Darth the Cat's Emergency Hospital Expenses

Myself and my partner have two beautiful, wonderful cats, both raised from rural Ireland from kittens that would not have otherwise survived in the wild. They've been taken care of their whole lives, but over the last week, Darth fell ill.

At about 5 1/2 years old, we typically call him our little adventurer, always looking for new places to hide in our flat (for example: the Darth Bookshop where he'd use a cardboard box like a shop counter under our bookcase, or a hamper box he likes to hide inside like a treasure to find). He's an active boy, but he started getting lethargic, slow, and began breathing rapidly over the course of a few days.

Once taken to a vet, they identified the cause as pyothorax, a condition where pus builds in the chest cavity, called pleural effusion, indicating possibly pneumonia or a foreign body in his system. To resolve this, he needs antibiotics, chest drainage, and perhaps surgical intervention.

As you might know, that's expensive. Exceptionally so. Me and my partner are lucky enough to be able to front much of the cost, but the 'worst case' scenario for costs end up at £12,000 on top of the ~£3,000 we've already spent, it's hitting us hard. We've done everything we can for him.

In no way do we expect the kindness of both friends and strangers to cover these costs. But we hope that for those whose lives Darth has touched, this might be a way for people to help.

Darth, in part, brought my partner and me together. Many years ago, when we just knew each other vaguely as acquaintances, I helped front the cost for a (far smaller!) vet bill. Since then, we've been together through more than we'd care to admit, and Darth has been a core part of that. We're a family now, and nothing will ever take that from us.

If we do somehow manage to fully cover costs, excess will be used to support a charity that helps other cats like Darth: cats born in rural areas to wild parents and unsafe surroundings.