On Christmas, my 3-year-old cat Otto experienced a total urinary blockage. I rushed him to the emergency vet, where it was determined he needed surgery to remove bladder stones. Despite several days of treatment and multiple attempts at placing and removing a catheter, Otto still couldn’t urinate on his own. I had to transfer him to Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston for further care, hoping for a breakthrough.

Tomorrow, we’ll find out if his latest treatment is successful. If not, Otto will need another, more invasive, surgery, which comes with a significant cost. During his hospital stay, the vets also discovered that Otto has a rare type of bladder stone, ammonium urate, which means he’ll need further imaging to find the cause and possibly a third surgery to prevent more stones from forming. At minimum, he will definitely need a CT scan and will have expenses for his extended stay in the hospital. The imaging and potential additional two surgeries will add to the already overwhelming expenses. I’ve already spent so much on diagnostics, surgery, and treatments, and I’m at the point where I can’t continue alone.

Otto is only three years old and is beyond loved. These are not terminal diagnoses and totally treatable, but the treatments are significant and the costs are overwhelming. With your support, Otto can get the additional imaging, surgeries, and treatments he needs, including continued hospital care, so he can live out the rest of the long life he has ahead of him. I will adjust the fundraiser amount once we know whether the other surgeries are needed, but I am hoping to get a jump on helping with the finances if the surgeries become a confirmed need, because at that point things will move quickly and I will need to pay upfront. Any help you can give would mean the world to us and help Otto get the care he needs to recover and thrive.