Hello! My name is Caroline and I have made this fundraiser on behalf of my dear friend Emily and her beloved cat Zoey. Zoey is a 2.5-year-old cat. She loves all things fish, her springs which she chases only at 3 a.m., and snuggles with her favorite human, Emily.

On July 17, Zoey went in for an annual vet visit which soon turned into every cat parent's nightmare. Zoey became very stressed at the vet and ultimately was in severe respiratory distress, which landed her at the emergency vet. It was discovered here that Zoey had significant fluid accumulation around her lungs which needed to be removed. They also discovered a mass in her chest cavity by ultrasound, but a biopsy was inconclusive. Zoey spent 48 hours in intensive care before being made stable enough to go home. This ended up being the high end of the original estimate, coming in at $4800 for the stay, still with no real answers about what was going on.

Zoey was then referred to a cardiologist for further investigation, who suggested she go in for a CT scan to investigate the possible masses, and possibly undergo surgery if recommended. This CT scan took place on July 25, at a cost of around $2900. After a few hours of tense waiting, we got back news that none of us hoped to hear.

Zoey has two masses in her chest and had more fluid accumulated in her chest cavity - this has been diagnosed as a chylothorax causing the pleural effusion. However, because surgery could not be done that day, we still don't know the cause of the fluid. We unfortunately learned that this condition has been affecting Zoey for a long time, and she has a lot of scarring in her lungs. There are only a few possibilities for what could be causing her fluid, including cancer, feline infectious peritonitis, or it could simply be idiopathic with no clear cause. Zoey is waiting on some more tests to come back so we can look at what the best way forward is to manage her condition.

With the future so uncertain, and the vet bills already mounting, I am making this fundraiser to help Emily be able to navigate this incredibly difficult time without having to worry about money. Emily does have pet insurance, but it is unclear how much will be covered now or with her future care. Even still, her insurance will not cover the entire cost regardless, and Emily will need help covering these bills.

If you have read this far, I want to thank you so much for listening to Emily and Zoey's story. Thank you for taking the time to read, and thank you for any donations you can spare.

Thank you for helping us give Zoey a fighting chance. I will continue to update you on her journey.