Penicillin aka penny —our “church cat”—came into my life on an ordinary afternoon while I was out jogging. At the time, I was walking for hours every day, and I found her quietly searching for food beside a dumpster behind a church. I remember running to a nearby bodega to get her something to eat—and from that moment on, everything changed.

For over a year and a half, Penicillin was fed every single day—no matter how busy life got. What started as one person’s effort soon became shared care when Anya stepped in to help. Because she was ear-tipped, she was assumed to be feral, and getting close never seemed possible. Still, she stayed—and we kept showing up for her.

few weeks ago, after a neighborhood cat was tragically killed by a dog, we knew we couldn’t take any chances. We worked for days to bring Penny to safety. It took five long days to trap her, but when she finally came in, she surprised all of us. Beneath that cautious exterior was a gentle, loving cat. Realizing she wasn’t feral at all was heartbreaking—she had been out there, alone, all this time.

On April 13th, she went in for a full wellness exam. That’s when we received devastating news: Penny has a diaphragmatic hernia, likely caused by trauma such as a car accident or animal attack. She also had multiple puncture wounds, and had stopped eating in the days leading up to her rescue.

Just three days later, her condition rapidly declined—she wasn’t eating, urinating, or passing stool. We rushed her back to the vet, where imaging revealed the severity of her condition. Her colon, intestines, and part of her lungs had shifted into her chest cavity, compressing her heart and lungs. Her heart was enlarged, she had developed a heart murmur, and her digestive system was dangerously blocked.

It quickly became clear: this was a life-or-death emergency. We immediately transported her to the emergency room at AMC, where she was scheduled for urgent surgery on April 16th. The estimate for her life-saving procedure is $15,000, in addition to her initial $967 vet visit.

It’s an overwhelming number—one I never imagined I could take on. But when faced with that moment all I could see was Penny finally living the life she deserved: safe, warm, and loved indoors—a life she never had the chance to know. Me and my cofeeder Anya is trying everything we can to keep her alive.

She has survived the streets, the cold, and unimaginable hardship. She deserves more than a life on a roof or being turned away from the only place she knew.

I’m asking for your help to give her that second chance. Any donation, no matter the size, will go directly toward Pennys surgery and recovery. If you’re unable to donate, sharing her story would mean just as much.