Adams Sisters
Critical Care Fund
In honor and memory of her sisters, Julie and Janis, Kathy Adams started the Adams Sisters Critical Care Fund for Cats and Kittens to commemorate the deep love they all share for cats, especially cats that are less fortunate than our beloved house kitties.
Collectively, the Adams sisters have saved thousands of cats over their lifetime, through rescue and Trap, Neuter, Return (TNR). Now, with the Adams Sisters Critical Care Fund their legacy will carry on to so many more.
The fund will be used exclusively for cats that are receiving life-saving care through a partnership with FieldHaven Feline Center and UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Utilizing the skills of the veterinarians at UC Davis as well as emerging treatments and techniques, we are excited to be able give the chance of a tenth life to cats and kittens that need care extending beyond what FieldHaven’s veterinary team and private veterinary partners can provide.
Funded Cat Success Stories
Kelce
At 5 weeks old, Kelce was rescued by a homeless woman who found two boys playing football – with him as the ball! His leg was badly fractured, requiring a pin to be placed.
Tuna Sandwich
Tuna Sandwich was found screaming under a dumpster outside of a Subway restaurant. With no other cats in sight and Tuna not letting up on those screams, the people who found her knew they had to intervene. They scooped her up, discovering a large lump near her back leg. They couldn’t afford veterinary care, so they promptly headed to FieldHaven’s Marysville Cat Resource Center. When she arrived, it wasn’t good. Tuna was about six weeks old but very tiny and underweight. Her body looked abnormally swollen, and her breathing was labored. We assumed she was hit by a car, but at that point, assumptions didn’t matter—it was more important to get her to a veterinarian.
We rushed Tuna to one of our veterinarian partners, Companion Veterinary Clinic, where Dr. Sanchez took x-rays and diagnosed her with diaphragmatic and inguinal hernias. Those are often caused by a blunt trauma. Poor Tuna had her stomach, spleen, liver, and some of her intestines pushed into her chest cavity next to her lungs and heart. It was not only painful but made it very difficult to breathe, too! We knew that time was of the essence to save Tuna.
With the diagnosis, we knew Tuna needed emergency care so we called the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Tuna needed a complicated, risky surgery, one that would be even more challenging due to her tiny size, but we were willing to try. Tuna was rushed into surgery with a highly skilled team. We held our breaths overnight anticipating the dreaded call. It didn’t come. Instead, we received a photo in the early morning hours of Tuna in recovery. She made it through surgery!
Tuna has an incredible fighting spirit. Right away, she let the world know she was grateful for our help. She purred and blinked her eyes at anyone who would give her attention with a clear message—thank you. Today, Tuna is still in recovery. She has protocols she must adhere to so that her tiny body can heal, but her future is bright. She’s in foster care with our medical director, Dr. Yee, and it shouldn’t be a surprise that her husband is smitten. In fact, we mentioned Tuna’s story on a recent radio show, and he was so excited. He texted Dr. Yee and said, “Someone was just on the radio talking about cats and told the story of our kitten!”
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Rasta
Rasta’s parents arrived at FieldHaven on a Saturday afternoon with Rasta in tow. They were frantically trying to find help to save her life. They were even willing to surrender her if it meant she could survive. They had spent over $2,000 in emergency care and diagnostics only to learn she had a severe congenital diaphragmatic hernia that needed urgent repair. A diaphragmatic hernia is when there’s a hole in the diaphragm and abdominal organs begin to relocate to the chest cavity, crowding the heart and lungs. This often happens with a traumatic injury such as being hit by a car but in Rasta’s case she probably had it since but it got larger until it became life-threatening. They had used all of their available funds and credit and could not afford the surgery.
They thought their only choice were to euthanize Rasta or surrender her to an organization who would do the surgery.
We let them know that we didn’t like either option. We helped them navigate getting the surgery scheduled and finding the funding. They started a Go Fund Me which raised about one third of the surgery cost. The remaining cost was split between a UC Davis compassionate care fund and the Adams Sisters Critical Care Fund.
Rasta is now home recovering and getting ready to celebrate the holidays with her mom and dad.
This is what her parents’ wrote on their GoFundMe page the date they came to FieldHaven:
UPDATE: We’ve taken Rasta to FieldHaven, a shelter in Lincoln, CA, and we’re so grateful to the kind people there who are helping us get the care she needs. We’re currently working on securing a firm date for her appointment at UC Davis. Thank you to everyone who has donated to our cause so far; your support means the world to us. We’re determined to keep pushing forward to give Rasta the chance for a long and healthy life. She’s been incredibly brave these last couple of days, traveling with us while we searched for the help she needed. Right now, she’s resting at home and regaining her strength, and tomorrow we’ll share a video of her so you can see how she’s doing.Thank you again to everyone who has taken the time to hear our story. The steps we’ve taken today are the beginning of a Christmas miracle.