Khloe (burn victim)'s sister, Sophia (adopted) can also be seen on our website.
Khloe (burn victim)'s companion, Jack Hatcher (adopted) can also be seen on our website.

Sponsors: Kitty Virnig for Satellite Beach Moose Lodge 2367, Rochelle Kirby, William Williams, Zora Brown, April Leavitt, Patrick McCallum

Description:

Khloe is an Angora mix gray tabby and white female and was born approx 7/1/2011 to a stray mom cat and brought into foster care. Her foster's house burned down on Labor Day, 9-5-11, and she was in Emergency Care. Until she has healed and is spayed, she is available for sponsorship only. Her sister Sophia was adopted with her companion (she was in a different foster home). Sadly, their brother, Scooter D, and their companion Katie Marie didn't survive the fire. If you wish to help with Khloe's vet expenses, please click the Sponsor this Pet link below her picture. 

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7/1/12 UPDATE: HAPPY BIRTHDAY KHLOE!  She is now one year old & we are so happy to be celebrating her first birthday.  She is now 9 pounds 12 ounces, & a true beauty inside & out!  She is the only cat in the house who gets along with every other cat in the house. She is a gentle spirit, & even the biggest bully is comfortable in her presence.  It's almost as though they are paying her the respect she deserves.

Khloe saw the eye surgeon in late March, & had surgery in April to improve her ability to close her eyes.  Unfortunately, the surgery did not accomplish everything we wanted.  There have been slight improvements to her right eye, but still, neither eye is able to close entirely.  It was hoped that the taut scar tissue on her face & head could be relaxed from pulling the lids outward. This is causing the tender inner membranes, which are normally protected, to be exposed to the air.  It has been a constant irritation for Khloe, & without the ability to close her eyes entirely, could cause eye problems in the future.

The only possible solution would be for Khloe to grow her own tissue & through a series of surgeries (maybe 4 or 5), try to bring the eyelids back to normal.  Of course, the expense would be in the thousands for surgeries that may or may not solve the problem.  We feel she has been through enough, & we've opted not to subject her to any further interventions.  Possibly, the only thing she truly hates in life is wearing that e-collar!  She is in a happy place, very content & has learned to tolerate her condition well.  She will need eye treatments once or twice a day to keep the eyes & eyelids lubricated & there may be occasional checks with the eye doc to monitor her condition.

Khloe is still phenomenal!  She continues to love life, spends her days watching birds & lizards at the window, or cuddling on the couch with her foster mom.  She has not the slightest fear of strangers, greets them at the door, rolls around the floor when they talk to her, never gets ruffled over vacuums, thunder & lightning, or fireworks, & comes running from anywhere in the house when she hears her name called. She is truly the perfect little kitty cat!

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The PAWS Vet bills are, as of 11/15/11, over $6,000 on Khloe. She had an Emergency Vet bill because she had to be placed into an oxygen chamber for several days due to smoke inhalation from being in the room the fire started in, and was completely shaved due to being singed and burned. She saw the ophthalmologist, and has treatable damage to her eyes, but still has more follow up visits. She also had additional bills with a board certified surgeon to repair a diaphragmatic hernia found on a chest x-ray and with a local vet for pain management and medications.  She will probably need a visit to a dermatologist to check her eye skin areas, and will possibly need surgery on her eyelids.

Khloe is getting stronger every day. She started purring a little Friday evening (9/9). She has gone to one of our bottle baby specialists, and has a long road to recovery, and it's a massive undertaking. She is on three different eye meds every 6 hours with one of the meds ideally every 4 hours, to keep her eyes lubricated, since her eyelids are so swollen that she cannot blink. Every 6-8 hours Khloe needs debridement of the burn tissue with a sterile solution, which then has to dry, then an application of a prescription antibacterial ointment with sterile gloves to prevent infection. Every 8 hours Khloe needs high dose pain medication, and every 12 hours antibiotics given orally. In addition to this, the new foster has to watch her temperature and respiratory count. She is on a heating pad with blankets to keep her warm, since most of her skin is burned and her long hair was shaved. Her new foster also rented an oxygen concentrator which takes air from the room and concentrates it to be able to administrate oxygen to Khloe should she start to have respiratory problems.

WARNING: Graphic Photos of Khloe healing

9/16/11 UPDATE: Khloe had her eyes flushed by the ophthalmologist and is down to only one eye medication every 4-6 hours to keep her eyes lubricated, since her eyelids are so scabbed that she cannot blink. Her eye ulcerations are all healed. She has new skin growing in on her face to replace some of the burned tissue and her whiskers are beginning to grow back in. She eats all on her own after her e-collar is removed, and is down to being washed only once a day.

9/20/11 UPDATE: A lot of the scabs on her face and legs are now gone, and the healing healthy tissue is not as bright pink anymore - it's mellowing closer to a normal skin color every day. Khloe's front paw pads are having a hard time healing, as she needs her feet to move around. She was finally let on the floor to investigate toys, since she was showing an interest in seeing what was there and what was going on. While she didn't play with anything, she did make sure to check everything out.

9/28/11 UPDATE: During Khloe's post burn treatments, it was discovered that she had a diaphragmatic hernia with her liver pushed partially up through the hole into her lung cavity. Khloe was seen by Dr. Lawrence, a board certified surgeon, for a consultation to repair the diaphragmatic hernia. Surgery will be performed tomorrow, 9/29, as Khloe is getting weaker, with her breathing becoming labored, and heart rate incredibly high. This is because the hole in her diaphragm is letting the liver press against her heart causing her heart to work harder.

9/29/11 UPDATE: Khloe's surgery went well. Almost her entire liver and gall bladder were through the hole in her diaphragm and pressing against her heart, so it's good we got her in ASAP. She was spayed, had her ears trimmed to remove the dead burn tissue, and had a more extensive debridement while she was under anesthesia as well.

9/30/11 UPDATE: Khloe's up and playing with her litter. She seems to be much better today, with her respiration much lower than it was pre surgery. She's such a trooper.

10/1/11 UPDATE: Khloe was released to go home today and is resting. Her surgery Thursday cost $3,000. She has a 4 inch incision from surgery, but her current foster mom is a former nurse, so she has the best possible post surgery care she can get.

10/7/11 UPDATE: Khloe made her first attempt to scratch at her scratcher and to jump on the couch. These are good signs that she's starting to feel a bit better.

10/8/11 UPDATE: Khloe's stitches came out today. She is up to 3 lbs now, which means she's gained about a pound since she was burned.

10/11/11 UPDATE: Around Khloe's eyes is still swollen due to the skin trying to heal. The ophthalmologist is unsure if she'll be able to blink on her own --- her eyelids need to finish healing, and the swelling needs to resolve before he'll know for sure. Her lower eyelids are pulled outward right now due to the constricting tissue. There is a surgery that can release the skin so the lids fall back normally, if once she is all healed, she still has problems.

10/12/11 UPDATE: From the Foster: New videos of Khloe are a marked improvement over the first ones, as they show Khloe finally being a happy little kitten again. I'm so glad we gave her that opportunity, & I love watching her enjoy life! She runs a little "funny", because her feet are still tender & she may have some restricted movement due to contractures from scar tissue. But I'm glad to see her running at all! And the E-collar seriously inhibits her ability to maneuver, but she just about has that mastered, too. She'll have to keep that collar until the tissue around her eyes is healed. But she's a tough little fighter, well on her way to being a happy, well adjusted kitty cat. You can see all of her videos on her youtube channel at http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL70A0464C671B0F4E.

10/24/11 UPDATE: The fur on Khloe's face and ears is growing back in nicely. The only place it hasn't started growing in yet is around her eyes, which are still scabbed. Until the area around her eyes is healed, she has to wear her e-collar so she can't rub or scratch it, but she certainly doesn't let it slow her down. She runs and jumps and plays. She's having fun being a kitten.

10/30/11 UPDATE: Despite everything Khloe has been through, she greets everyone at the door, is excited when people come to visit her, and loves affection. She is such a sweet kitten.

11/08/11 UPDATE: Three of Khloe's feet are all healed now. She's still on eye meds. She got a new bigger e-collar as she's now up to 4 lbs and the old one wasn't enough to keep her from rubbing her eyes. Her fur is coming in very nicely. Her latest ophthalmology visit still wasn't able to determine if she'll need surgery on her eyelids, as they have not healed enough yet to tell.

11/17/11 UPDATE: The bandage on Khloe's back right leg is because she had one area on her leg that wasn't healing properly from the burns. The vet had to pull the scab off manually and the area underneath was infected and is being debrided and treated daily.

11/26/11 UPDATE: Khloe’s leg is still being treated for infection and re-bandaged daily.  She is up to 5 lbs now.   

12/22/11 UPDATE: Khloe's leg is looking great, & we expect it to be totally healed within the next week or two. Her eyelids are still a problem, & it is unknown if she will eventually need surgery to be able to close her eyes entirely.  In spite of what she's been through, she is remarkably well adjusted.  She now weighs 6 pounds 3 ounces, & is a happy, energetic, affectionate little kitty.  We are thrilled to see her enjoying life!

3/24/12 UPDATE: At nearly 9 months of age, Khloe weighs in at 8 pounds, 12 ounces.  Our little baby is not really a baby anymore!  Her coat has matured beautifully, & hides every evidence of scar tissue from her burns.  No one would ever guess the tragic events of her first 9 months.  The infection on her leg was cultured & determined to be MRSA.  With excellent vet care, the proper antibiotic, & frequent dressing changes, we are thrilled to say that her leg is completely healed! Amazingly, no scars!  And a nice thick layer of leg hair has caught up with the rest of her body.  Unfortunately, her eyelids are still a stubborn aftermath of her burns.  They are still thick, red & swollen, & her eyes tear up quite a bit.  We have been at a loss for finding a solution.  She will be seeing the eye doctor again this week, & it is still unknown if she will need surgery to correct the problem.  As always, we greatly appreciate the tremendous support & interest in Khloe's progress.  She has been a remarkable little kitty, but we could never have come this far with out your help!

Please contact Karen at paws50@bellsouth.net for more information!