Benito showed up in my life as a stray kitten in July of last year. He came at a time when my 14-year-old Yorkie, Max, was declining in health. He kept us company and brought a little light to a difficult time. I fed him and kept him indoors when it rained. When Max passed away in October, Benito came every day but didn't come into the house anymore. He knew that Max was gone.

Just after Christmas, he was missing for 3 days until I found him under my car with a desperate look. I could tell he wasn’t well and tried to coax him out. I discovered a bad bite on his hind leg. His paw was severely swollen, he could barely walk, and he had a fever. The next morning, I took him to the emergency vet on New Year's Day and they did all the tests, bandaged him up, and put him on antibiotics. I set him up in my living room, got him a litter box, and organized his medications. He adjusted quickly but was not healing. The infection spread rapidly and the wound destroyed his leg. Today I was told he can only survive with an amputation.

Although he stole my heart from the start, I was afraid to commit to caring for an animal again after losing my baby angel Max. And of course I had financial concerns. I already spent beyond my means to get him stable and the surgery is racking up even more vet debt. Facing this decision wasn’t easy, but I’ve chosen a future with Benito in it because he can have a good life and I’d rather choose a path with heart. ♥️