We are reaching out for help for our dear cat, Shiv, a seven year-old diva if there ever was one.

Shiv has hyperthyroidism, which is causing her to rapidly lose weight and putting stress on her kidneys and gastrointestinal system. She’s part of the very small percentage of those allergic to the daily meds for cats with hyperthyroidism and suffered some pretty gnarly side effects. Our vet has advised she needs to have iodine radiation therapy, a one time procedure that has a 97% efficacy rate and allows cats who receive it have their lives extended significantly.

We have an appointment for the procedure on December 9 at a hospital 4 hours away. We’ve been quoted $2,500 for the cost of the whole procedure including multiple days of overnight observation.

If you know Pete and I, you know we’re very proud and resistant to reaching out for help. But we’ve had a hard year with a lot of unforeseen emergencies that've drained our finances. We’ve been saving all we can to put towards Shiv’s health and have a chunk of it so if we don’t meet the full 2,500 goal that is ok and we can likely make up the difference. But we will be back to square one in terms of long term saving if we have to pay the full bill out of our savings. We want to be transparent with our loved ones especially since we’re asking for financial help. It’s tough out there for everyone right now and we’re very cognizant of the fact that everyone else is experiencing these compounding crises too.

Shiv has no idea what’s happening for now and is enjoying getting many extra snacks to help her keep from losing too much weight in the meantime. She may be a skinny cat for now but she’s a fat cat at heart!

We love you all very much and are grateful for whatever you may be able to give. ♥️