Penny & Monday Appeal

Penny & Monday are 2 of the most affectionate, loving little cats you could meet. Both are elderly cats and full of character and are ever so close, watching out for each other constantly. Their bond is heartwarming to see and they came to Sunny Harbour after the sudden death of their previous owner.

Sadly, Penny & Monday were suffering from various health issues including heart murmurs and Hyperthyroidism and were in a bad way on arriving with Sunny Harbour Cat Rescue. Both were thin, depressed and generally their spirits were low after their ordeal.

For the foreseeable future this delightful little duo will remain with Sunny Harbour until such times as their health can be stabilised As per our NO KILL policy we do not put to sleep any cat in our care whilst they can still be given a good level of quality of life.

We know that with the correct treatment and care Penny & Monday can and will have a good quality of life however it will take time and lots of TLC to get there. The chances that Penny & Monday will remain at Sunny Harbour Cat Rescue for the rest of their days is very high with the combination of health issues and their age, currently estimated to be upwards of 16 years old.

Treatments

They are currently on a special diet and Monday is receiving regular veterinary checkups and medication which has seen the cancerous scabs slow in their appearance. Penny has finally stabilised and she is also starting to put a little weight on and her spirits are lifting. Monday too has put some weight on and their true and very loving characters are now abundantly clear to everyone who meets them. Monday is also being monitored closely as he is believed to be borderline for developing Hyperthyroidism in addition to his skin cancer.

After a check up at the vet we were informed that Penny's condition will improve greatly if we can provide her with surgery to remove her thyroid gland. Whilst this will not rid her of the problem completely, as their is a high likely hood the condition will return on her other Thyroid gland it will give her a far better quality of life for the interim period. At her elderly age this may be enough to see her through to the end of her days as comfortably as possible. Penny has now had her surgery and has recovered well.

Can you help us help Penny & Monday?

To date veterinary and care costs for this duo are in excess of £400 for blood tests, medication, biopsy, surgeries and special diets.

We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has already very kindly donated to our appeal for Penny & Monday to date.

Past Updates:

Update: 05/01/2009

Initial concerns that Monday's sore on his nose may have been more sinister were originally quashed by tests for FIV / FeLV which tested negative.

Sadly, the sore on his nose has continued to deteriorate despite topical treatment.

Monday is now undergoing a course of steroids to see if this will improve his condition. Should this be unsuccesful then it is suspected that it may be the start of a tumour / skin cancer in the affected area.

We will update as soon as we know more and thus far keep everything crossed that luck takes a turn for the better for this wonderful little duo.

Update: 06/01/2009

Penny has returned from her surgery on her thyroid gland and is recovering well.

She is understandably very sore and weary but is making efforts to eat and drink while we try to keep her spirits up.

She is, as always under the watchful eye of Monday.

Update: 07/01/2009

Penny received her check up today after her operation yesterday. Vets are delighted by her will to carry on fighting. There are still concerns about her fast heart rate, which should subside with time but the good news for Penny is that she can come out of intensive care at the rescue and join Monday in a return to their Foster home for some extra TLC.

It is felt she will recover quicker from her surgery in an environment she is happy in and help to keep her spirits up.

Please keep rooting for Penny in the hope there are no complications of the surgery to come.

Update: 21/01/09

Well, we have an update of good and bad news for this little duo, Penny & Monday.

Good News, in fact great news is that Penny has recovered very well from her surgery and is feeling much much better. We are overjoyed to see her on an 'up' and her true and very loving character shining through.

On a rather not so good note however Monday's nose has continued to deteriorate. His course of Steroids have now ended and he is currently awaiting a review appointment with the vet to see where we go from here.

We will update more on Monday as soon as we know more.

As ever our thanks go to everyone who has very generously donated to the appeal fund. Without you we would not be able to give them the care they need.

Update: 03 / 02 /09

Monday has today attended for a tissue biopsy of the affected scabbed area of his nose, which is currently believed to be pre-cancerous scabbing.

The affected area is continuing to spread and Monday has returned back to us very sleepy and with a little bit of a sore nose and 2 little stitches.

All fingers and paws are crossed for the results which we hope to have received in the next week.

Update: 10/02/09

Results are back from Monday's biopsy and have confirmed that the cells are cancerous.

Whilst not totally unexpected it is a sad blow for this little guy who is such a sweetheart.

We will continue to monitor his condition and make him as comfortable as possible so that he can live out the last of the time he has left pain free and happy with his best friend, Penny.

Care costs for this duo are in excess of £400 and we are extremely grateful to those who have already donated but we still need to raise more funds to cover the cost of their treatment which has left funds at the rescue very low.

If you can spare even just £1 to donate to the cats at Sunny Harbour we would be very very grateful to you.

Update: 27/02/09

Monday is doing well and his current steroid tablets are helping to slow the formation of cancerous scabs and keep him more comfortable.

Both Monday & Penny will now reside with Sunny Harbour until it is their time to pass to Rainbow Bridge.

If you feel you can help us meet the ongoing costs for caring for this wonderful duo then you can either donate to our appeal fund (above) or Sponsor them by regular standing order.

If you would like to sponsor Cassie please download and print our standing order donation form giving the bottom half to your bank* and returning the top half to Sunny Harbour at our address listed here.

*Alternatively if you use Internet Banking you can use the details on the bottom of the form to create a standing order from your Internet Banking page. Please remember to add extra 0's to the beginning of our account number.

Update 27/04/09

Penny & Monday continue to live in permanent foster care. Penny has come on leaps and bounds since her surgery and remains on a special diet.

Monday is continuing on his course of steroids to help control the scabbing on his face from the cancer, which in turn helps keep him more comfortable.

Both are real big characters at the Rescue and are enjoying a good quality of life for what time they have left.