Blaze’s Life Saving Surgery

Hello! My name is Maria and this is my family cat, Blaze. We got him when I was 15. I moved across the country for college in 2018, and he only recently became a part of my own household (me and my two other cats). In 2021, he had a perineal urethrostomy surgery, where they removed his genitals and made his urethra wider, so that he would no longer get severe urinary blockages. When I took him to the vet on Monday, for what I thought was a UTI, they told me that skin had grown over his incision site and that’s what is blocking him now. She said he either needs surgery or to be put down before he becomes too in pain. While we were there, she gave him a catheter, which opened up the hole. She told me it could close overnight or maybe take a week, but it will close again eventually without surgery. I am typing this on Thursday evening, and so far he has been able to pee once every day! Though his euthanasia was scheduled for Tuesday, I pushed it off because he seemed happy and could still pee without blockage. I thought I had accepted losing my best friend, but the longer he fights the more I know I can’t abandon him. He is the most special cat. The connection we have is magical, we both completely understand each other. And I’m not just saying “he’s the best cat in the world!!!” because he’s my cat, because I have two cats of my own now as an adult. I love them, but having Blaze back under my roof makes me realize that no other animal will ever compare to him.

I am in graduate school at Louisiana State University to get my Masters of Science in Biological and Agricultural Engineering. I am almost entirely financially independent. I pay for my apartment and utilities, gas, groceries, my own two cats, and now I pay my own tuition. I make enough between my two jobs for us to survive, but not to take emergency surgeries into consideration. My parents paid for his PU surgery two years ago, and they will not be putting in any more money towards him. I am all he has. Please help me save my best friend, I would be forever grateful. He’s only 6, and he only just moved in with me. We have so much more life together to share, I can’t lose him yet. Thank you so much for taking the time to even read this long and sappy message. I will be thankful for any and everything donated.

A little about Blaze:

He was an indoor/outdoor cat until he moved in with me, but he has horrible instinct. He will just hang out with a flock of turkeys instead of chasing them. He doesn’t care if he sees a squirrel or if a bug flies by his face. His favorite treats are Greenies dental treats. He doesn’t like normal treats, only the dental kind. At his biggest he was 15 pounds. His eyes are a unique shape. He’s very bad at making biscuits. He does it a lot, but he looks so awkward when doing so. He LOVES to snuggle!!! But once I left for college, no one else in my family would snuggle him. He finally is back with me and is finally able to snuggle again!! He doesn’t scratch, he lets you pick him up whenever, and he is the most chill guy ever. He hasn’t really gotten to know his brothers yet, since he was had only been here a week before his diagnosis. Since then, I have kept them separate so it would cause less stress for Blaze. I would love for him to be able to get to know them though.

Again, thank you in advanced. I cannot give up on him.

-Maria and Blaze