Hi everyone,

My name is Brett Bass and I have a beloved but very sick kitty. As I type this, I manage a statewide suicide prevention program with an emphasis on lethal means safety, but my team and I are imminently going to be laid off. I served in the reserve component of the U.S. Marine Corps from 2006 to 2019, with deployments overseas to Latvia, Kuwait, and Afghanistan (with a quick trip to Kyrgyzstan). But none of that is why I've started a Go FundMe.

After I got home from my last deployment--Afghanistan--I adopted a tiny, very opinionated tortoiseshell kitten from the Seattle Humane Society named Louisiana. "LouLou" was born on the 14th of June, 2014 and taken to the Humane Society on the 4th of July. She has been my constant companion since August 10th, 2014, when I brought her home. I have been through two homes, three careers, and more than ten years with her. She loves sunning herself on the porch, cheese, blankets, her favorite purple mouse toy, carefully selected leaves and/or sticks that she rigorously evaluates before bringing them in as gifts, cuddling on her red blankie, and kneading my neck and face. Oh, and food, in general. Very food-motivated kitty, LouLou.

Sadly, as I was recovering from being sick the week of April 7th, LouLou fell ill. On Wednesday, April 9th, she suffered frequent bouts of vomiting. She lost her appetite, and as this persisted into the morning of Thursday the 10th, she became worryingly lethargic. When I saw her essentially deflated and motionless laying on the windowsill that morning, I knew I needed to take her to the veterinarian.

Her lab work showed that she had a fever and elevated liver functions; follow-on labs were ordered to check her pancreas because apparently pancreatitis is common in cats. When I took her home, I was instructed that she may need to go to an emergency clinic if she worsened, continued vomiting, or refused to eat. She remained somewhat lethargic and refused to eat through Friday the 11th, so the veterinarian referred her to the ER.

She was kept overnight there to receive fluids and nutrients and remain monitored in the ICU. While her fever had abated, her liver function had normalized, and her pancreas labs were normal, an ultrasound revealed that she has inflammation of the middle intestines and lymph nodes as well as her peritoneum. In addition, her pancreas was enlarged, possibly indicating a past bout of pancreatitis.

The doctors with whom I spoke indicated that the recommended next best course of action was to biopsy the inflamed organs, but unfortunately, the location of her maladies would necessitate surgery that I cannot afford. Consequently, I don't have a specific diagnosis for LouLou. Based on her symptoms, lab results, and ultrasound imagery, this could be one of a few things: Past or current abnormal pancreatitis (less likely due to normal lab results), inflammation of her organs (treating with steroids), bacterial infection (treating with antibiotics), or cancer.

Hearing that my previously completely healthy cat may have cancer was absolutely gutting.

The surgery needed to obtain the biopsy is estimated to cost about $7,000, and her ER doctor estimated that follow-on chemotherapy treatments would cost nearly as much. I simply do not have that much money. While I have started selling things, my most optimistic estimates are an order of magnitude insufficient to this task.

In the meantime, we have proceeded with treatment for her inflammation with steroids, antibiotics for a possible infection, anti-nausea medication, and an appetite stimulant. Reportedly, if she starts eating or attempting to eat on her own, that will be an indicator that she is on the mend. Currently, she has a feeding tube through which my roommate and I feed her every six hours and administer her medicines daily. She is desperately loved by everyone who knows her, and we are doing our very best to care for her and praying that she recovers.

I can report that she is much more ambulatory, alert, and talkative than she was when she first came home from the ICU, and I'm more optimistic than I was when I was first informed that she may have cancer.

I'm asking for your help to raise money for her medical care. Either to pay for her extant medical bills or, should the course of steroids and antibiotics not work, to diagnose the cancer and treat it.

Please, help me help LouLou. She is the purest soul; never mean and always oh-so polite. I love her so very much; when I adopted her, I took seriously the commitment that hers was a life for which I was responsible. She has been with me for virtually her entire life, and her love and companionship have seem me through so many awful times. I am asking for your help to return that favor.

Thank you so much for your support. LouLou and appreciate it so very much.