Jackie’s Journey

Starting with the most recent happenings, take a look at Jackie’s journey. This was only possible due to the generosity of our village. It’s never too late to donate to our Medical Fund to provide for Jackie and future kitties in need!

JULY 2, 2020 UPDATE

First, Jackie wants to say a great big THANK YOU to every one of his fans and supporters, who have helped to make it possible for AFL to get him to his new miracle life. He wants his very special fan club to know that he is doing fantastically well at Best Friends and is happier than ever. And the most amazing thing happened this week--just his second week there--Jackie got a temporary foster home with Brenda and Marty, two long-time, frequent volunteers at Best Friends, so he gets to stay in a real home!

Brenda and Marty are taking great care of him in their Kanab house while they are there until mid-July. They tell us our little guy is eating like a champ (well, he'd like to eat their food too, but he's not allowed); in fact, he has gained a full pound since he got there! He's eating kitten food now, sometimes with his Licki Mat and sometimes out of a bowl just like other kitties. He slept in bed with his foster mom and dad the very first night. Such a love bug. He's being a very good boy, of course, playing, snuggling, and staying healthy--and he has not thrown up even once!

We couldn't be happier for Jackie and we are very, very grateful to all who continue to help and support him and our rescue along the way. We are especially grateful to Brenda and Marty for loving him as we do and for sending lots of pictures and updates. Stay tuned--we will keep posting all the Jackie news as we get it! Life is good for Jackie Daytona.

JUNE 19, 2020 UPDATE

Well, it's happened--we have our miracle!

AFL volunteers have been hard at work on long-term options for Jackie, our precious kitten with a rare congenital defect, megaesophagus. We have just learned that Jackie has been accepted for admission to Best Friends Animal Society sanctuary in Kanab, Utah! If you aren't familiar with Best Friends, please visit their website bestfriends.org, and prepare to be amazed. This remarkable sanctuary sits in a 3,000-acre canyon, amid Bryce and Zion National Parks and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Their mission and positive message is to "save them all," a pledge they take very seriously. Within the sanctuary are hundreds of animals of all types--lots of cats and dogs, plus horses, donkeys, pigs, goats, and sheep, many with special needs that Best Friends is uniquely equipped to address. We asked if a place for Jackie might be possible, and Best Friends came through for him! This is truly the miracle we had hoped for--the opportunity to be cared for by their world-class medical team and staff of caregivers. Whether Jackie finds his forever home at the sanctuary or can eventually be adopted as a special needs pet, he will have the best chance for a healthy, happy life.

We will follow his progress and continue reporting to you.

But the journey isn't over yet. Jackie now has a very big trip ahead of him. Getting to Kanab is not simple, especially in this time of pandemic. He will first have a plane ride to Phoenix (in the cabin with his handler, of course), then a car ride of several hours to reach the sanctuary. We are working closely with Best Friends, our wonderful vets at Glenolden Animal Hospital, and the capable volunteer we have chosen to accompany Jackie to Utah. There are still many logistics to work out, but we expect that Jackie will be taking off soon!

His expenses continue to mount, now for this trip--airfare, lodging, rental car, etc. will be covered by AFL. We can not use multiple drivers or pilots to transport Jackie. Because of his critical feeding needs, he must have one qualified person to shepherd him safely to his destination as quickly as possible.

Our village has been so generous for Jackie, and we are asking one more time for your help. If you can, please donate and/or share his story to help us pay for his amazing journey to Best Friends. As always, we are happy to share good news and are most grateful for your kindness.

JUNE 16, 2020 UPDATE

First, a heartfelt 💗THANK YOU!💗 to all who have supported our efforts to save little Jackie and are donating to help with his vet care. It's only been a week, but it's already been quite the journey. And it's far from over. But we did want to give everyone an update about this very special little kitten. After extensive diagnostics, we learned that Jackie was not suffering from just a bad case of parasites as originally thought--he also has a rare (in cats), congenital defect known as megaesophagus 😿 Jackie's physiology actually prevents his food from staying down. As you might imagine, this is a big diagnosis for a small kitten and for a small rescue like ours. But we don't like to give up when there is hope for a happy life. So we're not giving up 💓

Jackie is still staying with our vets, receiving medications to help his digestive tract, and being fed in an upright position to help him move his food down and keep it down. Once we knew what he had, our wonderful vets began syringe-feeding Jackie in a sitting-up position, small amounts at a time. It worked, and for the first time since we brought him in, he was no longer starving! One of the staff decided to try feeding Jackie with something called a Licki Mat, so he could eat on his own. Many animals don't take to this but Jackie did, right away! See him happily chowing down?

We have also learned of some other cats with megaesophagus who were brought into rescue as kittens, are now several years old, and doing very well. So we are working all the angles we can think of--a long-term foster or adopter for Jackie or even a special-needs sanctuary to care for him until one can be found.

Please continue to donate if you can and send prayers, meow-jo, whatever you've got, to our little sweetie. 😻 Whoever ends up caring for Jackie will be very fortunate indeed. He is funny, adorable, and affectionate. Everyone who meets him just loves him! If you know someone who can care for Jackie at home, please let us know. We are exploring all avenues until we find the right one for our little guy. He was the kitten who couldn't keep anything down. Now, there's no keeping him down! 🐾

Again, many thanks for your kindness. Stay tuned!

MEET JACKIE

Jackie desperately needs your help! When we brought Jackie in we knew it was important to stick to our motto: provide care first and figure out resources next. Now, we’re hoping our village can help. This straggly kitty showed up on a kind resident’s porch after a storm. His rescuer noticed just how underweight this little one was and tried feeding him only to find that caused Jackie to vomit repeatedly. Jackie was rushed to the vet where he received some basic treatment for fleas and de-worming and some anti-nausea medication. Sadly, this didn’t help. After multiple x-rays, blood work and hours of monitoring, it has become clear that Jackie has a severe parasitic infection. Unfortunately, this means that he isn’t able to keep anything down - food or medication. This is why parasites can be so dangerous - for simple lack of relatively inexpensive treatments, an animal's life is endangered. Drastic and expensive measures are now needed to save Jackie from starvation.

Right now, Jackie is a bright-eyed little kitty who can’t understand why this IV is necessary. However, we know this is the way to save his life. This IV is the only option we have to get the medications into Jackie’s system that he so desperately needs to fight this parasite. In just four short days, Jackie’s vet bills are growing dangerously close to $1,000. We’ll continue to do what all that we can for Jackie, but we need your help. Through this all, Jackie continues to be a little lovebug who clearly deserves a chance at a happy, healthy life.