Help Benny get Endoscopy — Meriden, CT

Benny is my Tough Little Bastard. He spends a majority of his time sleeping on my lap, following me, or looking for me. If my wife says “ go find Daddy” he immediately comes to me wherever I am. When I tell him let’s get Benny’s food he breaks into a cute little trot. He follows us to bed and stays all night. You catch him staring at you and you can sense the love and his intelligence. He is vocal with us with his own vocabulary waking us or announcing his presence with a chirp or an insistent meow if he thinks you are not catching on to what he wants. He purrs but it has to be extremely quiet to hear it. It’s heartening as you can feel it with your finger.

We got Benny from a family through word of mouth. He could fit in your hand. His first day we put up a 6 foot high gate to keep him in a room and he climbed up and over to get back to be with us.

He was born with aortic arch which is when aorta tissue forms around the esophagus causing a restriction. The restriction causes a pouch to form in the wall of the esophagus that food can get stuck in. Surgical removal of the tissue was successful but the pouch remains. This causes regurgitation of his food depriving him of nutrition and runs the risk of causing aspiration pneumonia. He is on a special diet of food that we must puree and add water. He is fed half a teaspoon of food four times a day. The serving size is small and frequent to avoid regurgitation. We use an elevated cat dish and hold him upright for 20 minutes after each feeding. Food preparation and holding him takes 4 hours a day but we gladly do it for him.

He currently needs an endoscopy to confirm x-ray findings of the pouch being full of food and facilitate emptying the pouch in order to restore nutrition, stop regurgitation, and prevent dehydration. He usually does fine but has been regurgitating for almost two days.. Without the procedure he could die of starvation which would require euthanasia so he doesn’t suffer.

His main Vet is Powder Ridge Veterinary Center in Middlefield , CT. The procedure will have to be performed at the Central Connecticut Animal Hospital in North Haven, CT

He is a tough little bastard as he survived two surgeries before being 3 months old. The anesthesia no sooner wore off and he was up and about acting like a kitten and winning the hearts of the hospital staff. His resiliency and sure will to survive is amazing and truly emotional. The little part comes from his growth being cut short and now he weighs just 4 pounds. While Benny has imprinted on me he is close with the rest of the family and provides us all with love and emotional comfort. We discovered his condition after getting him from a family. We instantly had a bond, he would sit on my shoulder, and would not have survived if he was not with us. After he was diagnosed we vowed to give him the best cat life he could have for as long as possible.

Something else about Benny. Not long after he came into our life our previous cat, Gizmo, began dying from a growth, I considered him my best buddy and he lived a long life. He would spend all his time sitting under the kitchen table near the end. Little kitten Benny would sit facing him about 1 foot away just being there. I believe he was consoling Gizmo and and Gizmo was passing the torch of taking care and loving us to him.

The hard part to admit. I have been suffering from PTSD and depression for several years due to consecutive trauma exposure working as a firefighter for 47 years and responding to a major traumatic event. On top of that in the past year I went through 2 surgeries for severe pain from compressed nerves and treatment for skin cancer. Benny was by my side the whole time and is my emotional comfort and support. This time close to September 11 is tough for me and with Benny’s condition the fear of losing him is overwhelming. I will always do what is best for Benny and not let him suffer.

Benny’s initial surgeries cost just around 15,000 dollars and was hard to absorb, and we still haven’t made up for it, but we knew he was worth it. I had to retire due to a medical problem and my income was drastically cut being on a pension. Due to my reasons above I have been unable to work part time, though I am working toward that in my recovery. My wife and I have also had to support other family members in individual crisis. Medical expenses for myself and just the cost of living has spiraled out of control. And with my mental health and physical problems being severe it is hard to catch up. Our car is on it’s last legs but we will not lose our house, we are so behind financially that it seems impossible. Most important I am asking for Benny.