Help Abner Heal: Care Costs for a Healthy Heart

Hey Friends and Family,

Our beloved Mainecoon, Abner, went into heart failure today. Earlier this week, we had noticed him being lethargic and a little dizzy for a few days and scheduled a vet visit and purchased pet insurance (something we had been putting off) hoping that he just had a cat cold. He was eating and going to the bathroom fine, just very sleepy.

Today we noticed that he was breathing extremely quickly. After calling multiple vets outside of our normal one, we realized our only option was to take him to the cat E.R. Upon arriving they immediately triaged him, adding IVs and an oxygen mask. After multiple tests he was diagnosed with heart failure and as of now is being kept overnight at the E.R. as he is dependent on oxygen. The Vet let us know because of his age (4) he has a shot at a healthy quality of life for the next couple of years (we are willing him longer than that). However, to get there, we first need to see him through this terrifying hurdle.

The Vet costs from this evening alone are nearing $8k. This amount will stabilize him and provide him with temporary medication so that he can return home to us and his brother Puma. From there, next steps will be seeing a cardiologist, and daily medication for the rest of his long life along with biannual assessments that will range from $1-2k.

I have been in contact with our pet insurance. Because we are still on a waiting period it is unlikely they will cover these upfront costs. They may also label his heart condition as pre-existing, which would also negate coverage. However this won't be confirmed until we submit our claims from the cardiologist. Abner was tested as a kitten for heart conditions and those tests came back negative along with no prior health issues at all, so we are holding that in our back pocket with fingers crossed.

Right now the future is very blurry, especially as this has been one of the most difficult nights of our lives. The shock of having a lethargic cat to being told he would have died had we brought him in any later has us reeling. Having to decide between incredible debt or the life of a loved one is a horrible place to be in, and we hope to never find ourselves here again. What helped to make our decision was the reminder from family, as we sought advice, that we have an amazing community of people who love this kitty as much as we do.

We are asking for your help so that we can keep Abner alive for as long as his quality of life remains positive. Seeing him so tired and scared today was a cold reminder to hold our loved ones close... even if they leave hair everywhere. Alongside that despair was the hope of watching him become more alert in the oxygen kennel. Abby is truly a special one, and nothing is more important to us than making sure he sticks around.

As Andrew is currently in grad school and Sydney is a non-profit worker any amount will be a huge help for our family.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts,

Andrew, Sydney, and Puma