Hi everyone, my name is Sydney Baldwin, and I’m raising funds for my sweet cat, Souffle. She just turned three this year — full of love, curiosity, and is as sweet as they come. She’s been my emotional support through college, moving, long nights of studying, and all the ups and downs that come with trying to figure life out as a young adult. She’s truly my best friend and my family.

For over a year now, Soufflé has been dealing with what I thought was just gingivitis. I noticed her gums seemed red and sore sometimes, and she had a harder time chewing her food. I did my best to care for her and thought with time and better dental care, it would improve. But recently, her symptoms got worse. She started eating less, flinching when she tried to groom herself, and seemed to be in pain even when I tried to pet her around her face.

After another vet visit, I learned something I wasn’t prepared for. Soufflé has stomatitis. It’s a severe inflammatory disease that affects cats’ mouths, where their own immune system mistakenly attacks the tissues in their gums and mouth. It causes constant burning, pain, and discomfort, even from something as simple as eating or yawning. It broke my heart to hear that my sweet girl has been silently hurting this whole time.

The vet told me that the best and only long-term solution to help her live pain-free is to have a full dental extraction meaning all of her teeth need to be removed. It sounds extreme, but cats can live full and happy lives without teeth — and most cats who have this surgery finally get relief from the pain they’ve endured for so long. The vet expects the surgery to cost around $3000, including the procedure, anesthesia, bloodwork, and post-care medications.

As a college student, that number was overwhelming to hear. I’m doing my best to balance school, work, and living expenses, and I simply don’t have the funds to cover such a large, unexpected medical cost. However I can’t just sit by and watch Soufflé continue to suffer.

That’s why I’m reaching out here — asking for help from friends, family, and kind-hearted strangers who understand how deeply we can love our pets. Soufflé’s been there on the hardest days, curling up next to me when I cried, making me laugh with her goofy little habits, and giving me comfort when I’ve felt alone. She deserves to feel better, to eat comfortably again, to play and purr without pain.

Any amount you’re able to give — truly, even just a few dollars — will go directly toward her surgery and recovery. And if you’re not able to donate, sharing the page also means the world to me. Every bit of help brings us closer to getting Soufflé healthy and happy again.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read her story and for caring enough to help. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for helping my sweet sweet kitty.

With love,
Sydney and Soufflé.