hi, my name is kay and i’m a cat mom to my sweet boy, cleo. since august, cleo has been suffering from a tail injury. what started out as short-term treatment for a bug bite has evolved into a need for sedation, surgery, and/or psychological meds in the long run. like many other american families, we are struggling to make ends meet and cleo’s urgent need for treatment is turning into a financial burden. if you are interested in helping out, please continue reading for more details about his medical care.

in august, i noticed cleo aggressively chasing his tail. at first, i thought the cause was boredom or lack of stimulation. one day i caught him actually biting his own tail, and scheduled a vet appointment. the vet diagnosed him with a bug bite on his tail, and he received flea prevention and a cone for treatment and calming meds. unfortunately, the vet failed to thoroughly diagnose his condition and cleo’s erratic behavior continued, indicating he was still in pain. a second visit to a different vet confirmed that cleo had multiple self-inflicted lesions/abrasions on his tail. there is a picture of his shaved tail showing the injuries below. he received emergency sedation for treatment, along with an antibiotic, topical meds, calming meds, and an even bigger cone.

eventually, cleo’s lesions healed, but i still kept his cone on for his safety because i noticed he would occasionally chase his tail when he noticed it. in october, we moved back home to FL. last month in december 2025, cleo somehow wiggled out of his cone and caught his tail again, causing the same injury. he was given more medication for treatment, an even bigger cone, and his new, trusted vet suggested a food trial to rule out if cleo had developed any allergies because he is considered middle aged. we started the trial, applied his topical medication, noticed he began vomiting multiple times a day toward the end of his antibiotic cycle. during a family emergency on NYE, my mom had to leave him at home and left him in the bathroom to prevent him from throwing up all over the house. when she returned, cleo had done the worst damage yet to his tail—resulting in a deep lesion that goes down to the muscle/nerve endings of his tail. there was blood everywhere; at first glance, my mom thought he was dead.

now, the vet has suggested several options for cleo’s treatment. she no longer considers his injury related to skin; she believes it may be triggered by a previous deep-rooted injury that is unknown to us, or even psychological. at a baseline, cleo needs to be sedated and taken for x rays and blood work. we can either stitch his tail up, or amputate it after evaluating the location/severity of the lesions causing him pain, but there’s no guarantee his behavior of aggressively chasing the tail will stop. in the meantime, he’s started prozac to treat his anxiety/any psychological issues, but this medication takes up to 12 weeks to kick in.

the cost of cleo’s treatment ranges from $900 to $2,000. until now, we have covered cleo’s treatment out of pocket and using care credit. we can no longer afford this out of pocket cost, and we have maxed out our care credit usage. my mother is a full time caregiver for my grandfather with parkinson’s, who lives with us. my income helps supports the household, and we are struggling to cover our living expenses, let alone the cost of care for our beloved pet. if you can donate any amount to support cleo, please do! i will include screenshots of his medical estimates for verification. sending lots of love to anyone who cares enough to read this far, and thank you in advance. ❤️