Pepper

We are sad today. We received a message from a friend who passed on a plea for help from Pepper's mom. Now, most likely none of you know Pepper, but most of us do know the pain of having a sick kitty or woofie and reaching the point of needing more help than we can provide on our own.

Pepper has a page but not a blog. We would like to introduce you to her. And just for the record, Pepper's Jan is not our Jan.

Pepper is a beautiful Russian Blue stray cat and was originally owned by serviceman Mike Bustillos based at Air Force Base/SAC Headquarters, Bellevue, NE who was deployed for emergency service and is still engaged overseas in Iraq.

Mike became the original Pepper Person when he took her in as a kitten. He had her for just over a year when he was called once again to serve his country. He loved Pepper enough to let her go. He was not sure how long he would be gone and he felt it was not fair to Pepper to keep leaving her for long periods of time. With a heavy heart Mike surrendered her to the great people at the Nebraska Humane Society in Omaha, Nebraska.

That was when Jan, Peppers present owner, came into Peppers life. December 15, 2007 and Jan and her son and husband were dealing with the grief of losing their wonderful family kitty Kitterz . In an attempt to overcome the pain of her loss Jan decided to stop by the local Humane Society not really expecting what she found. It was love at first sight. There was Pepper. With a pledge from Jan to the U.S. soldier, that she would love and take care of Pepper and give her a safe, loving home, off she went with Pepper in tow to start a new life together.

One month after getting Pepper, she started getting sick only I thought it was hairballs...she does have long hair and very silky too. After she started vomiting foamy stuff I took her to not 1, but 2 vets. They did diagnose Cholangitis (inflammation of the bile ducts) She couldn't keep food down, she had a fever of 103 and she was lethargic. The main cause of this disease is bacterial. Recovery from and recovery of the liver can be possible but involved a long period of antibiotics, fluid and food tubes for cats who loose their appetite. Pepper has had to have these tests done so far. Blood tests (CBC, blood chemical analysis), radiographs, ultrasonography, fine-needle aspirate, and liver biopsy.

She also suffered from Hepatic Lipidosis from not eating...but that can be reversed with feeding, hence the feeding tube in the neck.

The above are excerpts from Pepper's page where you can read the full story, see photos of Pepper and view copies of vet bills and estimates of treatment. There is a contact email address.

We hope Pepper is able to finish the necessary medical treatments and have a long, healthy life ahead of her. To visit Pepper, click here. (Update 3/7 -- Pepper died, her page is closed and fundraising efforts have ended.)