Greater than 3 minutes, my friend!
Help me save Mindy
UPDATE: Mindy is back home! Huge thank you to all the people who helped us and donated. You’re a real lifesavers and we’re forever in your debt. We still need to be very cautious, since Mindy had a major surgery which involved removal of 5 cm of small intestines and installing a feeding tube, but we hope everything will be ok and there won’t be any complications. One again: huge thank you to everyone who has helped us!
Dear friends and colleagues,
I’m absolutely heart-broken and devastated that I have to write something like this on The Open Mic but I’m afraid I have no other place to go.
You’re my family and I really need your help.
My cat Mindy (on the picture above) swallowed a lot of sewing thread (a whole reel).
It happened 4 days ago while she was staying with our friends while my wife and I were on vacation.
After that she lost her appetite, became very lethargic and stopped taking any kind food or water.
We were lucky to determine the cause of her illness very quickly. The vet found the sewing thread wrapped around the root of her tongue.
Unfortunately she ate a lot of it and there’s a very high chance she’ll need an exploratory surgery 🙁
My wife and I are absolutely devastated.
We never thought something like this could happen nor knew how deadly those things can be for a cat.
Right now Mindy has been hospitalized for a day.
Doctors will do everything they can to help her pass it naturally and we’re hoping for the best, but we need to get ready for the worst (surgery).
The reason I’m writing all of that here is because we simply cannot afford it.
The cost of veterinary services is extremely high in Canada and we never been those people who save money for a rainy day (we’re also have 14k of credit card debt).
I hate to do this here, but I have no other choice.
Mindy is my family, she is lovely pet and she needs your help.
We already spend 900 dollars on vet visits, treatments, x-ray, etc.
Based on her current condition and if we’ll need surgery tomorrow we’ll have to pay another 2,000 CAD.
I’m afraid we don’t have that kind of money and I’m kindly asking for your help.
Once again, I apologize that I had to use The Open Mic like this, but I have nowhere else to go. We don’t have that many friends who could lend us money and this is the only thing I could think of at the moment.
We just under so much stress that I can barely sleep, eat or work myself.
My wife has been crying all evening.
We’d really appreciate any kind of donations to help us fight through this nightmare.
Below is the form that you can use to send donations to my PayPal account.
Thank you so much for your kindness, you can’t imagine how much it means to us and we hope we will ever be able to repay you.
[give_form id=”10373″]Feel free to choose any amount you like.
You can also choose a custom amount if you want to donate a specific sum.
Payments will be made via PayPal directly.
I hope that we’ll be able to raise the required amount of money to help us cover the costs Mindy’s treatment.
I set a goal of $2,000 because this is how much money we’ll need for surgical treatment and the recovery (plus the cost of extra x-rays or ultrasounds, if any).
Once again I’m sorry I had to do this, but you’re our only hope.
Thank you so much for all your kind words and your help.
I would also appreciate if if you spread the word on social media, in Facebook groups or on forums, I would’ve done this myself but I’m absolutely exhausted.
I apologize if I won’t be able to reply to all of your messages.
Thank you so much for all your help and support.
I will never forget this.
~ Dmitry
The Open Mic Team 
Dmitry, I’m so sorry to hear what happened, but I’m glad we’re able to help you and Mindy.
My mother’s cat has swallow thread three times… he ended up having three surgeries! The experience is horrible, but most cats recover pretty quickly. I hope everything goes smoothly so you can have your CAT tool up and running again in no time 🙂
Thank you so much, Vanesa! Yes, we’re worried sick, I’ve spent good 3 days on forums and it seems like it’s very common and a very dangerous problem. I’m sure she’ll bounce back, she’s a strong kitty!
Thank you so much for your help!
Thank you so much, Vanesa! I saw a video of a surgery today and how they search for a foreign body. It’s absolutely brutal. I’m praying Mindy will get better soon! Thank you so much for all you help and support!
Dmitry, it’s entirely fitting that you turned to the Open Mic community for this request. You have been supporting the entire Open Mic project BY YOURSELF with your own money ever since last year! The least we can do is pitch in to help Mindy when she needs it. What goes around comes around…
Thank you, Catherine! I really didn’t want to do this, but simply had no other choice. It will be a valuable lesson for us! I think we’ll get a pet insurance after that to never allow something like this to happen ever again. Thank you for your support and all your kind words!
Pet insurance can help in the short term if we’re hit with a bit vet bill, but my impression is that, over the long run, the coverage ends up quite expensive, sometimes equal to the total bills the pet would have incurred without it (sometimes more, sometimes less). But that’s the nature of insurance for hedging risk.
It’s hard in today’s economy, especially for us freelancers, to save for a rainy day. You must not apologize for allowing the Open Mic community to rally to Mindy’s cause! That’s what the emerging “sharing economy” is all about. Thank you for allowing us to show our thanks to you for making our community exist!
Poor kitty. Hope your Mindy gets well soon. I have made my contribution in the hopes that she can stay with you many more years. You deserve it. Take care.
Thank you so much, Patricia! She’s such a great companion and I’m sure she’ll get better. I’m confident that our vet will make sure she gets the best treatment possible. Thank you for your support!
Sorry to hear this Dimitry. Pets some times can be an important part of a family, especially with kids, but not exclusively for them. Have you posted this in LinkedIn? I don’t have funds in PayPal or Moneybookers and my wallet is kind of slim, but I’ll see if I can promote this issue among translators.
Thank you, Richard! It’s OK if you don’t have anything, even by spreading the word you can help. I’ll post on LinkedIn soon. I also shared it on Facebook in TOM page and on my personal pages.
I’m so sorry to hear about what happened to Mindy, Dmitry! I have a cat too and know well how precious pets are for us. You did well, reaching out to friends and colleagues. I’ll be here thinking of her and wishing her a full and quick recovery.
Thank you so much, Ana and thank you for all your kind words. Mindy is our family and I’m doing anything I can to make sure she get the treatment she deserves.
Dmitry, that’s a terrible situation! I know how it feels like when your lovely pet (which is actually more than just a pet) is ill. A year ago my wife found our second cat Stitch in the street. He was too tiny to get along without a mother. For some reason, he had a severe diarrhea and only veterinarian could save his life. We visited veterinary clinic twice a day during the week to receive treatment and he survived 🙂
I hope that Mindy will recover soon and, of course, I will be glad to help.
Thank you, Simon. Happy to hear all went well for Stich! Let’s hope Mindy recovers soon. Thank you for your help!
Dear Dimitry, It is perfectly OK to ask for support during times of emergency like this one, it is our responsibility to help you. I am sure everything will preceed smoothly and be fine.
Have you tried crowdfunding? I saw many times how this system enabled people to gather the necessary amount of money for their needs and projects.
I think you can find many websites for this. Personally I used ulule.com (I think it targets the European audience) and all the projects I supported have reached the amount of money they targeted.
I would say give it a try.
I will spread the word myself as well.
Good luck and best regards,
Thank you for spreading the word Engin. I decided to reach out to the community as this was the most logical step for me and I have nowhere else to go. Thank you for all your help and support!
I am very sorry to hear this Dmitry. Pets are indeed also members of our families. I really hope she recovers soon. Is there another way to donate apart from Paypal? I will be also spreading this on my networks.
Thank you, Maria. I thought PayPal would be the easiest option, since many of us use it. Unfortunately I’m not sure if I have time to research other payment options since it’s very time-consuming. Lucky for us we have so many amazing people in the community and already raised half of the amount needed!
Thank you Dmtry, I completely understand and will try to see if I can make it work with PayPal. Please, keep us informed about Mindy. I hope she gets well soon.
Maria, did you know that Paypal nowadays makes it possible for us to use a credit card rather than a bank account? In fact, you can even do so through the Paypal system even if you’re not registered with it. That said, I know some countries make it difficult or impossible to use that way.
Hi, Catherine! It was just that I was having some problems with my Paypal account, some administrative thing… It should be fixed in the coming days…hopefully… but I just wanted to see if I could contribute some other way in the meanwhile. Thank you very much for the tip nonetheless.
Hi Dmitry, happy to help! I have cats myself and one of them especially tends to get himself into trouble so I know exactly how it goes with expensive vet bills. Best wishes for your silly kitty and for a good outcome!
Thank you, Marie! Yes, pets a like kids, you need to keep an eye of them all the time and they never learn! Let’s hope all goes well and Mindy recovers soon. They say cats have 9 lives after all.
Done! I am so sorry, Dmitry. I have two cats myself, and one of them has feline AIDS (long treatments, etc.). I know how you feel. Do not worry, I am sure everything is gonna be all right. Best wishes for Mindy.
I’m so sorry to hear about your cat, Mercedes and imagine how stressful it can be. Thank you so much for all your love and support! This means the world to me!
Dmitry!
As soon as Mindy is back in shape – which we all hope for – you should make her the OM mascot and create a special profile for her!
(Of course I donated.)
Thank you for your generous donation, Patrick! Well, she already a mascot of sorts, for example you can find her in our support forum: link to theopenmic.ticksy.com 🙂
Le’t hope for a speedy recovery!
Done. Get well soon, Mindy, and hang in there Dmitry. (and yes, mascot, please, with a hat)
Thank you so much, Tracy!
I wish you good luck and hope Mindy recovers soon. I have 5 cats at home and they also mean everything to me. I just could make a small contribution, but maybe the total sum, paid by all of us, can help you pay the vet´s bill.
Every little bit helps, Sarah! Thank you so much for your help!
My cat Gato and me are wishing all goes well with Mindy. Keep us posted.
Thank you so much, Cassia! I still haven’t heard back from our vet. Mindy is supposed to have an ultrasound and then she’ll probably need a surgery depending on the results. Fingers crossed that everything will be ok. Thank you for your kind words and all your support!
Dimitri, I know what you’re going through. One of my two tabbies was recently diagnosed with IBD, a chronic (but fortunately treatable) condition. It’s been an exhausting month, complete with diagnostic surgery and very expensive vet bills, but our kitty seems to be responding well to his treatment.
In short: I feel your pain. I hope our joint effort brings Mindy the treatment that she needs. In the meantime, I wish your beatiful kitty a swift recovery. Sending lots of feline and human love to your family!
Thank you so much, Carol! I’m so sorry to hear about your kitty, I hope he’ll successfully recover from this illness. Thank you for your kind words and for your support.
Done! I hope she’ll get better soon. I totally feel your pain. I have 2 cats too, one that I bottle-fed since he was 2 weeks old. He’s kind of a warrior and one day he decided to fight the big cats and earn his spot in the neighborhood. Instead, he earned a big infection, a torn ear, a night at the vet clinic, stitches and a bad hair cut (I didn’t miss the opportunity to take pictures!). The other one thought it was the safest option to jump from the 1st floor (2nd floor if you are in the U.S.) than push open the already opened door. She was trying to run away from the scary spray! Those kids never learn –‘
Lots of love to Mindy and your family
Thank you so much for your help, Aurélie ! Yes, they never learn and it’s our duty to keep them safe from trouble. Thank you for your support!
Done. Dmitry, it’s ok to ask for help, and it’s very good that you asked the Open Mic community to donate money to save your cat. You do so much for this community, so it’s time to give you back)
Hope Mindy gets better soon!
My thoughts go to your family!
Thank you so much, Olga! I’m still torn apart inside that I have to use The Open Mic this way and basically violated site rules that I myself have established, but I simply had no other choice. Thank you so much for your help and your kind words!
Done, hope little Mindy gets better soon. My old Tom, 16 years old was poisoned a few years ago, the vet did a great job and saved him, let’s be confident, she loves you and will fight. Lots of love from Tom and my little doggies to Mindy and bon courage Dmitry.
Thank you so much, Jean! I’m so happy to hear that all ended well for Tom and that you had a good vet on your side. Thank you so much for your help and your support, it really means a lot!
Hi Dmitry! Done! I hope she will recover soon and everything will be purrfect 🙂
Keep us posted!
Thank you so much, Alexander!
Hi Dmitry, I am very sorry to hear about what happened but the OM family will help you and Mindy will be back on her paws soon soon! I’m sorry I couldn’t donate more, my financial situation is disastrous at the moment, but I did what I could and I truly hope it helps reaching your goal. In the meantime I’ll also spread the message! Good luck, my cat Stevie Nicks and I send you guys our best wishes!
Thank you, Giulia! Mindy is a strong kitty and we hope universe will be on our side! Thank you so much for your help!
Hi Dmitry, I hope by now Mindy is well. I perfectly understand your concern – my boyfriend and I went through something similar last year, when our cat was seriously injured in a fight with the local bully. We were lucky that he was insured, that saved us a lot of money. Hopefully my contribution will be of help. Fingers crossed!
Thank you, Diana! We’re definitely getting an insurance after Mindy recovers. Can’t imagine having to go through something like this again.
Hi Dmitry, hope the vets are able to help Mindy and she makes a full and speedy recovery! My four furry hooligans send their best wishes and just chipped in a small amount out of their treats money. 🙂
Thank you so much, Tom! We’re praying and hoping she’ll get better after the surgery. It was a very difficult and complicated surgery and the vets are still fighting for her life. But we hope everything will be ok. Cats have 9 lives after all!
Done, Dmitry! I really do hope she will recover soon and be back home with your wife and you. I am so sorry I could not donate a bit more, but as I can see, you have nearly reached your target.
I cannot even imagine what you are feeling right now, but my two kitties, Kira and Leo, and I are sending you a huge hug!
Thank you so much, Laurence! We survived the surgery, but it’s still hard to tell what happens next. Mindy is still very weak after a 3 hour long surgery. We’re praying and hoping for the best. Thank you for you kind support!
Hi Dmitry, I was not able to donate much, but I am wishing the best for your family and your cat. #PeaceandBlessings
Thank you so much, Gerald!
Any updates on Mindy? Is she OK?
Hi Karen!
Thank you so much for checking on us! I posted a few updates on Facebook, right now Mindy is at home and slowly recovering: link to facebook.com