified name for a goofy kitten, but I’m sure he will grow into it!
The poor little guy was hit by a car prior to coming into the shelter.
Most of his injuries should heal on their own, but he needs an FHO (femoral head ostectomy) in order to have pain-free mobility. Apparently they shave down the “ball” at the top of one his legs and then the muscles form a false joint.
The total cost is about $1,000. The county will pay the first $500, then the Walter’s Fund will cover the remainder. We got a lovely note from our contact at Athenspets:
Thank you so much for raising these funds to help this little guy out!
I am guessing that having Walter’s Fund takes some stress off of situations like this, because in the middle of figuring out what the pet needs, they don’t have to be scrambling to figure out if they can cover the cost.
The post wouldn’t be complete without a picture of our beloved Walter.
Watch over this little guy for us Walter, okay?
Update at 12:15 pm
indycat32 is quilter who would love to raffle off some quilts to raise money for Walter’s Fund!
Look for quilt photos and more information soon. Thank you, indycat32!
WaterGirl
I am not sure whether that is a “before” or “after” photo of the kitty, but that kind of looks like a shelter, so I am guessing that it’s after.
raven
Thanks BJ!
la caterina
What thermometer? I forgot if I gave to this one or not. Did we raise all the money already?
la caterina
He is a handsome devil! I bet is fur is so silky.
TaMara
Well that was a nice change of pace from the previous post. Phew, now I can get back to work without looking for where I stashed the scotch.
@la caterina: I believe the funds come from merchandise sales – calendar and whatnots.
MazeDancer
@la caterina: Would like a thermometer, too. Can’t believe I missed a pet fund. Maybe it had a different name at first?
Also can’t believe the County pays anything for kitten procedure – other than euthanasia – in GA. Good to hear.
WaterGirl
@la caterina: We raised money a few weeks ago, but here’s the thermometer for anyone who wants to help top off the fund now that $500 of the fund will be spent on this sweet kitty.
Donate
la caterina
@MazeDancer: I think I remember the thermometer now. It was something like $3K to get Athenspets started with a small emergency fund. If I recall correctly they will also get proceeds from BJ pet calendar sales.
WaterGirl
@MazeDancer: Our emergency fund for Athenspets is named Walter’s Fund.
WaterGirl
@la caterina: You remember correctly!
At the time, we were aiming for $3,000, and we got to $1,500, which is still good!
WaterGirl
@TaMara: Yes, the calendar sales will help feed Walter’s Fund, but the calendar money doesn’t start arriving from Cafe Press until about February, and we wanted to get the fund going before then, so we had a starter fundraiser.
indycat32
@WaterGirl: I sent you an email with pictures. It’s not a spam, its OK to open it.
WaterGirl
@indycat32: I wasn’t worried! I could tell by the title that it was a BJ email
kalakal
great story. Thank you
debit
I’m not crying!!
WaterGirl
@debit: I am.
WaterGirl
So I have a bit more information now about out little black kitty.
The photo is from when he came in to the shelter (after the accident). They knew something was wrong because he walks oddly on one leg, and X-rays showed the extent of the damage.
Poor little guy; so glad they got him x-rays.
WaterGirl
Oh, and indycat32 is quilter who would love to raffle off some quilts to raise money for Walter’s Fund!
Look for quilt photos and more information soon. Thank you, indycat32!
kalakal
@WaterGirl: me too.
R-Jud
Look at the sweet little baby! I hope his leg heals so he can carry on killing vampires.
WaterGirl
Big thanks to BillinGlendale for using his magic software several months ago to take the too-dark and fuzzy low resolution photo of Water and Ellie to make it high res. I thanked him at the time, of course, but every time I see this bright, clear photo is makes me happy-sad.
Happy to see Walter and the wonderful photo, sad because I love Walter and he’s gone.
WaterGirl
@R-Jud: I wondered about the name!
The Moar You Know
In for fifty, in memoriam of Hannah, Barton, and dear Walter, all members of the Black Lab club.
Get better, little Van Helsing.
indycat32
@R-Jud: but not vampire kitties! I have vampire kitty and he’s very sweet.
Origuy
In the SF Bay Area, Companions in Waiting does animal rescue and adopting. I know a couple of people who foster for them. Archie, a Lhasa Apso found abandoned in Hollister, is now ready for adoption.
realbtl
FWIW I had a German Shorthair pointer that had what sounds like the same surgery and she was as (hyper-)active as before.
debit
@realbtl: there’s a YouTube channel I follow, Vet Ranch, and they do a lot of those surgeries. It seems like a fairly common break and the animals recover almost all of their mobility.
if I was not above my limit in cats I would take this little sweetheart in a second.
geg6
@WaterGirl:
Did you send out an email with a link to send pics for the calendar? If so, I didn’t get one, so can you re-send? Thanks!
R-Jud
@indycat32: I’m sure Van Helsing would leave your vampire kitty alone (though what would I know? I just have a couple of purrtatos).
WaterGirl
@geg6: No, I’m sorry, I’m a bit behind. I plan to get on that this weekend!
WereBear
What a happy ending.
geg6
@WaterGirl:
Sounds good. Thanks!
KayInMD (formerly Kay (not the front-pager))
My son’s elderly chihuahua had this surgery after he went to the vet to have his nails trimmed and came home with a hip that had dislocated “spontaneously” – the emergency room vet said it could only have been caused by severe trauma >-( . The surgeon told my son that he could try to reset his hip, but it would take months to heal and probably wouldn’t heal right anyway. By removing the head of the bone, Nikko would be healed & running around in 2 weeks. It is amazing surgery.
The hip really did heal in 2 weeks, but unfortunately he hadn’t been well for awhile, that surgery accelerated his downhill slide, and he was dead 6 months later. I’ve donated $25 to the Walter fund in Nikko’s memory.
NutmegAgain
So great to hear about. That’s a nifty critter up top, and I hope he thrives after the surgery. And Walter! so nice to see his amazing face–garden of teeth and all. He just radiated so much love. It all makes me really hope that once I get my foster dog settled*, I can consider adopting a wobbly senior. There’s a Lab rescue near here that has a number of likely doggos.
*don’t have the foster yet–last I heard he was in New Jersey. Maybe I’ll name him Oz! ha! I kind of hope he’s already neutered, but I’ll take what comes.
Skepticat
I’ve been donating as much as I can to candidates all over hell and gone, and I wish I had more for Walter, but I tossed in a little green kibble. This is something I don’t fear will be a waste.
Willow’s Person
@MazeDancer: Historically the county paid nothing towards the shelter animals’ vet care (the line item in the shelter’s budget for vet care for 2000 animals/yr was $1000 and the then-director thought that was sufficient). When we started trying to get vet care for the animals, we weren’t even allowed to try to help with cases like Van Helsing’s. But in 2019, we led a coup of sorts and got in great new management and a much more appropriate budget though it doesn’t stretch enough to cover the more expensive items like FHOs.
It’s a HUGE relief to have public funding for a portion of the expenses but it’s definitely unusual in GA.