It was just a trip to Tallahassee to see the Florida State Seminoles play the South Florida Bulls. Little did two University of Tampa students know that they would find and rescue “Marty,” and now are struggle to keep him alive.
Marty is a long haired gray tabby with green eyes was accompanied by one other cat at the Tallahasee home the UT students visited.
According to Amber Molidor, a UT sophomore film major, the original owner had a full time job and was not very smart about what was happening to the cats. Marty, supposedly 11 weeks old, had a very large solid belly and was locked up in a room without food, water and his litter all day.
During the second day they were there, the cats anus prolapsed. The owner did not want to take care of it so Molidor and her boyfriend, Brad Sherwinsky, a UT senior Biology major, took the cat back to Sherwinsky’s home in Tampa.
The the two students brought Marty to the vet the next day. The vet concluded that Marty had worms, an ear infection and fleas. The worms were the cause of the prolapsed anus. They were also notified that the cat was no more than six weeks old. Kittens are not to be taken away from their mother before that age.
Surgery was the only option for the kitten, at a cost of $300. Stitches were applied to try to correct the prolapsed anus, but the next day it prolapsed again. A five-day treatment got rid of the worms.
The cost of trying to save this cat has strained the two UT students. Sherwinsky is a full time student with no job and Molidor has a part-time job of just six hours per week.
It has been a few weeks since the surgery and things has not improved for the cat. The pair have spent over $800 in surgeries and other supplies only to keep the cat comfortable and to prevent infection.
Their choices now are either to euthanize the cat, leave the cat in its current condition or spend $3,500 for a colopexy surgery, which is guaranteed to work. The surgery is the most expensive surgery a cat can have. The problem: no money.
“It’s not that he could be like this for the rest of his life, he could get the surgery and be a happy cat,” Molidor said.
In an effort to raise money the couple has contacted many agencies including Frankies Friends, United Animal Nations and Tails of Hope Foundation. They have even contacted local media. Nobody could help.
“Honestly, it’s like having a child,” Molidor said.
Each time the cat uses the litter box, a 45-minute process is required to prevent infection.
The two have set up a website and are collecting donations for Marty at http://handipets.com/blog/?p=782, in order to pay for the surgery.
“It’s not a life threatening, it’s life saving,” Molidor said.
Sherwinsky said that if at least half of UT students would donate $1 the cat, could be saved.
When we rescued our kitten Autumn Savannah she needed extensive surgery just to stay alive. $5,000 dollars and two surgeries later she is the most incredible cat we have ever owned. We, too, are educated adults with full time careers and lives. We are not idiots and are not easy prey for con artists. Unlike the naysayers leaving comments, we understand that you cannot put a price on a life. Especially the life of an animal who will adore you for it’s ENTIRE life. Saving the life of an animal and making that life mean something is one of the most selfless and rewarding things a person can do. The money that gets spent on the kitten goes entirely towards saving that one kitten rather than a portion of the money going towards Administrative or Marketing expenses. That makes saving the kitten a better value for the money – from a CPA point of view.
i love cats a whole heap, but that’s beyond ridiculous. that money could go a long way towards helping any number of cat shelters or other cat-related charities…. and could help hundreds of cats have good homes and better quality of life. if you have the money, that’s one thing – but relying on the generosity of strangers to keep one cat alive at such expense is selfish beyond belief. the folks engaged in this enterprise should be ashamed.
Thank you for the support Matt and Carrie, it means more than you know.
I’m really shocked at the immaturity of the replies to this article about Marty. Amber and Brad did a wonderful deed by taking this kitten from the horrible life it was living and are giving him love and care and trying their best to get him better. Unless you have ever cared for a disabled pet, you have no idea how much time, patience, and money it costs. I have cared for, and still have, many special needs pets so I know first hand. I am also a married adult and my husband and I work full time and have very good jobs, we are not idiots or children, and yes sometimes we have had to borrow money to help our pets. That doesn’t make us bad people. Amber and Brad – ignore all these idiots. Lets hope they are never responsible for a pet or God Forbid a child someday.
I’m in. Good for you.
Some day after you graduate some prospective employer will Google your names and find this. I Google everyone I hire.
Too bad the naysayers won’t post their full names.