Over the Thanksgiving Holiday, the Cleveland APL knew they had to take swift action to safe a kitten’s life. A kitten, named Purrnelope, weighing a mere 5 pounds, was living in a local family’s yard. She was dragging her back leg and not eating well. The family thought that something just wasn’t right with this sweet kitten, so they brought her to the APL for care. The APL’s veterinary team discovered that Purrnelope had a diaphragmatic hernia—and she needed special, and costly, surgery to fix it.
The surgery was going to be intricate. The kitten’s condition had allowed her abdominal organs to move into her chest cavity. Her chest would have to be opened, requiring special anesthesia and a hefty price tag - up to $4,000.
Ms. PurrnelopeCLE APL
The Cleveland APL’s Second Chance Program, which is funded solely by donations, is the method used to provide medical care for injured and ill animals who need help. But they needed more immediate funds for this procedure. So, they turned to their Facebook page and posted a fundraiser for Purrnelope. Nearly $2000 was raised in a short amount of time, and the rest was raised through other sources.
Purrnelope received her surgery last week, where they repaired her hernia and spayed her at the same time. She is doing well and back in her foster home where she’ll recover until she’s available for adoption.
Sharon Harvey, President and CEO says, “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.”
