Kira is a 13-year-old tortie who loves snacking on potatoes and shrimp, sitting like an old man on a couch, loafing on any piece of paper in a 3 mile radius, begging for breakfast at 4 in the morning and making air biscuits while having her belly rubbed.

Kira and I have been inseparable since we were both young and gone through everything together, all the highs and lows. She’s always been my greatest source of comfort in all the hardships and challenges that I had to go through in my life. After everything that Kira’s done for me throughout all these years, I want to do all in my power to give back all the love that she’s given me and make sure my baby is getting the care that she needs.

At the beginning of April, Kira started experiencing rapidly worsening respiratory issues. On April 22nd, I took her to the veterinary clinic that we’ve been going to for the last few years where her veterinarian discovered a mass inside her neck after performing a physical exam and an x-ray of her throat. On April 23rd, I took her to a Specialty Center where she underwent further diagnostics (CT scan and FNA) and got diagnosed with hematopoietic neoplasia (tumour), with tracheal lymphoma considered most likely. Since it was deemed that performing a surgical removal of the mass would not be worth it due to its location and suspected nature, we opted for a steroid treatment, which did end up helping alleviate some of Kira’s symptoms for the time being.

On May 20th, Kira and I went back to the Specialty Center for a surgery consultation to see if it would be safer for her to undergo a surgery now that her clinical signs had improved. However, it was ultimately decided that it would still be too dangerous for Kira.

Since the surgery is not an option at the moment and it is not completely clear what kind of tumour Kira has yet, the next best step is for her to undergo biopsy in order to determine what kind of chemotherapy she may need to go through, so we desperately need help with gathering enough funds to afford it, as well as pay off what we still owe for Kira's stay at the Specialty Center back in April.

The steroids that Kira's being given currently (prednisolone) are only meant to be a temporary way to alleviate her symptoms, which means that she might not have a lot of time left before they stop working for her completely and she will be in need of undergoing an actual treatment, which, unfortunately, she can't receive until her mass is properly identified through biopsy.

I'm a student who doesn’t receive any financial assistance, be it for my tuition, living expenses or anything else. I work two jobs and taking care of Kira is one of my main responsibilities that I have been happily contributing to for over a decade now. However, the situation that we find ourselves in now is really extreme and difficult for me to manage on my own, on top of all other turbulences in my life.

Any and all help is extremely appreciated. If you cannot help out at this time, please consider sharing Kira's story so that more people can see it.

I'd be more than happy to answer any and all questions regarding Kira's medical journey, so please feel free to reach out.

Thank you all. Kira and I wish you a great rest of your day!