Help pay for Georgie's Emergency Surgery

Help with Georgie's medical bills.

Georgie has always been our family tiger. He was given to us at 6 months old, and he's been with us for about 3 years. He's one of the sweetest boys we've ever taken care of, and we wouldn't be the same family without him. He's extremely sociable and loves getting affection from unsuspecting guests who end up loving him as much as we do. His endless curiosity and love for exploring the unknown makes him our little explorer. He was an inseparable part of our family, but things took a turn for the worst on July 26th.

That morning, we saw Georgie straining in his litter box. We mistakenly thought it was just constipation, but we were dead wrong. Soon, he began acting erratically, starting scuffles with our other cat, Grey. We were confused because they are best friends. We didn't realize the fighting was Georgie lashing out in pain, or that he was isolating himself and aggressively grooming his hind region. As a low-income family, our plan was to call the low-cost ASPCA clinic for an appointment in the morning. We weren't prepared for the hell that was coming that night.

The final warning sign was impossible to ignore, red splotches of blood on the living room floor. We all began to panic. It was late, and a quick search showed our only option was a 24-hour emergency pet hospital. I got Georgie into his carrier and ran for the bus. The ride was awful. He kept yowling in pain, and I felt so heartbroken and stupid for not taking an Uber. At the hospital, they did a quick exam and confirmed my fears, he had something serious, and only had a couple of hours to live. Their technician wasn't on staff to do the surgery. They let me know that this condition could kill him in a matter of hours.

I ran out with Georgie and caught another bus to a different emergency hospital. That ride was indescribably terrible. It was midnight, and the bus was empty except for us. I’ll never forget the look in Georgie's eyes as I tried not to cry. When we arrived, they took him in immediately and gave me estimations for a surgery. The surgery had to be done now. The cheaper estimate was around $1,600, but with a high chance of him re-blocking. The more expensive option, with a lower chance of reblockage involved a 3-day hospital stay and would cost between $6,000 and $8,000. The only other choice was euthanasia.

These numbers seemed impossible. As a 19-year-old unemployed student, with what money? My mom has debts of her own, and I knew she couldn't take this on. I felt so torn up, thinking about how devastated my mom and little sister would be. I had to make a choice. Thinking of Georgie, who was just hours away from dying, I chose the more expensive option to ensure he was monitored and wouldn't reblock. Just before they took him in, he looked up at me from his cage and chirped.

To pay for the surgery, I had no choice but to borrow the full amount from two medical credit lenders, CareCredit and All Pet Card. They gave me the money needed to save Georgie’s life. I’m so relieved and grateful to say that he recovered wonderfully. After two weeks, he is back to his healthy, happy self. Now, I am faced with paying off these debts.

I am creating this GoFundMe to ask for help in paying off the medical bills from Georgie’s life-saving surgery. Any funds raised will go directly to these debts and his lifelong food needs. Your support would support me, and my family, from these financial debts. If you're unable to donate, I completely understand. Just reading our story means the world to me. To whomever is reading this, I wish you all the best.