| | | We've Almost Met Our Goal! |
| | | | We've almost raised $1500, and are nearly 3/4 of the way to our $2000 goal! You can still give up until midnight, to help us help cats like little Miss Ziggy - thank you SO much! |
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Ziggy's Story
Ziggy was a tiny kitten, with a big problem – pectus excavatum, a fancy way to say that her breastbone was sunken into her chest, making it difficult for her to breathe. According to the Meow – ah, Mayo – Clinic, severe cases can interfere with the function of the heart and lungs as the patient grows. Pectus excavatum is almost unheard of in kittens -- except FFGW had heard of it in the form of exceptional cat rescuer Hannah Shaw, the “Kitten Lady”, and her foster kitten Spinach. Because of Spinach, we knew if we acted quickly while tiny Ziggy’s bones were still flexible, the condition could be remedied with a fairly risky surgery that involved having a surgeon cut into the rib cage, pull her bones forward into the proper position, and then sewing an external chest-plate to the bones to keep them in place. Ziggy would wear this external chest-plate for a month or more, with frequent vet visits along the way. The hope would be that the bone would harden in the correct location, thus eliminating the stress on Ziggy’s heart and lungs. |
| | Normally when faced with a costly medical issue, most rescues would mount a fundraiser with the hope that sufficient resources could be generated, and once funds were in hand, treatment could proceed. But we did not have that luxury with sweet Ziggy. When at just a few weeks old she developed pneumonia, and then had a recurrence of it after seeming to recover, we knew Ziggy was out of time. |
| And so, FFGW did what we have always done – we authorized the surgery and hoped that we could rely on you, our supporters, to do what you have always done, to have our backs just as we have always had the backs of the cats and kittens in our care.
It has always been a defining guidepost of FFGW to provide the specialized care needed to enable a cat or kitten to live a full and normal life, if there is any way we can do so.
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Ziggy is a few weeks post-op and doing well in her adoring foster home. Her mom Daisy and Ziggy's 5 siblings have already found their forever homes, and after Ziggy fully recovers, she hopes the same will happen for her!
Veterinary costs are our largest, and nearly only, cost. Giving Tuesday came too late for Ziggy, but we hope you will help us to have the resources for the next Ziggy - and the ones after that!
You can donate directly on our website here:
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or you can donate through our Facebook page where Facebook matches a portion of donations and waives fees:
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Either way - we are extremely grateful for your support! |
| | | Ziggy -- The Caped Crusader!
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