05/28/2026
Oreo....
No, not the cookie. 🍪
Although this Oreo is equally sweet, significantly fluffier, and considerably more expensive.
For those who have followed us for a while, you already know Oreo. This lovable lap cat has been with us for almost TWO YEARS this August.
Why? This love bug wants absolutely nothing more than to glue himself directly onto his human and become one with the couch cushions.
Unfortunately, Oreo also seems to collect medical conditions like some people collect Pokémon cards.
And as everyone knows, we do not adopt out sick kitties.
We joke that he invents new ailments for attention.
Okay... we know that is not actually true. But at this point, even Oreo's veterinarians probably brace themselves when they see his name on the schedule. 😅
Oreo originally came to us from a little old lady who loved him dearly, but could no longer give him his medication because severe arthritis made pilling impossible.
At the time, Oreo had hyperthyroidism and needed daily medication.
Since he was still fairly young, we pursued additional testing and discovered he was a candidate for radioactive iodine treatment, which is considered the gold standard for feline hyperthyroidism.
Basically: one radioactive iodine injection, no more daily pills, and a much better long-term prognosis. It can even extend lifespan because many cats eventually become resistant to the regular thyroid medication.
We wanted Oreo to have the best chance possible at a long life.
So he got the treatment.
There is approximately a 2% chance that the treatment overcorrects and leaves the cat hypothyroid instead.
Guess who strutted directly into that 2% category like he had won the lottery? 🙃
And somehow, we seem to collect these “rare” cases around here. We are beginning to suspect veterinary statistics were written specifically to challenge us.
Remember Black? Our medical miracle cat who should be featured in scientific journals for healing injuries that doctors said would be impossible to heal?
Yeah. Still got him.
Yeah. Also hypothyroid.
So now Oreo requires specialty thyroid medication instead. Naturally, the first medication option caused problems because his body apparently read the ingredient list and said:
"Absolutely not."
At first, the vet thought he was reacting to the red dye coating the pills.
Turns out Oreo is apparently offended by synthetic ingredients in general. So now he takes a dog medication with no synthetic fillers whatsoever because, naturally, that is the ONLY thing his body tolerates.
Meanwhile, once we finally got his thyroid regulated enough for anesthesia, Oreo had his long-awaited dental done. 🎉
Then his kidneys decided they also wanted to participate in the chaos.
Even though his kidney values were normal at the time of radiation treatment, about a year later they started showing signs of decline. So now he is on prescription kidney food.
Which Oreo would like everyone to know is deeply insulting to his refined palate.
Apparently bland renal diets are beneath him.
Then came the overgrooming and chewing.
At first we discovered he had a flea allergy. He is an indoor cat. His roommate is an indoor cat. But apparently one flea hitchhiked into the house on a human pant leg and declared war.
The house was treated.
Oreo was treated.
The fleas were gone.
But Oreo kept chewing.
More allergy testing followed through VARL, which revealed he is allergic to half the outdoors, including dandelions. 🌼
Dandelions, Oreo. Really?
Oh, and allergic to humans. Yup.
So now we have ordered custom allergy serum to hopefully help desensitize him over time.
And just when we thought we had reached the season finale...
Oreo started coughing.
Because apparently his medical chart was not thick enough yet.
He has now officially joined the asthma club, likely related to all of his allergies. Prednisolone has helped tremendously, but since long-term steroid use is not ideal, Oreo is now about to be learning how to use an AeroKat chamber and inhaler.
Please picture us attempting to convince a cat to calmly inhale medicine through a tiny mask.
It is going exactly how you think it is. 😹
Despite all of this, Oreo remains a lap loving, lazy, demanding kitty who just wants to continue the life of riley.
He just happens to come with a very impressive pharmacy collection.
Between: 🐾 specialty thyroid medication
🐾 inhalers and asthma treatment
🐾 prednisolone
🐾 prescription kidney food
🐾 allergy treatments
🐾 ongoing veterinary visits
..our adorable little medical marvel has become quite expensive.
Would you consider sponsoring Oreo?
Even just $5, either once or monthly, helps us continue providing the medical care he needs so he can keep living his best happy, snuggly, lap-cat life with his forever foster family. ❤️
Our donation site accepts credit cards, PayPal, and Venmo, and donations are tax-deductible:
https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=8KVXDG6JF8ZPA
Want to help but need to hang onto your cash right now?
Do you have unused kidney or renal food your cat refused to eat because apparently all cats attend the same culinary academy? We would gladly take it off your hands! Please reach out to coordinate pickup or delivery.
📧 [email protected]
📞 978-222-3170
Or maybe you can donate your time! We are always looking for fellow cat lovers to join our network of fosters, feeders, transporters, and volunteers.
Our volunteer form only takes about a minute:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSedttCeK1gPEzO-qE7I-mv3eNN2AlQz2l0H_dnSEn01nK_Krw/viewform
Thank you for following Oreo's journey and supporting cats like him. Because of your kindness, Oreo continues to get the chance to live the long, safe, loved life he deserves.
And honestly, at this point, we are all just supporting his dream of becoming the world's most medically complicated lap cat. ❤️🐾
