Help Marlowe Become Toothless

In late 2022, Ida and I noticed that our beloved cat Marlowe was showing signs of tooth issues: tossing his food, drooling excessively, etc. We saved up some money to bring him to the vet in January, where they told us he had a very serious mouth infection. We were relieved when a biopsy ruled out cancer, but the diagnosis was gingivostomatitis, a chronic inflammation of the mouth due to his immune system being hypersensitive to plaque. The only treatment that will prevent him from becoming sicker and relieve his pain is the extraction of all of his teeth.

Those of you who know Marlowe, whether from us posting incessantly about him on social media or from visiting our apartment, know he's a sweet, loving little weirdo who makes our house a home. We want to do what's best for him, but we were already struggling to pay for the biopsy when we found out about the full-mouth extraction, and with our current income we just can't afford it.

We hope that our community of friends, family, and fellow pet lovers can help us defray the costs of these medical procedures so we can continue to fill our days (and your Instagram feeds) with love for this little menace for years to come.

All funds will be used toward the cost of the biopsy and surgery, which total $3796. We have included a small amount of wiggle room in the fundraising goal given the fact that things may change during the surgery, possibly requiring additional fees. We are also exploring lower-cost options from various providers across the city, but we haven't heard back from any of them. In the event that we have more than we need, any additional funds will be donated to Bideawee NYC, the no-kill shelter from which we adopted Marlowe.

You can read more about feline gingivostomatitis here: https://www.vet.cornell.edu/departments-centers-and-institutes/cornell-feline-health-center/health-information/feline-health-topics/gingivostomatitis

With this surgery, Marlowe's prognosis is good: he's only 7 years old and his blood work indicates he is otherwise healthy. The veterinarians we've spoken with say that once he recovers from the surgery, he will be able to live an otherwise normal life, as indoor cats do not need their teeth to eat (especially on the all-wet-food diet Marlowe is very happy to be on).

I hope you can find it in your heart to help us make sure our little tiger gets to live a long, healthy life with us.