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Update (10/31/2016):
Our brave little Minerva triumphed from the stem cell treatment last Thursday and is now doing well and receiving intense rehabilitation!
She is a very lean cat and the good doctors at Viking Veterinary Care were initially worried if they were able to harvest enough adipose (fat) tissue for the treatment. However, not only did they get enough to use during the treatment, they were also able to send a portion of the harvested stem cells for banking! The yield of stem cells is incredible: 319 million cells! This is definitely within the range for expected yield. On top of that, the viability (which measures how well the cells survived transport to the lab) is 99.6%!
During the treatment on Thursday, Dr.Brock administered a portion of the stem cells by epidural, a portion of the stem cells directly next to the affected area of her spine (paravertebral injections)and the remainder intravenously. Starting from today, Minerva will go through series of intense rehabilitation to help her harness the potentially regained mobility.
We have had so much help and support from everyone along the way! The doctors, vet techs, and staff at Viking Veterinary Care spent much of their time and effort and still offered significant discount on Minerva's medical fee; Dr.Brock donated her pro-bono work; even the medical company Medivet which introduced the stem cell treatment waived the cost of banking the extra stem cells. Not to mention Core Paws that continuously offers their support and even fundraised for Minerva through their platform. We are truly indebted to all of you and honored to be part of this mission to help the amazing kitty win a chance in life.
Minerva McGonagall's story started when she was about four weeks old, weighing less than a pound, abandoned and badly hurt. Two nice young men found her and brought her into Willamette Veterinary Hospital (Corvallis, OR). The vets quickly found that she suffered from injuries caused by human cruelty that prevented her from using her back legs. Little
Minerva then spent months in the hospital. Through tireless efforts and loving care, she gradually regained partial movement in her back legs and some control of her bladder.
Despite the physical challenge Minerva is a healthy, happy, and loving kitten. However, the
hospital lacked the expertise and experience in finding and screening potential adopters, especially for a special needs kitten. They started asking around and reached out through Core Paws (website for harder to place animals) and other pet adoption networks for assistance. Within a week, Minerva was accepted into Cat's Cradle Rescue (Hillsboro, OR), who helps special needs kitties, and a kitty foster mom took Minerva under her wing.
Jan, Minerva's loving foster mom, is dedicated to helping Minerva become as mobile as she can be. She takes Minerva twice a week to rehabilitation sessions with Dr Brock at
Viking Veterinary Care (Beaverton, OR), a vet partner with Cat's Cradle. An MRI confirmed she had a spinal fracture which prevents her from walking. With Laser treatments and physical therapy Minerva has gained strength and developed her leg muscles enough where she tries to do, and usually succeeds, at almost everything the four cats she lives with do, including climbing a 5 ft scratching post. All the Veterinarians and staff who have helped Minerva along the way have fallen in love with her, and her strong spirit and determination; she is an inspiration to watch.
Our goal as of now (9/18/2016) is to raise an additional $2000 for stem-cell therapy for Minerva. Stem cells are taken from the animals own fat tissue then used to develop the stem-cell treatment. Autologous stem cell therapy in the field of regenerative veterinary medicine first became available in 2003. It has been so successful a human trial is now being conducted. The treatment would give Minerva more mobility (possibly walk), in addition to giving her control over her bladder. This would give her an excellent chance for finding a forever home. Minerva is an extraordinary kitty who deserves a loving home and we are doing everything we can to help her with that goal. Will you be part of this chain of kindness and help us with our funding goal leading to a forever home for Minerva?
Cat's Cradle Rescue
About the Organization
PO Box 8
Hillsboro, Oregon 97123
UNITED STATES
EIN: 45-5572893