CLEVELAND — Donations from generous community members helped a kitten name Purrnelope receive life-saving surgery last week.
Over Thanksgiving, Purrnelope arrived at the Cleveland APL after a family found the 5-pound kitten living in their yard. She was dragging her back leg and not eating well.
A veterinary team at the Cleveland APL diagnosed her with a diaphragmatic hernia—a condition that allowed her abdominal organs to move into her chest cavity.
To fix the condition, the intricate life-saving surgery requires vets to open up her chest, and it carried a hefty price tag of $4,000.
The APL's Second Chance Program, funded solely by donations, helps provide medical care for injured or ill animals, but staff needed more immediate funds for this surgery.
The APL turned to their Facebook audience and posted a fundraiser for Purrnelope. In a short amount of time, nearly $2,000 was raised, and the rest through other sources, the APL said.
“Facebook has proven to be a great tool for raising general awareness, communicating critical need, and fundraising. In addition to helping animals when they need it most, we’ve used Facebook to raise funds on Giving Tuesday for the last two years. The one-click ease of a Facebook donation has really proven to show a difference in the way people are willing to donate," said Sharon Harvey, president and CEO of the Cleveland APL.
Purrnelope received the surgery last week, which repaired her hernia and spayed her at the same time. She is back with her foster home where she will recover until she is available for adoption.
