Hello there,

Quite recently, our dear cat Pogo stopped using the bathroom, lost his appetite, and began throwing up whatever water he'd try to intake. As he was not ingesting any food and could not use the bathroom, he grew exceedingly lethargic and wobbled whenever he got up to walk. These symptoms came about suddenly over the course of a short weekend, and after consulting friends and veterinary services I decided to take him to an Emergency Veterinary Hospital.

Upon examination, the veterinarians found that Pogo had urinary stones trapped in his urethra, and had to conduct emergency surgery, as leaving them in for any longer would have been fatal. He's still in veterinary care and we are receiving frequent updates as he recovers, but further surgery could be required to remove more debris/stones from his bladder and kidneys.

I attempted to prepare myself mentally for the damage I knew the vet bill would do to my finances, but I could not have anticipated that it would be this much. When I sat face to face with the bill, I was in shambles. Even with pet insurance, I knew for a fact that I don't have enough money in all of my combined bank accounts to cover half of the bill. I felt stupid signing off to agree to such an insane amount of money, but the only other option was to say goodbye to Pogo, and I was not ready to do that.

Right now, Pogo is in recovery and is doing much better as the vets watch over him, but the mountain of this vet bill is a looming financial burden. Funds raised here will go directly towards paying off the vet bill/expenses, which is currently processed at $6,500 (but will more than likely increase substantially given his continued stay at the Veterinary Hospital and the potential for future surgeries. Should Pogo require further surgery, the current provided price estimate sits at $10,344).

Pogo is our charming, wonderful, wall-eyed boy with a gaze that melts hearts. I pray that he can continue to live a happy (stone-free!!) life for many more years to come.

Thank you all so much for the support. I hope that in the future I can return the favor to those in similar situations when I'm in a better place financially, but for now I can only express my gratitude for those who have already offered their time and resources to help in this stressful time.

Brooke