Gonzalo is a cuddly, talkative kitty who has lived with us since this past November. Gonzalo was found at a friend's apartment complex and quickly warmed up to our friends. I met Gonzalo at their Halloween party and fell in love with the little guy immediately.

A few weeks into living with my sister and I, we noticed he would make a weird coughing/hacking noise when playing or when he had the zoomies. After a couple of weeks watching our sweet baby do this, we decided to book a vet visit, thinking he possibly had asthma or was having issues passing hairballs. The vet did an exam and decided to start Gonzalo on a hairball treatment before we put him on a more intense treatment plan.

After seeing no improvement, we took him back to the vet for X-rays. He was diagnosed with a diaphragmatic hernia, which was causing his spleen to shift and prevent his lungs from fully expanding. His vet was amazed and mentioned this was her first time seeing this in her 25-year career. At this point, I had spent over $800 trying to get answers for what was wrong with our sweet kitty.

UPDATE:

The vet referred us to a specialty vet surgery center where we had surgery to repair his hernia on March 16. Gonzalo stayed at the surgery center overnight after his surgery to ensure his lungs were re-expanding properly. Unexpectedly, he had to stay for a few extra hours as he fought a minor fever. I paid a total of $5955.16 for his surgery and extended stay.

He has been healing at home and is doing well so far. He will wear a cone and has to be on restricted activity for a few more weeks as his surgery wound heals.

Please donate to help pay off Gonzalo’s medical bills.

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The vet referred us to a specialty vet surgery center where we were quoted a range of $4,975 to $6,500 to repair his hernia. Gonzalo will need to stay at the surgery center for a few days after his surgery to be monitored and ensure his lungs are re-expanding properly. Gonzalo will also need post-op check-ups costing $100 each.

His surgery is scheduled for Monday, March 16, 2026. Please donate to help fund Gonzalo’s healing journey.