A call to help a feline friend in need has been emphatically answered in less than a day.
Last week Hospice South Canterbury launched a givealittle page with the goal of raising $600 to help their furry hospice carer Heath receive some much needed dental care.
The fundraiser was closed after 21 hours, having raised $735.
Aorangi Vets took notice of the fundraiser and, after seeing the outpouring of support, decided to provide his treatment free of charge.
Hospice South Canterbury events and marketing manager Kim Rogers said it was humbling to think that people cared about him as much as they would a person.
‘‘He’s a pretty cool cat, he’s very loved and it’s a sad day around here when he’s not with us.
‘‘He’s great to our patients and families. He always has a special patient that he stays with the whole time they are here.
‘‘A lot of the donations came from family members who had been in here with a loved one and had actually witnessed and felt what [Heath] did for them and other people.’’
She said they were made aware of his dental issues when he went in for an arthritis checkup.
‘‘He went to the doctor recently, and he was diagnosed with arthritis.
‘‘He was given medication to take, and of course, if you’ve ever had to give cat pills you risk losing your limbs doing that.
‘‘Eventually, we were putting it in his food and, of course, he would never eat the food that had the medication in it.’’
Last week he was not able to walk properly, so that’s when they took him back to the vet who decided he could have an injection of medication which was $100-a-time, once a month, she said.
‘‘At that check-up they also noted that he needed to have some teeth cleaning and work done. $600 was the amount we were told it could cost us and while we can factor $100 a month into our budgeting, a one-off $600 cost is a lot.
‘‘He’s a valued staff member, but most of the money we raise here is for the patients and families.
‘‘Someone said to make a givealittle page, and I was like, ‘OK, we’ll give it a go’.
‘‘We put it up at 12 o’clock and the first donation came through at 12.05, it all happened really quickly.’’
Heath arrived at the hospice in 2022 after being adopted at 4 years old from the SPCA, to take over from previous hospice cat Patsy, who had died.
Funding manager Ann Brown said Heath was a special cat and had developed his own fanbase.
‘‘We have a big scrapbook of all the cards that he receives.
‘‘The latest one he received says ‘And not forgetting Heath the cat, he made her smile every day, was always by her side from the first day she arrived, and was with her when she passed. Lots of cuddles and treats for him, he’s so special’.
‘‘Sometimes he does come to the guard of honours we have for the patients and that’s actually really moving for me. He just seems to know.’’
Heath has been booked in to have his dental work done on June 18 and the money raised from the fundraiser will now be put towards his ongoing healthcare.
