Hi I'm Val, a Reno local. I've served my community for about four years as a barista at Hub Coffee Roasters. I am also a Nevada alumna and now work in biomedical research at UNR.

My beloved cat, Papaya, starting having trouble breathing on Tuesday, August 5, and I took her to urgent care. They performed chest x-rays and found fluid built up in the space around her lungs coming from an unknown infection. They drained the fluid and monitored her until her breathing improved and sent her home that night hoping broad-spectrum antibiotics would do the trick.

On Friday morning, I rushed her to the emergency vet because she was having trouble breathing again. The fluid had come back and I was advised to hospitalize her so they could place chest tubes to drain and monitor the fluid. Through ultrasounds, they have identified a pocket of fluid in her mediastinum, the area of your chest where your heart and many important blood vessels lie. Chest tubes can't reach this space and the doctors have agreed that Papaya will need surgery to treat the root of this infection.

To make this situation even worse, there are the finances of it all. In total, Papaya's vet bills will exceed $25,000. I do have insurance as a responsible pet owner but the amount I have to cover is tremendous and we will exceed our annual limit. She will also need check-ups, blood work, and scans done regularly to ensure her recovery. They won't do surgery on Papaya without the money up front, and I am reaching out in the hopes that my community can help me give sweet Papaya the care and recovery she needs and deserves. She’s only three years old and still has so much life left to live.

We miss Papaya at home and can't wait to have her back. Thank you for your support!

<3 Val, Trace, Waylon, & Kiwi