I received your award notification several hours ago, but have been ‘speechless’ since! I’ll bet this is the best part of your job, reading the letters received as to how you change the lives of the pets, and their people, with the good work that you do.

My Leo has been with me since he was 8 weeks old. Always the lap cat I recently noticed that he would crawl onto my lap like always the minute I sat down, but just minutes later leave. Yet when I called him back he would come back, only to leave again. It seemed to make him physically uncomfortable to stay pressed against me even though emotionally he wanted to stay there. Upon examination the Vet discovered a mass in his abdominal area and after extensive (and expensive diagnostic testing) I was advised that surgery was imperative as it was strangling his intestines, soon to cause a blockage. We caught that just in time! Then the pathology revealed that it was malignant; the diagnosis was lymphoma cancer. And again I was told that he only had a short time left, perhaps weeks, without chemotheraphy. The diagnostic tests and surgery cost thousands, and now the chemo was an absolute necessity for him to have any chance. But I could only afford half of the sessions.

The joy, gratitude, relief, exhilaration, and heartfelt appreciation for what the Dog and Cat Cancer Fund makes possible is beyond what words can express. Thank you to those who had the foresight to create such a fund, to those who work to administer it, and to those who donate to make it possible for “kitty chemo” to happen!

Joanne, and Leo

Dear Donors,
Thank you for your kind souls, big hearts, and the generosity you have shared with us. If it were not for all of you, Angel would not be able to have her lifesaving surgery. Since Angel’s diagnosis of Feline Mammary Gland Carcinoma, we have been saving and raising as much money as possible to cover the cost for her care, but even that was not enough. Now, since we have received your generous donation of $900, she can have the surgery she so desperately needs.
You are not just saving a cat’s life, you are saving a member of our family. Words can not even describe how important she is and how much she means to us. Angel is our very intelligent, hardy, frisky, quirky, bundle of joy. She has been my best friend for eleven years, and now will continue to be for years to come. She brings a smile to everyone’s face, and brightens every room she enters. Yes, she even inspires some laughter, due to her over-sized ears and undersized tail. Angel preforms what look to be death-defying feats with her acrobatics with very little effort and never once has she missed her target. She can outsmart the smartest of humans, with her psychic-like abilities of knowing what you are going to do (i.e. clip her nails, give her a bath, or dare I say it, take out the pet carrier), well before you, yourself, know. Oh, and she’s crafty, if Angel wants something bad enough she will concoct a plan to retrieve what she desires.
Angel is a hardy soul and is not one to be stopped, not even by cancer, thanks to you and your generous gift.

Thank You So Very Much!
With Much Love,
Devon Gluza, Joan Knapp-Gluza, and of course, Angel Marie Gluza

Thank you note for the fabulous donors:

Words do not describe my appreciation for your generosity that I feel in my heart for the donation towards my cat Magic’s cancer treatment. Getting the devastating diagnosis of nasal adenocarcinoma was the hardest news to hear in my life to date. Magic is my source of unconditional love and daily joy all zipped up in cat suit. Magic is truly magic in others lives as well. People that do not like cats love Magic and people that love cats want to catnap and keep Magic for themselves. With your help I hope Magic will continue to touch more people’s lives and continue to change their opinions of what a typical cat is really like. Thank you so very much!

Christine and Magic

Dear DCCFund,

Thank you so much for the grants, bosco’s treatment would not have been possible.
we got bosco when he was a little baby only couple weeks old from a clinic in boca raton, fl with his sister Fiona. They were black and she had eye problem no one else would have taken them so doc told me to take both and keep them together do not separate them as the sister is sick and too weak and attach to the brother. so we got them at that time we had to clue how take care of cats. Well we manage and its 11 years now. and then came alone another cat and orange tabby who found us:) and we kept him. about 5 years ago I started feeding them first class natural diets with no gluten no by products no carbs. I thought they will be always healthy never expected any one of them to get sick. I have no idea how bosco started developing tumors that was just a surprise. While i am going through my own treatments for infertility my cat gets sick too:( that’s very worry-some. I was very very worried about how to get him treated with all that money? I scrambled some cash to pay for his ultrasound and spleen biopsy, I even took him to naturapathic vet he said he could put some herbs injection on his tumors it will get bigger and burst i would have to be very careful about keep it infection free until wound heals, that wasn’t an option I couldn’t risk it more cuz of less money in treatment. that’s when I started looking at funding options and I came across this cats and dog fund program.

I am so so grateful for the donors to open their hearts for these innocent animals who are in our protection, to grant fund for their treatments.

Thank you again so much to everyone who opened this channel for assistance.

Sincerely thanking you all,

Tehmina and Baqir Railey.

Dear Dr. Meiering and Donors,

The Dog and Cat Cancer Fund has truly been a blessing I could never have imagined. I cannot express to you enough gratitude or thanks for the assistance you have provided for my Siamese cat Yakota. I am writing to tell you her story and to explain the difference you have made in our lives.

Yakota is a 12 year old Bluepoint Siamese cat whom I have had her entire life. She was bred at home and has two sisters and three brothers. While one of her sisters passed away, my mother allowed me to keep the female kittens and sold her three brothers. I was a senior in high school when she was born and am now 29 years old. Yakota and her sister Siena have been with me since they were born. Yakota has a wonderful personality and has always been a loving and caring cat. She loves to sit on my back like a statue when I am lying down. She also loves music! Anytime I play my keyboard or sing along to some of my favorite songs, Yakota will listen with great intensity and even meow along with me!! Her favorite song is “Baby Love” and I often sing it to her! While both cats have always been healthy and well cared for, I could never have imagined what I would go through at this stage of her life.

Last year, I lost my job and have been dealing with a few health problems since then as well. Shortly after I became unemployed, I felt some lumps on Yakota’s stomach. I immediately feared the worst. I took her to the vet, where her doctor recommended surgery to remove the masses, a chest x-ray, blood work and a histology report to find out what the masses were. My worst fears had come true. Yakota was diagnosed with Mammary Tubular Adenocarcinoma (Feline Breast Cancer) in October 2010. I couldn’t believe it-my cat had breast cancer. Fortunately, the cancer had not spread to her lungs and all of her blood work came back normal. After the first surgery, I was hopeful that would be the end of the surgeries and there wouldn’t be any more tumors. However, in February, I felt more masses and her doctor recommended a mastectomy of her entire left mammary chain to prevent the spread of the cancer. I cannot explain the emotions and fear that come with such a diagnosis. I was devastated. We scheduled the surgery and I began to research organizations to help Yakota. I thought that there has to be something out there that would help save my cat. I still don’t have a job and didn’t know how I was going to pay for her medical treatment. Everything seemed to be going wrong: my cat is sick, I am sick, I don’t have a job and I don’t know what I am going to do.

What a blessing it was to have found the Dog and Cat Cancer Fund online. Dr. Meiering assisted and helped me with the application process. Yakota was awarded the maximum grant of $900 which will pay for her two mastectomies and additional treatment. With the surgeries, Yakota will live at least 2 or 3 more years and her prognosis is excellent. She has a wonderful veterinarian, Dr. Jennifer Pue-Gilchrist, who has been treating Yakota since her diagnosis. So far, Yakota is doing very well. She is recovering from her first mastectomy and after her second mastectomy, we will explore the possibility of chemotherapy. She is now a breast cancer survivor and proudly wears a pink collar!! I would never give up on my cat. She has been with me my entire adult life, through good times and bad, and I promised her I would always take care of her. The Dog and Cat Cancer Fund has made this possible. At a time when it seemed as though my world was falling apart, the DCC Fund showed us a great kindness in the midst of suffering. I cannot express to you how grateful I am for the assistance you have provided Yakota. I treasure every day with her, every purr she makes and her blue eyes staring up at me as if to say “Thank you for taking care of me and not giving up on me.”

Yakota and I thank you so much for your generous donation and assistance. I am looking forward to updating the DCC Fund on her recovery and progress. Although I cannot express my heartfelt thanks to you enough, I found a quote by Leo Buscaglia that I think says it best, “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” Thank you for changing my cat’s life.

Sincerely yours,

Francesca Rubino and Yakota

Dear Donors,
I am writing this letter to express my tremendous gratitude for the grant of $900 that has been given to my cat, Spice to perform a mastectomy. Spice has been my cat for the past 8 years, whom I adopted from a co – worker. She is a cat full of personality and life, and has been very important part of my life in the time that I’ve had her.

The last few years have been full of tragedy and medical issues for me and through all of it, Spice has been a comforting companion and presence to me. An animal has an ability to comfort you without saying a word and I don’t know what I would have done without her during that time. She was able to comfort me in my time of need and I would like to do the same for her now that she needs medical help.

When I first learned of Spice’s cancer, I went home dejected, knowing that I would not be able to afford the treatment. I felt like I had failed her and would continue to fail her because I could not provide her with the medical treatment that she needed.

Upon being informed by the Dog and Cat Cancer Fund that Spice would be the recipient of this grant, my spirits have been lifted and I’m hopeful that Spice will recover. I’m sincerely grateful for the grant and the solace it has given me. I sincerely thank you for giving hope to me and other pet owners.

Sincerely Yours,

Jenny Ng

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! This is a tremendous help and major stress reliever. I was on the verge of having to come to terms with possibly stopping treatment all together because I was out of options. This is the greatest thing I could ask for, next to Celia being in remission. With this donation, I know that she will be able to get the treatment she deserves and keep her cancer in remission. Celia is the sweetest cat and I couldn’t imagine my life without her. She puts me to bed every night, wakes me up every morning, and takes many naps with me. She is very talkative and is not shy in telling me what she wants. Her favorite game to play is fetch with puff balls, the kind people use for crafting. She has even learned, by herself, that if she puts it in water and I throw it, it will go farther. I can not thank you enough. This donation means a lot to me. THANK YOU!

-Kim

Dear DCCFund,

I really thought it would be easy to write this thank-you note; but I found it difficult to put into words exactly how much we appreciate your help. We’ve had Smokey ever since he was little kitten. My children have spent their entire childhood playing with Smokey. He plays catch, fetch, and even comes when he’s called. We’ve watched him grow from a little puff ball of a kitten into a beautiful cat and we really don’t know what we’d do without him. We’d like to thank-you for caring and helping us to save Smokey.

To some people he’s just a cat but to us he’s family. Thank-you for helping us save our smallest family member.

Lisa & Family

Dear Chris:

I’m writing in hopes you will post this to all the generous people who give to the Dog and Cat Cancer Fund. Until two months ago, when I finally learned there was such a thing as a cat oncologist, I’ve had two sad years watching their worsening condition while my local vets floundered trying to figure out what was wrong. Deacon, my 7-year-old blue Sphynx, was by far the sickest, but Zuni, a 6-year-old red Sphynx, was developing all Deacon’s symptoms. What little care Deacon got was all I could afford. Dr. Kelly at Veterinary Cancer Care, here in Santa Fe, diagnosed both with Bowen’s disease, a form of skin cancer, as well as basil cell carcinoma, and hoped to perform cryosurgery. The cost was completely beyond my means. She did give me the URL for the Dog and Cat Cancer Fund, however!

From the moment I applied, you’ve kept in touch, making sure I knew my options and providing support and genuine concern – which, considering how many applications you must get, I found wonderfully comforting. I have just learned that the Fund will help support Zuni’s surgery (and is looking at Deacon’s situation). I had no idea, two months ago, that there was help out there for people like me who, just scraping by, had no way to pay for sophisticated veterinary care for beloved animals. I’m a divorced 59-year old without children, and my pets are genuinely my family. To wake up at three in the morning, sick with trying to figure out how to afford treatment, is something anyone who has been helped by the Fund knows all too well

We hope to get Zuni’s cryo surgery set up shortly and Dr. Kelly is confident we have caught it early enough that we may hope for a complete cure. After so much worry, I can only thank everyone involved for donating so that you can help a stranger (and a strange cat!) Zuni is a feisty little creature and she sends her “meow” of thanks as well.

Sincerely,

Suzanne Cross

Dear Mr. Meiering:

Thank you so much for all your assistance. It is fitting that the message arrived as families gather for Thanksgiving and you have given our family much to be grateful for this year.

Orion is cuddling on his own chair by my side as I type – he likes to be a “study buddy” as my children called him when they were in high school. This year for Thanksgiving, my children will remain at college in college (my daughter) and my son in graduate school for neuroscience in California. They wanted to be home but gave up coming home so I could apply the airfare towards Orion’s treatment. So, I will be alone but not alone as Orion is still with us. And with your funds, we can continue his treatments so that his “kids” can see him during the holidays.
He had become ill so very quickly and had lost 25% of his body weight and was so weak and barely eating. With the treatments that he has begun, he is gaining strength and playing again.

Orion came to us from a non-shelter adoption agency – his mother was found pregnant and had only the one kitten. The adoption agency said they had just the kitten when we called looking for a kitten for my son for Christmas. They had many kittens but this one seemed suited for a playful and energetic people-mate. My son hesitated because he didn’t want a black cat but we agreed to meet at a local vet. I could see the volunteer sitting through the glass door and I knew that instant the bundle of fur would be coming home with us. He is a curious and intelligent cat – he actually learned to open doors by reaching up on his hind legs to reach with his front paws, for example. But he is also very sweet and affectionate. When my son was in high school, Orion – strictly an indoor cat – knew the time and would run to look out the window right around 3 pm each school day (he didn’t understand club days, however), waiting until his playmate would come home.

Thank you so much for this assistance. During difficult financial times such as this, where I am struggling for basic needs, and with my children far away attending school, my life would be very lonely without my companion, Orion. Thank you, your organization and your donors so much.

The picture with my son was taken 2 years ago. The one where Orion found a soft spot in the towel drawer was just last week.
Constance Moylan