Social media and “stinky” cuteness saved the Citrus kitten.
And of course, a few hundred people who contributed more than $7,000 also played a big role.
Rescued by the Pet Refuge in North Kingstown and initially thought to be doomed by a heart condition, Citrus, all 2 and a half pounds, recovered after two heart surgeries.
“She’s doing really well,” said Chrissy Deblois, who is raising Citrus with her husband, Bob, and decided to adopt her. “She’s a playful, happy, fun-loving kitten.”
Citrus was taken to No-Kill Cat Rescue in July, having been discovered outside with her siblings and no mother was found. Deblois believes that Citrus’s mother may have been killed; It’s possible her mother was wild.
When it came time to neuter Citrus, a veterinarian discovered his heart murmur. Pet Refuge asked about fixing her heart, but was initially told there was no hope, that she should be placed in hospice-type palliative care, Deblois said.
More:Perfect ending: No-kill cat shelter Pet Refuge in North Kingstown ‘will continue trucking’
Pet Refuge was not willing to give up on Citrus and finally connected with Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, who said they could save Citrus with an operation. The problem was that the medical procedure would cost around $7,000, and Pet Refuge, which relies entirely on donations, had no money.
To raise funds, Pet Refuge relied on social media and its large group of animal-loving supporters.
How Pet Refuge started raising $7,000
Deblois, from West Greenwich, discovered Pet Refuge three years ago when she adopted her cat Bonita. She was impressed with the organization and decided to get involved. She has been a board member for almost two years and manages the shelter’s social media.
When she took over the social media accounts two years ago, Deblois decided to tell more stories about the shelter’s cats, sharing their stories, talking about their personalities and featuring them in photos and videos.
“I know how important it is to be a voice for animals,” said Deblois.
The strategy worked. Facebook followers jumped from 5,000 to 6,700. Cat adoptions have increased from about 160 to 230 per year.
A strong social media strategy was instrumental in saving Citrus and hundreds of people like her
Followers found Citrus’s story especially moving — readers told Deblois that some posts made them cry — and supporters began donating to her operation.
“It didn’t hurt that she was so cute,” Deblois said.
More:North Kingstown shelter says it may have to close due to financial issues, displacing more than 100 cats
Deblois wasn’t surprised that the shelter was able to raise the money, but she was surprised by how quickly the goal was reached. “I knew we had a huge base of people who love cats,” she said.
Citrus, who had a hole in his heart, underwent two heart operations over three days at the end of March. Tufts veterinarians clamped the damaged left side of the heart, transferring all of the organ’s work to the right side, according to Deblois.
Citrus got good marks in a recent check-up, and the vets have reduced two of her three medications, something that should make Deblois’ life easier, as Citrus isn’t always good at taking her meds and has learned to wait until they’re combined. . a threat.
Because Citrus was getting so much attention on the Pet Refuge Facebook page, Deblois worried that she was taking the spotlight away from the other cats and created a separate page for herself called Citrus Gives Back.
It shows a video of Citrus when she returned from the hospital, after two operations and six days in the ICU, with most of her abdomen shaved. It also shows more recent videos of her sleeping, eating, snuggling and playing with her bigger feline siblings, Bonita and Hallow.
Written as if Citrus was the author, an April 24 post updated readers on his condition and thanked the Tufts staff for their care, especially veterinarians Emily Karlin and John Rush.
“I am forever grateful to the Tufts medical team,” the post reads, “and also to each and every one of you who donated or sent prayers and words of support – you have no idea what this means to me/us.”
