Princess gets royal care to remove brain cyst
A tiny tabby and white cat found abandoned near Timaru is at the centre of a major fundraising mission to pay for life-changing brain surgery.
The cat, now named Princess, was taken to Timaru’s Family Vet where staff have fallen in love with her and are now rallying around to pay for and help fundraise for the surgery, performed in Auckland yesterday, that will cost $10,000-$15,000.
Vet staff discovered Princess was partially blind when rescued in June and a few months later she started suffering from seizures. A cyst was detected in the back of her skull through an MRI scan at Timaru Hospital late last year.
Timaru’s Family Vet manager Jamie Crilly said Princess was about six months old and malnourished when rescued by a member of the public.
She appeared to have been born with a small skull and the cyst which was affecting her sight and causing the seizures from the pressure on the back left side of her brain, Crilly said.
‘‘She probably had seizures as a kitten. She was likely dumped, because she was not fearful of humans.’’
Princess has since become firm friends with another abandoned moggy, Pearl, who had come from a farm about three weeks earlier.
The two ‘‘very social’’ felines were adopted by staff and live onsite at the Latter St surgery because staff did not want to let them go to new homes.
The staff and customers enjoy having the duo about every day as they socialise and smooch the animals brought in to the clinic, which is not always welcomed by dogs.
‘‘They’ve had a few close calls,’’ Crilly said, adding that Princess loves everyone.
‘‘She’s cuddly and very loving.’’
As Princess’s seizures increased and became more dramatic, occurring every 24 to 36 hours, Crilly set about researching the best way forward.
Specialist veterinarian surgeon Richard Jerram carried out the surgery to remove the cyst yesterday and vet staff said that she was now ‘‘in recovery’’.
Crilly said the thought of her not having the surgery was too hard to bear for his family and staff who had all become so attached to her. All going well, he will bring her back to Timaru at the weekend.
A Givealittle page to help fund the operation was set up by Crilly after staff made donations. By yesterday afternoon $1940 had been raised.
Crilly said if they did not meet the target then he would get a loan or find some other way to pay for it.