It doesn't feel natural for me to ask for help, but when it comes to my fur-baby Oliver (Ollie), I would give anything to save his life and give him a chance to not live in pain anymore. It's a huge financial burden when animals are severely ill; A responsibility I signed up for, but one you can never truly plan for. I don't expect help, but would appreciate any.

TLDR; After multiple urgent vet and ER visits the doctor found Oliver has a enlarged spleen, severe back pain, fever of 104, and anorexia and muscle wasting. The doctor suspects Oliver has cancer, FIP, bartonella, or an autoimmune/inflammatory disease. To confirm the diagnosis he needs a lot of advanced blood work, an abdominal ultrasound and biopsies of his tissues, and an MRI. It's all very stupid expensive (cost breakdowns at the very bottom), and any donations are helpful and appreciated.

Background:

I started fostering Ollie from 2 weeks old, along with his momma and 4 siblings. It was the greatest joy to watch him grow, and then eventually bond with me, and choose me back. I knew he'd be my special orange (buff/beige/cream) boy forever.

On June 17, 2025, Ollie was admitted to the ER for extreme lethargy, walking with a hunched back and stiff legs from pain, fever, and loss of appetite. They unfortunately did not do a very thorough exam, did blood work, said he was fine, and gave him gabapentin for pain. Over the next few months we've had 4 vet visits that were all high priority for the same symptoms plus drastic weight loss, putting him in the anorexia category for cats. He doesn't move much from his crate in the living room so I've set up his own little nook with food and litter nearby.

Yesterday, August 21, I took him back to his general vet and she referred me to an internal medicine vet. My sister and I called around to dozens of internal med vets, most with a wait time until mid-October, but was fortunate to find a vet who moved appointments around to fit Oliver in today, August 22, due to the urgency. (Highly recommend Harmony Hill in Sterling, VA - I don't gatekeep)

After a thorough exam, the doctor found an enlarged spleen, severe spinal pain (thoracic, lumbar, sacral), a fever of 104 F, sarcopenia (muscle wasting), and anorexia from rapid weight loss. He is now on a high calorie diet reserved for cats in intensive care. My doctor narrowed his diagnosis to 4 main categories: cancer, FIP, bartonella, or autoimmune/inflammatory disease.

Today's visit consisted of drawing blood for a comprehensive panel that includes a general health check, the Bartonella titer test, and a coagulation panel to ensure his blood clots normally. The Bartonella test is sent to a special laboratory in Texas, and it will take about a week to get the results back. Ollie is now on supportive care medications to make him more comfortable, including medications for pain (Buprenorphine and Gabapentin), nausea (Cerenia/Ondansetron), and an appetite stimulant (Mirtazapine). He is also beginning treatment with an antibiotic for Bartonella.

Next steps are an abdominal ultrasound to get a better look at his spleen and other organs, and take tissue biopsies, and a referral to a neurology specialist for an MRI of his spine.

These are all costly and very stressful situations, for both of us.

Today's visit alone came to a total of $1215.46.

The ultrasound estimate is between $1280.60-1907.60.

The MRI estimate is $3000+.

Again, I don't expect help, but would appreciate anything. Thank you in advance, and I'll update this page as I have more information.