This is Moka. He's only 2 years old, and he's my little buddy.

He's the kind of cat who always wants to be close to you. He's incredibly cuddly, follows me around the apartment, and is always meowing like he has something important to say. If I'm sitting somewhere, chances are Moka isn't very far away. He's such a sweet, affectionate little guy, and it's hard to imagine the apartment without him constantly by my side.

A few weeks ago, I started noticing that something wasn't quite right. Moka was limping. At first, I hoped it was something minor that would go away on its own, but it didn't. So I brought him to the vet.

After X-rays, we learned that Moka has a fracture in his left hip. There was no fall or accident that caused it. His vet believes it's related to a condition where part of the hip can weaken and fracture on its own in young cats.

Moka has now been referred to a veterinary specialist for an operation on his left hip. The surgery is estimated at $3,600 plus tax.

We were also told that there's a chance the same thing could eventually happen to his other hip. As part of an ongoing study, there's an option to place a small pin in his right hip while he's being treated, with the hope of preventing another fracture and saving that hip. That's another $300 plus tax.

Between the surgery, the preventive procedure, taxes, medication and everything surrounding his treatment and recovery, I'm trying to raise $5,000 CAD.

I really wish I didn't have to ask for help with this, but $5,000 is a lot of money, especially since I've only recently finished school and am just starting this next chapter of my life. I wasn't prepared for an expense like this, but Moka is family, and I want to do everything I can to give him the care he needs. If there's something I can do to give him the chance to spend the rest of his life running, jumping and playing without his hip hurting him, I want to do it.

If you can donate, even a few dollars genuinely helps us get closer to his surgery. And if you can't, that's completely okay. Sharing Moka's story with someone else would already mean a lot to me.

I'll post updates here as we go through the next steps, his surgery and hopefully his recovery.

Thank you for reading this far, and thank you for giving Moka a chance to get back on his paws. ❤️