Kitten Season Appeal Extended: Urgent Support Needed

Brooklyn was found starving — Wonder was staggering and wheezing.

Brooklyn's Story: On July 25th, an OSC volunteer found a 7-month-old kitten named Brooklyn in her yard. Brooklyn was starving and lethargic. She was admitted to Central Veterinary Hospital, where she is being treated for an upper respiratory infection, parasites, and other serious ailments. Most concerning is her emaciated state, as she weighs just 3.4 lbs.

Wonder's Story: On July 26th, a kind woman called us for help with a kitten she found staggering and wheezing. We took the kitten to Upstate Veterinary Specialists (UVS). Dr. Briggs noted that Wonder's intermittent breathing obstruction and neurological symptoms might be due to a bot fly larva in her nervous system or brain. Alternatively, she could have a neuro infection like toxoplasmosis or a fungal infection. Wonder has been admitted to UVS for treatment and testing, and we will know more in the coming days.

OSC is dedicated to ensuring these kittens receive the care they need. We are extending our fund drive to support Brooklyn and Wonder. If you can, please consider making a donation today. Thank you for your generosity.

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July 19th update:

Chloe is Getting Better: Little Chloe had surgery to repair a sliding hiatal hernia a few weeks ago. Her recovery was going well until last week when she began throwing up daily. The vets were worried this might hinder her healing, but imaging showed she's okay! After a few days in the hospital and some added medicine, Chloe is doing much better. She's a tough little fighter!

Remembering Tigerlily: We received a call from a family that rescued an orange kitten they found hurt on the side of the road. We suspect he was hit by a car. We rushed him to the emergency vet hospital, but sadly his condition was too severe. The best we could do was offer him a peaceful passing.

Latest Rescue: Mercury was abandoned in a sweltering apartment with no food or water. Her rescuer called OSC for help. We took her directly to the vet to make sure she was OK and today Mercury is purring and cuddling with her foster family.

Good news! Sisters Sophia and Estella found their forever home together. These kittens were found outside in late spring, when it was still cold at night. It took time to help them learn to trust, and their foster family worked hard to help them feel safe and happy. Now they're living their best life with their loving forever family.

We Need Your Help: We're close to our $15,000 goal, but we need your help to reach it. A generous benefactor has pledged to match gifts up to $1,500 to help us reach our goal. On top of emergencies and little ones who need extraordinary medical care, we have over 25 kittens who are in the process of getting routine vetting, including spay/neuter surgeries, shots, and microchips, all before they can go to new homes. Every dollar helps us get these babies ready for their new families and keeps us ready to help more cats in trouble

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July 1 -- We have devastating news to share. Little Emmy's condition took a tragic turn. Her normally gentle temperament became aggressive, she developed neurological symptoms, and began experiencing severe, uncontrollable seizures.

To end her suffering, the veterinarian humanely euthanized Emmy and, as required by state law, submitted tissue sample to the state laboratory for testing. The test results confirmed that Emmy was positive for rabies.

Everyone who had contact with Emmy has reported their interactions to the county health departments, providing detailed timelines and information about their interactions and exposure. All affected individuals are following both the required and recommended medical protocols for potential rabies exposure.

Rabies doesn't occur often, but it does happen. If you ever observe an animal that has had a major personality shift or is showing neurological signs, contact your animal control officer and department of health immediately, particularly if anyone has been bitten.

We are grateful to Central Veterinary Hospital for giving Emmy excellent care and we grieve with them for the unfortunate loss of such a sweet little kitten.

For more information on NYS Rabies Policies and Procedures, please click here. https://www.health.ny.gov/.../nys_rabies_treatment...

If you have questions please contact your county Department of Health.

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June 29th Kitten Season Update: Your Support is Making a Difference! Thanks to you we're making real progress with our little ones. Here’s the latest:

Emmy's Recovery Journey: Emmy, the brave kitten who suffered a crushed paw, is healing beautifully at Central Veterinary Hospital. After a week of intensive care, she'll remain there for continued treatment and follow-up imaging. The wonderful news is that Emmy will keep her paw – a victory worth celebrating!

Chloe's Healing Progress: Chloe underwent major surgery for her sliding hiatal hernia earlier this month and is steadily improving. While she's still on cage rest with her protective cone, we're hopeful it can be removed after next week's recheck appointment.

All the Kittens: Right now, the kittens we've rescued this season so far are thriving in loving foster homes. They're healthy, happy, and preparing for their forever families.

Amazing news! A generous benefactor’s $5,000 matching pledge has been fulfilled thanks to your generous donations! We're well on our way to reaching our $15,000 kitten season goal. Please, if you can, donate today to help the little ones receive the veterinary care they need and to keep OSC prepared for emergencies that we know are just around the corner.

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June 22nd -- Little Emmy needs our help! This brave kitten came to OSC with a severely crushed paw and is currently hospitalized at Central Veterinary Hospital. Despite her injury, Emmy's spirit is unbreakable—she's still playing and purring!

Emmy is getting the medical treatment she needs because of supporters like you. Every dollar helps provide emergency vet care, medications, and safe shelter.

Please donate today and give Emmy her best chance to have the happy life that she deserves. And just days before Emmy arrived, we took in five 4-week-old kittens abandoned in a box outside a worksite. All of these babies depend on our help.

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June 19th -- We are delighted to let you know that Chloe is home from the hospital! The veterinary team at Guardian has reported that her post-operative recovery is progressing well. We will be taking care of her and monitoring her closely in the coming weeks.

We are grateful to everyone who contributed donations to help cover her surgery and for all the love, prayers, and well wishes. Your kind hearts make a difference.

We are hopeful that Chloe will continue to make progress, be able to eat without distress, and enjoy the long and happy life she deserves.

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June 17th -- Update: We just got the great news that Chloe’s surgery went very well! The surgeon ended up doing two of the three possible procedures: she stitched her esophagus to her diaphragm and her stomach to her body wall. Chloe is already awake and walking around her cage and purring, as is her trademark. Dr. Klatzkow will call in the morning to discuss when Chloe can go home - tomorrow or Thursday.

Chloe’s surgery for her sliding hiatal hernia, which causes her stomach to slide into her chest when she eats, is happening today at Guardian Veterinary Medical Center in Brewster NY. Our veterinarians at Central have been monitoring Chloe closely and we’ve been feeding her small meals multiple times a day to ease her digestion and help her gain weight in preparation for this big day.

Thank you for making it possible to help kittens like Chloe, who is pictured here with her surgeon, Dr Sarah Klatzkow. Please send Chloe your prayers and well wishes. We’ll keep you posted.

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Chloe needs our help.

During her surgical consultation last week, we discovered that Chloe's sliding hiatal hernia, which causes her stomach to slide into her esophagus when she eats, is more complex than we initially thought. Thankfully, her veterinarian believes that the best option is to proceed with her surgery, which is scheduled for next month. In the meantime, we are feeding her small meals multiple times a day to ease her digestion and help her gain weight.

Chloe's kitten family has all found wonderful forever homes, and we hope that this surgery will give Chloe the best chance to have her happily ever after too. The estimated cost of Chloe's surgery is $4,000, and it is part of our kitten fund drive effort.

Please, if you can, donate to help Chloe today. The good news is that a generous benefactor has pledged to match contributions up to $5,000, doubling your impact. Thank you for your generous hearts and for making it possible to help kittens like Chloe.

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Kitten season is here in full force! Just last weekend, ten newly rescued kittens came into our care:

• A litter of five four-week-old kittens rescued from a local cat colony
• Hours-old newborns rescued the day after their mother's tragic passing. Sadly, we lost two, but the remaining four kittens are now thriving in the OSC incubator with our dedicated bottle-feeding foster family

This is only the beginning. Kitten season stretches our resources to the maximum, and we urgently need your help to save these precious lives. If you can, please help by making a donation today. Your donation will have twice the impact! A generous benefactor is matching all contributions up to $5,000, essentially doubling your gift.

Last year, thanks to supporters like you, we rescued 61 kittens—many requiring specialized medical care and hospitalization. Your generosity ensures all our cats and kittens receive the care they need for the happy lives they deserve.

OSC supporters make rescue possible! Thank you for your generous hearts and for taking a moment to share our posts. Every action makes a difference!