This Cat Enjoyed Meowing Nonstop, But When He Went Silent, His Family Knew Something Was Wrong
Saint George, Utah. Ryan and Addison absolutely adore their talkative boy, Kaleo.
Kaleo is a Tabby cat who Ryan and Addison believe has the soul of a dog inside him due to his affectionate and cuddly personality.
There is also a fun story behind the kitty’s name and how he became their family. He was given the name Kaleo, which means loud noise in Hawaiian, because of how loud and consistent he would “meow” every day.
“His loud singing, chirping, calls, and affectionate meows have reminded us he is always with us,” Addison stated. “Usually right behind us, and we wind up spinning to avoid stepping on him.”
In fact, Ryan and Addison are his second adopted family. Kaleo was returned to the shelter by his first adopter because of his loud voice. But now, he has found a family that appreciates who he is.
Kaleo was adopted along with his biological sister, Fiona. According to Addison, the two siblings are inseparable.
“Him (Kaleo) and Fiona will double team any trouble that walks up to our front door like a good pair of guard dogs,” she said.
This family of four has been through a lot of traveling between states. Ryan and Addison adopted the two kitties when they were still students in Idaho, Arizona, and Utah. Both Kaleo and Fiona have a child-like, fun, yet mischievous personalities.
GoFundMe; pictured above is Kaleo (at the back) with Fiona
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“(They) loved going on road trips with us to visit family in California. And always up for purposely irritating the family dog,” Addison said.
So when something stopped Kaleo from being happy and active, it is gradually broke Ryan and Addison’s hearts.
In January, Ryan and Addison noticed that Kaleo became abnormally quiet after a dental cleaning/surgery.
Shortly after the minor surgery, he also developed a severe head tilt and lost his balance and coordination.
Unfortunately, it took Kaleo several checkups to confirm that the fur baby had gotten a pituitary tumor.
What makes the situation more difficult for the couple is that there were no treatment options in Southern Utah, where the family currently lives.
“We’ve searched far and wide and been told again and again, ‘there’s nothing we can do for you,'” Addison stated.
But eventually, they found PetCure Oncology in Gilbert, Arizona and the hospital offered the only treatment, which is called the SRS Radiation treatment, for the type of tumor Kaleo has. However, the biggest obstacle has yet to come–the cost of the surgery.
Ryan and Addison were quoted $11,000 in total for Kaleo’s treatment, depending on some variables of the days of treatment. Due to this significant number, the couple humbly turned to the GoFundMe community to ask for some help.
The family arrived in Arizona on April 24, and Kaleo immediately started his radiation treatments from the 26th to the 29th.
According to the updates, the treatments ended well, and they were able to return home on the last day of April.
Addison said that Kaleo took “massive naps” after the treatments. But this strong little guy, who insists on acting “normal” when he is sick (such as attempting to fly across the couch when his food comes out), is on his recovery journey.
Please visit Addison’s page here if you’d like to follow up on Kaleo’s recovery.
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