Hello, this is Amanda. I was adopted by Ziggy about 4 years ago! Around that time, he found himself living outdoors as a member of a large colony of feral and stray cats after cancer took his human from him. Years ago, after buying our home, it didn't take long to realize there was a major cat overpopulation situation here. It was far beyond some indoor-outdoor cats belonging to neighbors!

I began reaching out to area shelters, rescues, and non-profits trying to seek help for the cats here who were multiplying rapidly and quickly realized that there was not really help available and that I needed to step in and be the change here. I began the process of TNVR, which is trap-neuter-vaccinate-return, to spay and neuter the 50+ cat population colony here. A few were human-friendly or semi-human tolerant, but most were feral and afraid. This place had become a dumping ground for local people where they would dump "unwanted" cats or unplanned litters of kittens, and the unaltered cats were reproducing wildly out of control.

Being that I am a disabled individual living on a fixed income, I have slowly and steadily spayed or neutered cats each month as I could afford, at the same time catching and taming kittens as litters were born so they could have a chance at a life somewhere indoors with safety, warmth, and love. I caught, tamed, and found placement for 60 kittens over the last 5 years, working on befriending the adults who were willing in hopes of finding good barn homes or mouser jobs at warehouses where they would have a safer, better quality of life to help ease the overpopulation here.

There have been several cats and kittens with medical emergencies; most, thankfully, were resolved with a trip to my vet and some antibiotics and parasite treatment. That was the hope I had when sweet Ziggy began to lose some weight and seem uncomfortable and more withdrawn than was his normal. Ziggy began living on my porch 3 years ago and is just the absolute sweetest, most loving, and affectionate cat I have ever met.

Last July, Ziggy let out a terrible cry of pain while he was eating. That was the beginning of this medical journey for Ziggy. I scheduled the first vet appointment for him, thinking some antibiotics or pain medication would ease his pain once the vet could identify the issue. During the 2-week wait for the appointment, poor Ziggy began to cry every time he tried to eat the kibble, so I began feeding him canned food 3 times a day, and that helped. At least he wasn't howling in pain anymore. At the appointment, as I described his symptoms and behavior over the previous weeks with the accompanied weight loss, she took the first look inside Ziggy's mouth and said, "Oh no, Stomatitis." Far beyond what a simple antibiotic and pain med could resolve at this appointment. He had advanced gum disease and broken teeth, likely from his time living in the colony and lack of dental cleanings throughout his life. He was given antibiotics for the infected ulcers that had developed and a steroidal injection to help the swelling and pain. Ziggy showed immediate relief, and with the infection cleared and swelling down, we returned 2 weeks later so the veterinarian could get a better look at what exactly was going on in Ziggy's mouth. The dentist said the damage was throughout his mouth and gums and all soft tissue in his mouth, and they would recommend a full mouth extraction, which may not completely resolve the issue but should make a huge difference in the quality of Ziggy's life.

Unfortunately, that is not something they do on-site at my veterinarian's office, so they gave us the referral to the specialist. It took a month to get into the specialist, but they did agree that the Stomatitis was advanced and a full mouth extraction should bring substantial relief to poor Ziggy.

During those 3 months, I did a ton of research and found a homeopathic dental treat that had great reviews from customers whose cats had Stomatitis, so I figured it was worth a try for Ziggy if it could bring him any relief while we were waiting for the scheduled surgery. Unfortunately, the steroid injection he received at the very first appointment that gave him pain relief was not something that could be repeated for him, as the side effects from repeated doses or long-term use include diabetes and behavior or personality changes.

I have tried every rescue and nonprofit organization to see if there is any funding or any program option available to help cover the cost of this surgery for Ziggy. I survive on social security income, and feeding the cats in this colony takes literally a third of my monthly income. I have been saving everything I can every month since July to put towards Ziggy's medical, but the surgery is quoted at between $3,000 and $5,000, depending on how the actual surgery proceeds. I have tried every potential option for help, and because this is preexisting, insurances won't cover any of this. I have tried every avenue for help, and this crowdfunding is the only option I have to attempt to raise the funds to cover Ziggy's medical. I do not have any family or friends I could borrow from, and I could not qualify for a personal loan or the Care Credit with my limited income.

Please help me help this poor guy. Ziggy is 8 years old and is in otherwise good health! I already did the blood work and physical for him to see if he could even have the surgery, and he passed everything! Despite being in pain, Ziggy is an absolute lovebug who has a purr like a sports car motor and is happiest cuddling and snuggling. He brings joy to everyone who meets him as he loves people and greets everyone with a head boop and purr. Despite the hardships life has thrown at him, losing his first human to cancer and then finding himself as a result living outdoors in a large colony trying to find safe shelter and food daily just to survive, through it all, Ziggy still was willing to trust and love, and I believe he knew I would do everything I could to help him. Thank you for taking the time to read this, and please consider helping Ziggy get the surgery he needs to have some relief from the pain he lives in every day!

We are fundraising to help cover the costs of Ziggy's medical treatment and to continue the TNVR efforts for the remaining cats in the colony if there are any funds over the final cost of surgery and follow-up!

The wonderful people at Canterbury understand my situation with Ziggy and are willing to take donations directly to his account there for anyone who wants to help but is uncomfortable with donating to a crowdfunding campaign!! They just requested that if someone is going to donate directly to his hospital account that I also contact them to notify them and make sure that the funds are credited to the correct account since it is not something they normally do.

Thank You for taking the time to read this whole thing, and for caring for the helpless and voiceless! together we can make a difference.