“Perfect to Me” – Evie’s Happy Tail

By Savannah Verdon, Development Manager –

Lexi was only 15 years old when she had to say goodbye to her best friend, her dog Shadow, who had spent a week in a veterinary hospital and seen multiple specialists before succumbing to an inoperable heart tumor. Months later, on her 16th birthday, her mom brought home a little kitten with a scarred eye from an upper respiratory infection. Lexi had seen her available for adoption online and felt that Evie needed her as much as she needed Evie.

“I didn’t care that she had a scarred eye and wouldn’t have those perfect, pretty cat’s eyes. She was perfect to me.”

Now 18 years old, Lexi had Evie as a study buddy as she finished high school in homeschooling and earned her license in cosmetology; the many brushes and hairclips she practiced with were pure catnip to Evie, always causing mischief as Lexi experimented with different hairstyles. Evie even had a best friend of her own – Batman, a lone kitten found in a dumpster that Lexi offered to care for and eventually adopted. They were inseparable.

While Evie was still young, less than two years old, she would sometimes scream in pain while she was eating. When Lexi checked, she saw redness on Evie’s gums, but hoped it was nothing more than juvenile gingivitis and that she would grow out of it. She tried several medications like steroids and allergy treatment to address it, but nothing seemed to work. Finally, Evie was diagnosed with stomatitis, and the veterinarian felt the best course of action would be a full mouth extraction for a happy, pain-free life. Without pulling all of her teeth, the chances of the stomatitis returning as she got older were high.

Lexi was working part-time at a salon and doing extra work on the side, and while she still lived on her mom’s property, she was responsible for all of her own bills. While she had been growing her savings with her income from the salon and would be able to pay a significant portion of the cost of Evie’s treatment, it wasn’t enough. And because she paid her bills independently, she couldn’t count on receiving help from her family. Lexi would need to find help for Evie on her own.

Thankfully, because of FurEver Friends and your recurring support, families like Lexi’s aren’t alone. Because of you, people and their pets have someone to count on when they need help the most. When Lexi applied for a RedRover Relief Urgent Care grant, we could approve her application right away, so Evie would get the treatment she needed and no longer be in pain. While she may be toothless (and while that may make her somehow even cuter than before), she is living the happy life with Lexi and Batman that she deserves.

“Thank you so much. Evie is doing really well and adjusting amazingly. She is loving all the wet food and attention. I appreciate everyone at RedRover for their help for my girl.”

We’re grateful for the many Happy Tails like Lexi and Evie’s that our FurEver Friends make possible each year. Every family needs a Friend like you. Thank you!