My name is Melissa. Rami is my cat, he's 14, and he makes my life better in many ways.

In May 2023, Rami, Matilda (his sister) and I had to say goodbye to Sunny, the oldest of my 3 cats. Rami seemed to miss her greatly, which made sense, since they spent a lot of time near each other. He lost 4 lbs, more than a quarter of his body weight, in just a few months. That's a lot for a cat to lose, especially in such a short time. The vet couldn't find anything, labs looked good, he was eating and drinking etc as expected. It may have been grief, it may have been any number of things. Thankfully he seemed to stabilize.

In early December 2023 his left eye started tearing, and just looking smaller. I took him to the vet where he was prescribed antibiotic eye drops. After 2 more vet visits, tests and some phone conversations, the vet suggested that Rami should see an ophthalmologist vet, so the issue could hopefully be resolved.

I made an appointment with the specialist clinic. When the specialist examined Rami she said he had entropion. It's where the lower eyelid flips up and the lashes irritate the eye. It's more common in dogs than cats, and more common in younger than older cats. One of the causes can be weight loss, due to a "hollowing" of the face, which is what happened with Rami. It requires surgery to correct. If the surgery was not done he would have remained in discomfort, likely progressed to corneal ulcers, and might very well eventually have lost the eye.

Rami had surgery on his left eye in early May 2024. He recovered beautifully.

In September of 2024 Rami and I lost Matilda to cancer. Though they weren't as friendly as he and Sunny had been, it still affected him, and me too. He lost another pound, a total of almost a third of his original weight.

Now for the next part of the story. In early 2025, the same thing started happening with his right eye. I started treating him again with eye drops, as directed last year, and we went to see the vet. They confirmed entropion on Rami's right eye. I had asked at the first visit with the specialist if this issue was likely to recur or affect the other eye. I was told it could happen but was generally unlikely. Unfortunately Rami has fallen into the "possible" category, and he needs surgery for his right eye.

Cost breakdown is estimated based on last year.

Initial specialist visit: $300-500

Surgery: $1700-2000

Labs: $300

The initial visit may be on the lower side if it's just a short "yeah, it's entropion, schedule surgery" visit. Labs could bw lower, or a bit higher, depending on where they're done and what they need. Everything may be higher, due to everything going on. There is some uncertainty. I've set the goal based on the best estimate I have at this time.

I appreciate you reading Rami's story. He's 14 years old, and he excels in sleeping in front of my face, purrs, trills, drinking from the sink, snuffling my hair, sniffing out treats, and many other things. He makes my life so much better, and I would like to return the favor.

Thank you.