Help Sophia: A Sphynx Cat in Need of Urgent Care

Hello, my name is Artie Cabrera.

I received a call from Sophia's (10) previous owner on Thursday, May 2nd, inquiring if I'd be interested in adopting her because she was on her way to a shelter. (The owners are divorcing).

Having just lost my 16-year old cat, Scarlet, last month, I only requested that Sophia was in good health because I couldn't take on another sickly cat so soon, financially or emotionally. Plus, I have two cats at home, and one of them is 19.

Sophia's owner assured me that Sophia had just been to the vet, and received a clean bill of health.

When Sophia arrived Friday evening, I was saddened to see how feeble and malnourished she appeared compared to pictures I've seen. As you can see in the pictures I took of her on day one, Sophia's ears were encrusted with filth. And she was practically skeletal. It was obvious the owner wasn't being transparent about Sophia's health, and had been neglecting her.

Soon after, Sophia had what I could only describe as an episode or an attack I assumed was a seizure. It appeared to be more of a dental/mouth issue as she struggled to eat dry kibble at my cats' eating station. She didn't struggle as badly when I offered her wet food, but it looked agonizing as she chewed and occasionally winced and cried out in pain. Despite the pain, she inhaled the food, and had a second serving. The poor girl was starving.

When I called the owner to inform them of what had happened, they told me she must've been tired from the ride over, and that she was fine. Suffice to say, they wanted nothing to do with it.

When I contacted her previous vet in Florida to get a look at her medical records, they told me Sophia only had vaccines done, and not all the tests, as the owner promised.

Last Tuesday, my vet confirmed Sophia had bad teeth and gum disease, and would require bloodwork, x-rays, and a procedure to extract her teeth. When I called the owner to express my frustration and let them know that the procedure would cost somewhere in the ballpark of $1100-1200 dollars, they didn't answer, and still haven't after a week.

Sophia's been on antibiotics and painkillers since. She did well for a few days, and her energy and appetite improved. Unfortunately, she's taken a turn for the worse Monday evening, and hasn't come out from under her bedding to do anything - eat, use the bathroom, etc.

I'm at a loss, and am now stuck with having to care for Sophia, who may have underlying health issues beyond bad teeth. The owner is unreachable, and I would hate to surrender such a beautiful and affectionate cat to a shelter.

Your help would be greatly appreciated.

Please watch the video below as evidence of her condition.