On Monday, February 13th, 2023, my boyfriend and I took our cat, Poppy, to the veterinarian. We were concerned about his low weight, and the fact he was drinking a lot more water than he used to. The veterinarians' diagnosis? Our little cat was just too sweet; he had developed diabetes.

My name is Josephine. I live together with my boyfriend, Mårten, in Sweden. We are asking for help to pay for Poppy's medical fees, so that he can continue to lead a long and happy life.

About Poppy

Poppy came to us in a lucky twist of fate. After thinking about getting a pet for a few years, in 2019 we finally started asking around about it, and it just so happened that a coworker of Mårten's sister had recently taken ownership of a rescued cat that he couldn't take care of anymore. That cat wasn't playing nicely with his other cats, so he needed someone else to take him in. We offered, and a few days later we welcomed this sweet orange furball into our home.

Poppy didn't have a name when he came to us. We named him after the California Poppy because of the golden color of his coat. We don't know how old he is (we think around 6 to 8 years), or what breed he is (but there is probably at least some Norwegian Forest Cat). He had gotten lost from his original owners during a period of forest fires some time ago, before he was found and rescued. When he was given to us, we gave him a general health checkup and medication for some itchy scabs he had in his ears. Unfortunately, we did not get insurance at this time, as we thought the annual costs were too high for our income at the time.

Poppy is a very sweet and loving cat. Even when we were strangers to him, he didn't hide. He wanted to explore our house, learn who we were, and he was always eager to snuggle. In many ways he acts more like a dog than a cat. He is always looking at you with big eyes to see what you are doing, and he follows you around anywhere you go (especially if he's hungry!).

So it was a huge heartache to learn that this amazing, friendly cat had developed diabetes. He deserves so much better.

About Us

I am Josephine, and I live with my boyfriend, Mårten, in Sweden, on Gotland. While Mårten was born here, I immigrated to Sweden from California, USA. Poppy's name was chosen as a reference to where I come from. Mårten and I met online, playing World of WarCraft together, and after we got together I decided to move to live with him. It has been difficult in many ways, such as the long flight, the separation from my family, and the language barrier, but I am still glad I made the decision, and I am happy to have met so many amazing new people here. Plus, if I had never moved, I never would have met Poppy, or his sister, Nikki, a cat that we rescued after moving to the countryside.

Our money situation has always been tight. We have considered starting up a GoFundMe or Patreon before, but it was our responsibility to handle that situation ourselves rather than asking others for donations. Now, though, we really do need help.

Diabetes

Diabetes is a disease caused by a deficiency in insulin production by the pancreas. It causes very high levels of glucose in the blood, as the lack of insulin prevents the body's cells from absorbing that glucose. This leads to lethargy, weight loss, and other problems, and it can cause blindness and heart disease if left untreated for too long.

Diabetes can't be cured, but it can be managed with daily insulin injections and a strict diet. If caught early, and treated properly, diabetes can go into remission, allowing the body to return to producing its own insulin without needing further injections.

Our Goals

We are working with the doctors to get Poppy the best treatment he can with the hope of reaching diabetic remission. Statistics show remission typically happens within the first few months of treatment. If it does not go into remission after around six months, it probably never will.

With your help, we are hoping to fund raise enough money to cover 6 months of treatment. Our plan includes the cost for insulin, special diabetic food, and doctor visits. These costs are higher for the first few weeks as we need to make several visits to the veterinary office. If the disease goes into remission earlier, the money will be used instead on health insurance for Poppy (and Nikki), so that we will be covered if any other medical issues develop in the future.

We will keep our donors updated on Poppy's condition, and update our goals as needed.

Thank you so much for any help you can provide.