Emergency Vet Surgery for Cupcake

Typically we aren't the type of people that like to ask for help or look for handouts.  We were presented with some very bad news for our cat today, and the financial costs are beyond what we can handle with graduate school and a child that take precedence.

We adopted Cupcake from the Brandywine ASPCA four years ago.  She came with a history of possible abuse and had been returned four times to the shelter after being adopted.  At first, she was very antisocial and did not like attention.  After many years of patience, she has become more friendly and has come to like pets & attention.  Today we took her to the vet for a possible UTI and received bad news.  She has bladder stones which need immediate surgery.  However, the vet also noticed labored breathing, and did a chest x-ray that presented even worse news.  Apparently, the abuse she sustained (possibly by being kicked or physically abused) caused her inner organs to shift and press up into her chest and lungs.  She has been living with this for years and has just learned to adapt. The vet believes she has a herniated diaphragm, but cannot confirm without conducting a fully body scan and more tests.  If the test confirms an easy surgery, she has the potential to live a healthy life for many more years.  With no definite answers, it is hard for us to proceed with any tests that would take us to the next step for surgery.  Without removing the bladder stones, they will continue to grow and accumulate and eventually cause her bladder to burst or stop working, causing her to die. The vet advised us that putting her down is not the best option right now because what she has can be fixed.  However, we are in a tough spot and hate to see her suffer and die especially because of the injuries she sustained prior to coming to live with us.  We are hoping that sharing this story will help us raise funds to figure out what medical attention she needs and provide her with the surgery that will help her live a happy life.