If any of you have met me before, you would know that Leo was a very important, integral part of my life. He got me through very dark moments and, at times, was the only unconditional family I had. With Leo turning 12 on April 9, I was confident that I would be seeing many of his future birthdays.

Unfortunately, it became obvious that was not the case. His breathing became noticeably rapid, he stopped greeting us at the door, and he no longer got excited about eating. On March 25th, we took him to the ER where he had to be placed in an oxygen tank to stabilize his breathing. After many tests, vets concluded that he couldn’t breathe because fluid was building up in his chest. His results were inconclusive for the possible diagnoses. He either had wet FIP that lead to pleural effusion, chylothorax, or cancer. They removed the fluid and sent him home with steroids, antibiotics, and antivirals hoping it was the curable option, wet FIP.

Although it looked as if he was getting better and back to his normal goofy self. After our follow up appointment, he rapidly declined again. Once again, he was refusing food, sleeping all day, and breathing fast. On April 6, the ER kept him overnight hoping he would stabilize again. He never did. His breathing got worse as the fluid reaccumulated. His condition was worse compared to when he was initially examined. The likely diagnosis was advanced lung cancer. On April 7, we had to make the decision to let him go.

Thankfully, I had people that were kind enough to lend me some money so that Leo could get the help he urgently needed. I was hoping I could pay them back after his insurance claim went through. Ultimately, his insurance did not cover his medical bills, his euthanasia, or his funeral costs. I am now reaching out to others in hopes that I could pay for the remainder of the medical and aftercare bills and to pay back what I owe to those that kindly helped.

If you are able to donate, thank you so much. I can never thank you enough. If not, any way of sharing this page will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.