Mason: a Man with a Past and Stories to Tell

Hi Friends!

Thank you so much for caring about Mason! 

Background:

Mason came to us from a rural shelter in North Carolina a few weeks ago.  When the shelter asked me if Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation could take him in, they sent a blurry, far-away photo and simply said that he had a "rough exterior."  

We expected him to show up with some matted fur, dirty ears, fleas, and generally be just a bit disheveled, but in reality, he was the saddest, sickest cat I'd ever seen.  Both ears were deformed and tattered, he had deep scars on both sides of his face, a raging upper respiratory infection (URI), greasy and scabby fur, rotting teeth, and a strange swelling on his left leg.  

Over the past few weeks, we've worked to figure out what's going on with him and how to help him.   While the URI and dental needs seemed manageable, the vets were very concerned about his leg.  X-rays revealed a strange mass over his joint that suggested a possible sarcoma.  They indicated that we would likely need to amputate the leg to prevent spread of the cancer, but that nothing could be done until his URI was resolved.

Thankfully, Mason recovered from his cold fairly quickly and we got him back to the vet for repeat x-rays and bloodwork last week.  

Much to our absolute delight, the x-rays showed no spread or growth, and more significantly- they indicated that he did not have cancer at all! Rather- the strange mass on his left leg was determined to be the result of an old "crushing" injury that healed poorly.  Further x-rays and examination revealed that he has a similar, but smaller, mass on his right leg, and scarring across both forelimbs.  

The vets surmised that poor Mr. Mason got his legs trapped in something, but managed to extricate himself and heal.   While we are *beyond thrilled* to hear that these strange lumps and bumps on his legs are not likely to be cancer (and that he won't need an amputation!), it is so sad to think about what Mason has been through and what a rough and painful life he had before coming to us.  We are glad he's with us now though, and with your help, we know we can get him in tip-top shape so that he can find a real and true forever home.  

Why Fundraise?

As is the case for all rescues, Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation's (LDCRF) ability to  care for special needs cats and kittens is tied directly to the availability of resources.  As a non-governmental entity, the rescue depends entirely on donations and adoption fees to vet and care for all animals that come into the program. 

While Mason no longer needs an amputation, he has already cost the rescue a lot of money in diagnostics, and he still needs to have his mouth fixed.  Your donations can help us get Mason's dental surgery, and anything else he needs to be medically cleared for adoption.  Your donations can also help us care for more cats like Mason. (E.g. Holly and her leg amputation; Maple and her full mouth extraction;  BiBi and her 5 day ICU stay).  

Why $2200?

Mason's medical care has already cost nearly $1000 for two rounds of bloodwork, multiple x-rays, exam fees, antibiotics for his URI, a ringworm PCR, and medical supplements for his achey bones.  The estimate for his dental is $800-$1000, depending on the number of extractions that he needs.   We think $2200 will likely cover most of his medical needs.  

Any funds received above our goal will go towards the medical care of other special needs cats.  The more donations we receive, the more special needs cats and kittens we can take in.   We can't help cats like Mason, Holly, Maple, Bibi, Tom Tom, and Keller & Sullivan (to name just a few!) without donations to help with their medical needs.  

All donations go directly to  Lost Dog and Cat Rescue, a 501(c)(3) non-profit charity:  https://www.lostdogrescue.org/). This is the group we foster and volunteer for.  

A Few Things:

* We know that this has been a very difficult 12 months for many people- please do not donate if doing so would cause any discomfort to your budget!

* If you want to help cats/kittens but feel unsure about donating towards this fundraiser for whatever reason, please please please consider making a donation to a shelter or rescue near you instead.  I guarantee you they will be incredibly grateful and can use the funds towards helping cats in your own area. 

* Regardless of whether you donate, please know that we thank you ALL for your continuous support and encouragement.  I know I'm not good at responding to every message and comment we receive, but I do read them, and I am very grateful every day to have such a wonderful community of cat-lovers supporting our work.

Hugs!

Jen (and Ian) (and Pokey, Bop, Boop, Dora, Hagrid, Maple, and of course- MASON)