Post-Surgery Update for Iris and May

Hello Everyone!

It's been stressful, but Iris and May are doing very well!

A recap: Iris and May underwent surgeries to fix their eyelids, which didn't form all of the way during their development so they were actually born with out the lower, outer part of their top eyelids.  This meant the kitties were very uncomfortable with their fur constantly poking into their eyes, scratching their corneas.   

Let's start with Iris's update first:

--Iris had her surgery April 11, 2013.  A reminder about Iris's eyes pre-surgery:  that one of Iris's eyes was too damaged to save, so she had an eye removed and the eyelid of her functioning eye repaired.  She had ulcers on her eyes because of the scratching on her cornea from her own fur.
--On April 24th,  she went in for a check up, cleaning around the eyes, and suture removal.  She was doing very well!  When Iris was examined back in July of 2012, the vets couldn't even see the back of her eye because of the inflammation and damage to her eye.  At her first checkup, they could see the back of her eye and there was no evidence of scratches on the cornea of her eye.  Hooray!
--In her check up May 8th, 2013, Iris again looked really good and the vets could see the back of their eye very clearly.  AND in her check up May 31, 2013, the vets were very pleased with her recovery and recommended a recheck in 4-5 months!

Below on the left is Iris with her cone, in the middle is Iris on the new scratching post looking like an owl, and on the right is Iris looking like cuteness embodied.

May's update:
--May also had her surgery on April 11th.  (If you look at the pictures in earlier posts, you can see what her eyelids were like before the surgery.)  May also had ulcers on her eyes because of the constant irritation from her own fur.  
--At her check-up on April 24th, she appeared comfortable and had visual responses.  Her eyes did have some inflammation.  The grafts looked "slightly devitalized", but the vets were hopeful they would heal appropriately.  There was no evidence of scratches on her cornea, which meant no hairs were poking into her eyes anymore. 
--On the May 8th checkup, her grafts weren't doing much better.  The vets adjusted her medication to hasten the healing of her eyes and hoped for the best.
--On May 31st,  May was doing much better!  The grafts need a bit more time to heal, but she seemed very comfortable and no scratches were evident on her corneas.  In one of May's eyes, she has low vision due to scarring, but her other eye looks healthy.  Recheck in 4-5 months!  

Below on the left is May's eyes after surgery.  You can see her stripy cone.  In the middle picture,  you can see May's eye after the repair, but still some inflammation.  In the picture on the right, is May looking cozy.

These life-changing surgeries were made possible by the following:

-Thank you to everyone who helped make these happy stories possible.  
-A huge shout-out to May and Iris's adopters, Emily and Trevor. They adopted these special needs kittens long before their surgery. They knew there were a lot of maybes involved but took a leap of faith!! They also found these kittens absolutely adorable and lovable despite their disabilities. This is what true rescue is all about.  
-Also a humongous shout-out to our former medical coordinator Laura - without whom this never would have happened!
-Lastly, thank you Trio Animal Foundation and other donors from all over the US and Canada who gave a lion's share of the funds necessary for the kitties' surgeries, and numerous people and organizations online who reposted to get the word out!  Yays and thank yous all around!

Happy life, kitties! 

Surgeries done!

May 

Iris

On April 11th, thanks to the generosity of so many good people, Iris and May went to Eye Care for Animals in Chicago for their eyelid surgeries.  To the left and right are photos of them before and after their surgeries.  

May, after surgery

Iris, after surgery

The adopters report three days after surgery that the cats are healing quite well.  They still have some swelling of their eyelids, but much reduced since the surgery.  They have a check up on April 24th.


Thank you, again, for helping these sweet kitties!

A Series of Acts

When I was young, my father would talk about how in his youth his friends and he used to sit around the kitchen table and solve the world's problems.  The solutions seemed so straight-forward to them.  "But," he would say to me, "Real world problems are more complicated than you know.  Someday you'll understand that you don't know it all.  Life is complicated."

I took those words to heart.  I kept trying to learn, understand, and collect more data so that one day, I would know enough to help.  I wanted to know enough to make a difference.    

As I have grown, I have learned that it is not enough to simply know there is a problem or an issue.  It is not enough to merely discuss a problem.  We must also act.

Hyde Park Cats was started by some "crazy cat ladies" who saw they could make a difference in the lives of some feral cats.  They felt an urge to help, and acted.

The women who first discovered two kittens to be named Iris and May, felt an urge to help, and acted.

People read this blog, felt an urge to help, and acted.  

Through this series of acts, Iris and May will be able to get the surgeries they need. 

Life is complicated, and there are problems both large and small, but one doesn't have to wait to know everything to make a difference.   

All of us, by feeling an urge to help, and doing something about that urge, have helped find a solution for these cats. 

Breakdown of the fundraising for Iris and May:

From adopters:  $500

From blog/internet:  $2535

From Trio Animal Foundation:  $1500

Total raised:  $4535!!

We now have enough to cover the surgeries and any complications.  If there are any extra funds, they will be used for our TNR and adoption programs.

Each of you, every one, is an inspiration!

Good morning everyone!

We've reached our goal of $3500!

Thank you all for your donations! 

Trio Animal Foundation of Chicago has agreed to contribute $1500 as well as $500 towards other cats we are pulling from a shelter near us.  More on that later at our blog Hyde Park Cats!

In the next couple of days, we'll post a summary of all of the donations and who posted for us to help us reach our goal!

We'll let you know when the surgeries are scheduled and post before and after pics.  

Thank you again!!!!!

I am so excited to let you all know that we've raised $2000 toward our goal of $3500!

If you can keep sharing information about Iris and May, it is appreciated.

Our new tally is $1695.  That's amazing.  We're basically halfway to our goal!

We've now raised $1695 towards our goal of $3500 for Iris and May's eyelid surgeries!

Thank you so much to everyone from all over the country and Canada who have stepped forward to help these sweet kitties!

And thank you to Tenth Life Cats in St. Louis who tweeted about Iris and May's story!  They are a cat rescue in St. Louis who provides another chance at life to St. Louis's stray cats, especially those with extreme medical needs or ongoing health issues.  Check them out at Tenth Life Cats or on Twitter @tenthlifecats.

We only have $1805 to go!  Even if you can't donate anything towards this cause,  please keep sharing!

As of late this morning, in just 3 days we have raised $995 towards our goal of $3500!

That means only $2505 left to go!  Please keep SHARING information about Iris and May.  I'm certain we can reach our goal.

Thank you to to Kim Thomas (Twitter @CidylusMuse) for tweeting, facebooking, AND adding a link about Iris and May to her Google+ account.  

Thank you to Oskar the Blind Cat for allowing us to post about Iris and May on his Facebook page.  

Happy Valentine's Day to you all!