For the past few years, a small group of us have cared for the cats of Linda’s Colony in Honolulu. We feed them every day, monitor their health, and do our best to help them when they need medical care. We’ve always tried to manage these responsibilities ourselves, with the help of the incredible donors who have supported us in keeping this colony fed and as healthy as possible.

But today, we are asking for help for a very special cat.

Skinny Minnie is one of the longtime cats from Linda’s Colony and one of the friendliest we’ve ever cared for. Recently, she was turned in to the Humane Society, and we stepped in because we knew her story and wanted to give her a chance at care — and possibly even a home.

Minnie is estimated to be at least 14 years old. Her microchip shows she was first registered back in 2012. Over the past year living outside, she has lost a significant amount of weight and has become increasingly fragile.

We picked her up from the Humane Society and brought Minnie into a rescue to quarantine and monitor her before bringing her into our home with our cats, Moana and Snapple. Our hope was that if things went well, we would adopt her into our family so she could finally experience life indoors, surrounded by warmth and love.

In a short amount of time, Moana and Snapple accepted Skinny Minnie, and they were respectful of each other’s space and lived cohesively.

Since coming into our home, Minnie has shown us just how special she is. But we discovered that she was struggling with serious health issues. She had severe dental disease lalong with chronic kidney disease.

After careful discussion with our veterinarian, we made the difficult decision to move forward with a dental procedure, knowing the risks. At her age and with kidney disease, there was a chance she might not survive anesthesia, and we also knew the procedure could put additional stress on her kidneys.

But we wanted to address the source of her pain so she could eat comfortably and receive the nutrition and medication she needs without pain.

Minnie made it through the surgery, but unfortunately, the days following revealed that the anesthesia has significantly worsened her kidney function and into kidney failure.

Over the last two nights, Minnie has been hospitalized overnight, receiving monitoring and support. Unfortunately, the costs of emergency hospitalization are very high.

We are hoping to raise funds so Minnie can spend more time on IV fluids and supportive care to see if we can bring her home comfortably.

Our goal is simple:

We want to give Skinny Minnie the best quality of life possible for however many days or weeks she may have left.

Even now, Minnie continues to show us that she still has fight in her. She is still eating her food, still responding to love, and showing us she may not be quite ready to go yet.

She spent many years surviving outside, facing everything that life on the streets brings.

Now we want to give her something different.

A warm home.

Soft places to sleep.

Love and dignity for the rest of her days.

Any funds raised will go directly toward Skinny Minnie’s hospitalization, diagnostics, medications, and supportive care.

Any remaining funds after Minnie’s medical expenses will go directly toward food and medical care for the other cats of Linda’s Colony, who rely on us every day.

We are deeply grateful for any support — whether it’s a donation, sharing Minnie’s story, or simply keeping her in your thoughts.

Thank you for helping us give Skinny Minnie the love she deserves.

With gratitude,

Gina