STCAZ Giving Tuesday 2025 Medical Fundraiser

Giving Tuesday is a global generosity movement celebrated annually on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. It's the perfect opportunity to make end-of-year tax deductible donations to causes you are passionate about.

For our rescue, medical costs for veterinary care are a constant. We do everything we can to make sure the healthcare needs of our cats are met from spaying and neutering, vaccinations and general wellness checkups to more expensive issues such as dentals, chronic disease management, surgical procedures and cancer treatment. Please consider helping us continue our mission of saving cats and kittens in need! We currently have 63 permanent feline residents in our sanctuary of varying ages and temperaments as well as several adoptable cats and kittens in foster homes awaiting their own forever homes.

DENTALS: Since April, 9 cats have had dentals. This includes a preliminary exam and bloodwork (with sedation if necessary...it usually is), dental X-rays, post-op monitoring for 1 night in hospital and pain management when they come back to the sanctuary. Our 9 cats had a total of 83 painful decaying teeth extracted; the rest of their teeth cleaned and polished. 

We had 2 cats with additional findings! 

Noelle has stomatitis - chronic, painful inflammation of oral tissues requiring daily steroids to control. She is doing well taking her meds and eating well.

On physical exam, the vet felt what they thought was a mammary mass in Java's abdomen. After exploring in surgery, it was found to be a foreign body pellet that has probably been there for years before Java was taken into the safety of the sanctuary.

CHRONIC CONDITIONS:

CHIEF: In March of this year, Chief had to have his remaining teeth removed, but it was also discovered that he has hyperthyroidism. We started methimazole right away and worked out a schedule with volunteers so he gets his 2 daily doses separated by an adequate amount of time, which is quite challenging when juggling volunteer schedules and availability...getting Chief to take the med is not a struggle, he gobbles it up crushed in Gerber baby food. By the end of May, his thyroid levels had come down into the normal range. Chief has regularly scheduled follow up appointments for blood tests and ear checks because he is also prone to ear infections. So far, Chief is going strong and we hope this trend continues!

MIDNIGHT: Another senior...another ailment. Can't we all relate? Last December Midnight abruptly lost his vision. A vet visit revealed that he had high blood pressure which had caused his retinas to detach. We got him on BP medication right away and the hope was that his vision would be at least partially restored. This was not the case for Midnight, but we do believe he can see shadows sometimes. Being a long-time sanctuary resident, Midnight gets around just fine despite his limited vision. He is a rockstar taking his daily oral BP med and had a checkup at the end of September. His bloodwork was great, BP holding steady, so we keep on with his current medication regimen. 

UPPER RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS: 'Tis the season for coughs, sniffles and sneezes! Recently Tang came down with your typical URI symptoms. Off to the vet he went...and he was the perfect patient! So polite and cooperative...sometimes they know we are just trying to help them feel better. After a 10-day course of antibiotics, Tang was back to his normal self. 

You can make a difference by donating today to Save the Cats Arizona. Save the Cats Arizona gives hope to abandoned cats, many of whom would fall through the cracks of the normal "shelter" system. Once accepted into Save the Cats Arizona, a kitty is guaranteed a home for life in our Sanctuary, and the added hope that one day they may get adopted into a home of their own through our socialization and adoption programs.