Sometimes Found Explorer

Reader of fiction and ready for the zombie apocalypse. Ruled by the furry four legged mob that I live with. Married to a goddess.

[Sometimes Found Explorer @PattersonBrown3]

@kyuketusamurai For some reason when your blonde I see an inherent softness. Almost gentle. Then I see the eyes, bloody lips and fangs and am reminded that you are a vampire.

[Sherry Miller @PicklesMil]

It's... We Can Help Wednesday🦾😽

We are still at $6952.81 needed for Blake.
Many kind compassionate hearts have come together and made $1,183.56 happen. Thank you!
Blakey Blake from the Drain was saved when he was found living in a city drain in Atlanta at one year old. So hungry he was eating paper.
Now 12, a beloved rescue sanctuary boy and other wise healthy, needs this ear surgery to remove painful polyps deep within his ear canals. He is miserable.
After 2 specialist visits, we finally have the answer to his ear problems, now we need to move forward to give him relief from his months of silent suffering.
We need help with this very expensive surgery.
It's a bill too steep for our small rescue @gandolf_s to carry at the moment.
Prior to finding out about Blake needing this surgery, kitten season exploded and we've recently taken in 15 kittens and 3 adult females.
And Our cancer warrior, Leo, recently had his 6 week Oncology check up ($1300), and found his abdominal metastatic carcinoma has spread to his liver. 😮‍💨
We are neck deep in vet bills.
Please.
Is there help out there for Blake?
"Many hands make light work"
Many $5 or $10 add up to a boy getting his much needed surgery 🙏
https://t.co/ftdhYa6nbB
https://t.co/exGyffzI9a

❤️Blakey Blake from the Drain❤️

[Gandolf’s Legacy Cat Rescue @gandolf_s]

Blakey Blake from drain and I are stuck. Please continue to free retweet 🙏💔❤️
https://t.co/vqblzkBVN2
https://t.co/1XuwDJU7BN

[Gandolf’s Legacy Cat Rescue @gandolf_s]

Murphy ❤️

[Sherry Miller @PicklesMil]

We are now at $6952.81 needed for Blake.
Many kind compassionate hearts have come together and made $1,183.56 happen🥹😽

This community is so amazing...thank you🙏😭
Can we keep going for Blake?

[CWNH - Cats With No Hope Rescue @catswithnohope]

To continue caring for Tammy's beloved cats, her friend Thea (whom Tammy called her sister) is collecting donations for their first-of-the-month supplies since Tammy's account is closed. All funds will be safely transferred to me. You can send contributions here: https://t.co/ztzWeiq96E 🐾❤️

[Sherry Miller @PicklesMil]

It's Make It Happen Monday🙏

Blakey Blake from the Drain- this is his spot everyday. He doesn’t move💔.
Thank you to everyone who has donated and reposted towards his surgery.
The weekend helped us find $877.56.
$7258.81 to go.

There are moments in rescue when love and a simple medication isn't enough.
This is one of them.

Blake has fought for so long. Months of antibiotics. Steroids. Ear flushes. Specialist after specialist. Every avenue has been explored. Every hope has been followed.
Now the answer is finally clear. None of those medicines ever had a chance of working because they couldn't penetrate deep into the ear.
A CT scan revealed there was significant blockage very deep inside the ear. A cat's ear canal is "L" shaped, and his issue is something that could never have been seen with the traditional otoscope used to look inside the ear.
(The story/explanation/surgical quote are in the post below)
He needs surgery. A very serious surgery.

A TECA on one ear. (Removal of the right ear canal due to polups deep in the ear canal)
A Ventral Bulla Osteotomy on the other.
The estimate is nearly $8,136.37

We don't know where that kind of money is going to come from. Our @gandolf_s Care Credit account is maxed out paying for his specialist visits.
We only know Blake's future depends on it.

He has lived with relentless pain long enough.

If you've ever wondered whether your gift truly changes a life...
This is that moment.

Today, your kindness doesn't buy toys or treats.
It buys relief. It buys comfort.

It buys the chance for Blake to wake up and discover what a life without constant pain feels like. A very otherwise healthy boy who loves his play with his sanctuary pals, and his food bowl more than life itself, has been laid low, literally.
He curls in sleep all day long, only rising to visit the litter box and have a nibble of food, far less than he should be eating.
He's miserable and it's heartbreaking.

If you can help, in any amount, we would be deeply grateful.
And if giving isn't possible today, please share Blake's story.

Sometimes the miracle isn't one person writing a huge check.
Sometimes it's thousands of compassionate hearts deciding with little bits that one beautiful soul deserves help and relief.

Please help us get Blake to surgery. He has waited long enough.🙏
Because our views are way down and suspect it's due to links being put in the post, (yes, there are new algorithm rules about that now😡) I'll have to direct you to the links that are at the end of the post below that this quotes. Sorry. 😮‍💨
We can't afford for Blake to get fewer views. 💔
Please share for Blake🐾

[Gandolf’s Legacy Cat Rescue @gandolf_s]

Blakey Blake from the drain- this is his spot everyday. He doesn’t move💔. Thank you to everyone who has donated and retweeted towards his surgery🫂❤️🙏. $877.56 had been raised.

https://t.co/1XuwDJUFrl

https://t.co/s5KeakWtCC

[Sometimes Found Explorer @PattersonBrown3]

@kyuketusamurai Your right. My most humble apologies. Your content continues to be awesome.

[Sherry Miller @PicklesMil]

Looking back through the many kitten seasons @gandolf_s there are so many faces that bring tearful warmth to the heart...
It's impossible to just hurriedly search for a photo you want, without landing on unforgettable little faces.
This is Brownie, and her Crumbs💓

[Sherry Miller @PicklesMil]

We are at $850.
$7150 to go.
Please keep passing it along. 🙏♥️
Blake must have this surgery asap. His ear canal must be removed.😪

[Gandolf’s Legacy Cat Rescue @gandolf_s]

Everything right now has to be about Blakey Blake from the drain💔💔 I have severe cognitive dissonance! Maybe if I did not or should not have rescued the 15 kittens and 3 adults, he would not have to suffer a day longer. So, I have to keep reposting to get his plight seen in hopes of raising 9000$ for his medical care. PLEASE FREE RETWEET 💔😭😭😭😭🙏
https://t.co/lr4gEtVboF
https://t.co/kSvbDH8CwU

[Gandolf’s Legacy Cat Rescue @gandolf_s]

❤️

[Gandolf’s Legacy Cat Rescue @gandolf_s]

$500 has been donated for Blakey Blake from the drain life saving surgery. I am beyond humbled and grateful to the donors, for the retweets, and compassion. He is suffering right now tremendously and in silence for long. Please continue to retweet for help💔😭🙏

https://t.co/4zVPdhISwL

https://t.co/kSvbDH8CwU

[Gandolf’s Legacy Cat Rescue @gandolf_s]

Gracie and Inky at vet 11 days are now back❤️ Their siblings were beautiful, I was too late and haunted daily 💔💔💔💔🌈🌈🌈🌈 Available for adoption as bonded pair.

[Gandolf’s Legacy Cat Rescue @gandolf_s]

I have no words right now. Please help save Blakey Blake from the drain with a free retweet for help. His costs for 2 vet visits would total ~$11400 (invoice/estimate in tweet below). He needs immediate help to end his suffering. 💔💔💔💔🙏
https://t.co/DPpiqarT0T
https://t.co/kSvbDH8CwU

[Sherry Miller @PicklesMil]

Well, dear village…😮‍💨
Monday dropped like a bomb.
And as a bomb does, blows everything apart.
We've spent a couple days banging our heads against the wall, but all we have now is a lump, and still broken hearts.

We knew Blake's appointment on Monday with the ENT specialist could bring difficult news.

We were not prepared for this.

For many months, Blake's regular vet chased what appeared to be chronic ear infections. Is it an ear infections again? Is it allergies? There were ear flushes, antibiotics, steroids, and temporary improvements.
But every time, he would slide right back to where he started. His eyes became permanently dilated. They watered constantly.
We started with an ophthalmology specialist, searched for answers and it was suggested that the problem might be deeper than anyone could see. In hindsight, the ophthalmologist may have given Blake the biggest breakthrough of all by saying:
"I don't think the problem is in the eyes."
That referral ultimately led to the Mondays CT scan with a ENT vet, and the CT scan finally showed what Priya had been chasing for months.
There is finally an answer.
The Opthalmologist was right.

For months it was:
Why isn't he getting better?
Why do the symptoms keep coming back?
Why are his eyes changing?
Why isn't the medication working?
Now there is a physical, visible explanation sitting on that CT scan.
A polyp. Deep within the canal of the right ear.
A blocked left ear.
Disease deep within the canal and middle ear.
A much needed surgery.
As awful as the surgery estimate is, it means we’re no longer fighting a mystery. We’re fighting a known enemy.

That CT scan revealed what no otoscope could.

Deep within Blake's ears, beyond what could be seen during routine exams, a polyp has been growing. Wax, debris, and moisture have become trapped behind it. The medications Priya hoped would help were essentially blocked from ever reaching the source of the problem.

The issue was never what was visible.

And now we have the answer and it comes with a devastating price.

Blake needs surgery on both ears.

This is not an elective procedure. This is not something that can simply be monitored. Is his condition fatal? No. Thankfully, there was nothing suspicious on the brain.
Will he live in discomfort, and misery without surgery?

Absolutely.

His right ear has a deep polyp and disease severe enough that the veterinary surgeon is recommending a TECA (Total Ear Canal Ablation). In that procedure, the entire ear canal is removed because it has become chronically diseased or damaged.
His left ear needs a VBO (Ventral Bulla Osteotomy) or a deep cleaning/surgical procedure involving the middle ear. The surgeon is hoping that the ear canal can be preserved while still addressing disease deeper in the ear.

There is a very real possibility that Blake's hearing will be permanently affected. That reality weighs heavily on our hearts. But if it ends his suffering, we do not have a choice.
It’s so deeply emotionally difficult that, to end a fur babies suffering, you must decide to take from them, hearing, sight, limbs…all of the things that can help them not to suffer, but feeling like absolute garbage for the doing of it, nonetheless! If you’ve been there, you understand.

The estimate for Blake's surgery is $8136.97. The CT Scan to diagnose the issue was $3215.47.

We do not have it.

At the same time, Leo is due for his cancer recheck on Thursday 6/25. His scans, blood work, and evaluation cannot be postponed. This visit checks his cancers’ current state. It is a “must know” by which his treatment is measured. Leo has already defied every expectation. Sixteen months ago, we were told he might have only three to four months.

Sixteen months later, he is still here. Still fighting. Still proving everyone wrong.

His appointment will likely cost between $1,000 and $1,300, depending on if they do additional x-rays, which sometimes the Oncologist does.

And as most of you know, we recently committed to helping the Forgotten Field colony.

Thirty forgotten cats.

To date, sixteen have already been brought to safety. Thirteen kittens. Three adult females.
The remaining cats still wait in that field between a busy highway and parking lot.

We looked at those kittens and knew they would not survive out there. And some didn’t. Four were run over on the road.

So we said yes.

We dove in head first.

On Monday alone, Priya juggled Blake's specialist appointment and four kitten vet appointments. She came home carrying Blake and news that would make anyone sit down and put their head in their hands.

That is exactly where we find ourselves.
Sitting here in tears.
Exhausted. Overwhelmed.

Looking at numbers that simply do not add up.

Looking at a cat who cannot wait.

Looking at another cat who needs his cancer monitoring.

Looking at a field full of lives still depending on us.

And muttering the only words that seem to fit.

"Well…shit." Just muttering like that a mantra will help us think straight.

Usually we can come up with a plan.

Usually we can see the path forward.

Today, we can't.

Today feels like standing in the middle of a hurricane while trying to protect every life around us.

Inside her world…
I see Priya carrying the weight of eighteen sanctuary cats, thirteen kittens, the Forgotten Field project, endless appointments, endless cleaning, endless feeding, endless worry, and now this.

She’s only one woman. She’s small, but mighty. But even the mighty can crumble when pressed too hard.
And I cannot help but wonder why the storms always seem to arrive all at once.

Why does it never come as a gentle shower? Why must it always be a flood?

But rescue doesn't work that way.

The cats don't get sick one at a time. The emergencies don't wait for their turn.

And so here we are.

Asking for help because we simply cannot do this alone.
We finally have the answers for Blake.
What we do not have is the money needed to give him the surgery he urgently needs.
His surgery is $8136.97.
Blake cannot wait.
This surgery is his chance to finally be free of the discomfort he has been quietly carrying for far too long.
The estimate and the Vet visit notes are below.

If you are able to help, please consider making a donation toward Blake's surgery.
No gift is too small. Every dollar brings us one step closer to giving him the care he desperately needs.
And if you cannot donate, please share his story.
Share it far and wide.
Help us find the others who might be able to stand with Blake.
Because despite the fear, despite the tears, despite the overwhelming mountain standing in front of us, there is one thing we know with certainty:
We are not giving up on Blake.
Not now. Not ever.

Blake from the Drain. @gandolf_s Rescued him from living in a city drain many years ago, so hungry he was eating paper. Now, other than his ears, is a very healthy 12 yr old marauder, who loves his sanctuary pals and treats, just wants his life back. He hasn’t played or eaten treats in a long time. He’s been quietly hiding this nasty mess in his ears.
Well…shit.😢
https://t.co/mVVaIXoyiS
https://t.co/exGyffzI9a

[Gandolf’s Legacy Cat Rescue @gandolf_s]

❤️

[Homeward Bound Pet Adoption Center @HomewardPetsNJ]

Guapo was found in the bushes behind a Dunkin Donuts 😢

He’s waiting for a loving home at Homeward Bound Pet Adoption Center.

📍 Blackwood, NJ