In Memory of Callie and Grandma, Aid Jorge

Hi friends. I never thought I would do something like this, but life has been really tough lately. On March 28, my 13 year old Persian cat, Callie, left this world. I took her to the vet for what I thought was an upper respiratory infection, but found out that she had severe asthma (along with a list of other issues) and couldn’t breathe on her own anymore. She was at the emergency vet for over 6 hours and never came home. On June 12, my sweet and sassy cat Grandma left this world. She was over 17 years old, and her poor little body completely gave out. She stopped eating, drinking, could no longer walk without falling down, could not sit comfortably and was incontinent. Five days later, I took my one remaining cat, Jorge, to the vet as he seemed to have mouth or tooth issues. They diagnosed him with an advanced stage of Feline chronic gingivostomatitis - an autoimmune issue where the body attacks any plaque in the mouth due to a developed allergy. They determined that all of his teeth besides his four canines would need to be removed as soon as possible. I just brought him home from the vet after his procedure, but he still has a road to recovery including additional vet visits to make sure he has healed okay and monitor the progress of the disease, as there is a 40% chance that the surgery won’t solve this problem. All of this to say, I lost two of my babies forever and my one remaining boy underwent a major surgery within the span of 12 weeks. Vet expenses are to be expected when you own animals, but over seven thousand dollars in 12 weeks isn’t something I ever anticipated, especially with the outcome of two of them never coming home again. I spent over $5,000 at the emergency vet getting Callie in an oxygen tank to attempt to stabilize her + other treatments, over $300 for humane euthanasia and cremation services for Grandma, and over $1900 for Jorge’s surgery and treatment so far. More than $7,200 in vet bills in a three month period has put a serious strain on me, on top of losing two of my longtime best friends and being in constant worry of my remaining cat. I know times are so tough financially for everyone right now, but every single cent would be so cherished and appreciated from the bottom of my heart. All of the emotional support and kindness I’ve received in the past three months have meant the world to me, and I am so lucky to be surrounded by such caring people. I truly could not get through of this without all of you ❤️