Hi friends, I would like to open my heart to you all about a tragedy that has happened. One of my loved beings, my cat Bibi who is only two years old (Taco de Birria is his full name), is hospitalized and severely ill. He needs urgent surgery to stay alive.

Medical costs for pets are terribly expensive, and these past few months have been difficult, getting by thanks to small miracles.

Any sort of help for Bibi's surgery would be greatly appreciated, whether it be $5 or $10. Currently, the immediate bills for his urgent care stay, hospitalization, and surgery will add up to over $5,500. He will need repeat visits to the vet to monitor his condition, and to be put on medicated diet for the rest of his life. Because he does not have pet insurance, these costs are funds we do not have.

The bills put me in a difficult position, and I had to discuss putting Bibi to sleep with the vet. Twenty-four years ago, I was put in a similar situation, when I was pregnant with my second baby, and was urged by doctors to get an abortion to save my life. I firmly refused, knowing that nothing could convince me to give up on the life of my child. Unfortunately, the choice was taken away from me, and I lost my baby before I could meet him. Now, my Bibi, who has given me so much love, happiness, strength, and reason to live, is fighting for his life too. This time, I want him to help him survive.

For those of you who are able to donate large amounts and would like to receive my art as a form of thanks for your generosity, feel free to contact me for prints, as well as commissioned drawings and original paintings from my collection. You can view examples of my art through my Facebook and message me there.

https://www.facebook.com/malinallizapata?mibextid=wwXIfr&mibextid=wwXIfr

For my paintings on sale: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/11BmfaamMFLP1Wqt3GPyA-94Gp0MUJG5TksgGSNO3bTw/edit?usp=drivesdk&usp=embed_facebook

If you are curious about Bibi's condition: He was diagnosed with Feline Idiopathic Cystitis (FIC), which caused a blockage of his urinary tract. This elevated his potassium and creatinine to deathly high levels, putting him at immediate risk for a heart attack and kidney failure. I understand how much pain and fear he must be going through. He needs an urgent perineal urethrostomy surgery to save his life.

Bibi is a beautiful black kitty of two years old, who loves bird watching and playing with his toy springs. He has a littermate named Chocho (Chorizo de Soya) who he has never been apart from. Today I visited Bibi at the hospital, and the nurse told me how much all the vets love him, as he's a very docile and gentle cat. If you would like to see more photos of him and Chocho, I'd be more than happy to share them.

I thank you again from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to read through this, and for your support for my me, my family, and my cat companions.