This fluffy grey kitten’s story began as too many do–abandoned on the streets. However, her tale includes a rare congenital condition. It absolutely would have eventually ended her life.
Photo courtesy of The Cattery Cat Shelter
Little Violet was found abandoned with her 2 siblings when they were just babies.
A Good Samaritan discovered the stray litter in her Texas neighborhood. Happily, they accepted the kittens into their home. They would foster them as they grew. There were no signs that Violet was any different than her siblings.
At two months old, they were fixed and ready for adoption. They were brought to The Cattery Cat Shelter in Corpus Christi, TX. With her adorable, fur-filled face and outgoing personality, Violet was quickly adopted.
A short two weeks later though, the shelter received a surprising call.
Violet was being returned because she was “throwing up too much”. They were heartbroken to hear it, and began monitoring her closely.
Finally seeing her get sick, it was believed to be congestion. She was treated for aspiration pneumonia. While she was VERY active, her condition did not improve. The staff brought her back to their vet knowing there had to be something more.
Photo courtesy of The Cattery Cat Shelter
They performed more tests and x-rays, shocked again at what was happening to the little girl.
Radiologists had uncovered a rare congenital condition that was plaguing Violet. It is called Persistent Right Aortic Arch or PRAA.
“When cats are fetuses, they have some blood vessels in their chest cavity called aortic arches. These vessels atrophy and disappear as the fetus grows. Occasionally, one of the aortic arches, called the right aortic arch, fails to atrophy and disappear. This arch runs near the esophagus.”
“If this vessel persists, it can trap the esophagus. This inhibits its normal growth and development, preventing food from getting to the stomach.”
As Violet grew, this would only worsen and eventually be fatal if left untreated.
Photo courtesy of The Cattery Cat Shelter
The shelter checked with her sibling’s adopters immediately. ortunately they had no signs of the condition.
They put Violet on a liquid diet as they researched their options.
This was only a temporary fix to ease her discomfort, but she at least had that option.
“This is Violet (pre-surgery) after energetically eating her liquid diet. She loves food so much, she couldn’t help but get it all over her face!!”
Photo courtesy of The Cattery Cat Shelter
Not once did they consider anything other than saving the sweet kitten’s life.
“If you met Violet, you would know that attempting to save her life was the ONLY option. She purrs constantly, doesn’t know a stranger and is so, so fun.”
The only solution they found was for Violet to undergo a very delicate and expensive heart surgery.
It would be a 2 ½ hour trip to the specialty hospital in San Antonio, TX. Every second would be worth it if it meant Violet had a chance at surviving. There were possible issues that could arise. Most of these cases can be fixed, but he esophagus is usually left scarred and misshapen.
Photo courtesy of The Cattery Cat Shelter
Although manageable, this could causing feeding issues for the rest of her life. The Cattery began fundraising for Violet. For Giving Tuesday, a very generous donor pledged to match any donations up to $15,000!
A couple of weeks later, they traveled to San Antonio where she had the surgery.
“Visited Violet before her surgery today. She was all purrs and biscuits! Please send good vibes that the surgery goes well!”
https://www.facebook.com/TheCatteryCatShelter/videos/2188067631415863/
Staff, volunteers and supporters anxiously awaited news of the beloved kittens status. During surgery, they did a scope of her esophagus. Other than being enlarged, it seemed there was not a lot of damage. This was wonderful news for Violet’s future!
Violet is now in the second week of recovery in foster care.
You can see she loves her new diet of wet food, because she’s already put weight on. Add to that, the extra love and snuggles she’s giving as gratitude.
“Violet has the loudest purr which only stops when she’s sleeping. She can play for hours all by herself. She gives kisses and has the most adorable toe floofs.”
https://www.facebook.com/TheCatteryCatShelter/videos/383744045703332/
Next week they plan on introducing dry kibble into her diet to see how she tolerates it. Then, it’ll be 3 more weeks of monitoring her to ensure she’s fully healing. For now, things are going much better than expected. They’re still fundraising for her surgery and after care costs. They all know every fluffy hair on her body is worth every penny.
Photo courtesy of The Cattery Cat Shelter
At only 4 ½ months old, Violet has overcome so much!
Abandonment, a rare congenital condition and had major heart surgery can’t keep this gal down.
It’s no surprise that there is already a list of people ready to adopt her, and we completely understand why.
REMEMBER: ADOPT, DON’T SHOP; FOSTERING SAVES LIVES & SPAY AND NEUTER!
Related Story: Adorable Manx Kitten Born With Genetic Defect; Learning To Love Life After Amputation
Related Story: Special Needs Kitten Gets Unique Feeding Bowl To Survive With Medical Condition
https://www.facebook.com/TheCatteryCatShelter/videos/377599692812727/
As a Corpus Christi resident and cat (animal) lover, I support The Cattery whenever I can. They are an awesomely amazing organization and they do such wonderful things. I follow them on Facebook and have been following Violet’s story. So glad she’s recovering well. I also love CAM. Cole reminds me so much of my cat Bubba who has crossed the Rainbow Bridge.