Dear friends and loved ones,

On Sunday, December 26th, I took my cat, Onyx, to the emergency vet after noticing he was lethargic and struggling to use his litter box. They did an x-ray and discovered that he had a severe, life-threatening urinary blockage; crystals (similar to kidney stones in humans) were blocking his urethra and this was threatening to send him into kidney failure. I then rushed him to the Triangle Veterinary Referral Hospital where they performed an operation to unblock his urethra and then they began giving him fluid therapy to clean out his bladder and kidneys.

Thankfully, after a two-night stay in the animal hospital, Onyx is home. As you can imagine, the bills for this kind of emergency care were very high. As a graduate student on a living stipend, these kinds of emergency expenses can be a big financial strain. I am opening a GoFundMe to ask for any amount of help you might be able to afford. I know that times are tough for everyone right now, so please do not feel pressured to contribute— Onyx and I will appreciate your thoughts, healing energy, and prayers just as much!

For those of you who haven’t met Onyx, here’s a bit of backstory. Onyx found me when I was on a trip to Mammoth Cave in Kentucky in October 2018. I was there with a group of students from the University of Alabama, and Onyx snuck into one of our motel rooms to keep warm. He’s been my buddy ever since. Having been a stray before I adopted him, Onyx loves being outside. Nowadays he likes to roam our small townhouse complex while I’m away during the day. He’s famous in our neighborhood and is always making friends with the neighbors.

Onyx is an extremely friendly, outgoing, energetic cat. I really hope that with the right care and his new prescription diet, he will be able to make a full recovery. Whether or not you are able to spare a few dollars, I want to thank you for reading through our story and offering support in whatever way is possible. Thank you so much

Love,

Cayla and Onyx