Smol has changed so much, I need to add an update right up front. She is doing really, really well, considering that she could barely walk at the beginning of this journey. Now she runs (lopsided but adorbs) and climbs with her claws. She needs fewer medicines. It's clear that she has some kind of genetic thing with dwarfism - she got longer but not taller. She is very happy, aside from the insane jealousy when we pet our other cat.

The goal now is to get her spayed. She's healthy enough for it, but only with high level care at a university veterinary hospital. We've been saving and are still falling short of the roughly $2000 it costs. In the meantime, she's in and out of heat. Doesn't seem too torturous for her, no yowling, mostly just laying on her side in what we call her sexy pose. But I'm sure it's not good for her body, and she pees everywhere.

Anything you can give will go towards that or her regular costs of medicine, prescription food, and blood tests. Thank you! 

See Smol's thoughts on TikTok @mysmolfry

Original post:

This is Smol. Smol has brittle bone disease and her body doesn't work very well. She eats a lot but is still barely three pounds at five months old. She can only take a few steps at a time and mostly stays in what we call her 'sleepy bag.' She should be grumpy and mean, right? She is so sweet! You look at her and she starts purring. She lays on her back to play with you, or sometimes just to beg for pets and scritches. Her eyes are so amazing - they glow orange from the inside. I LOVE HER

We named her SmolFry because she was found in a McDonald's drive-thru when she was about four weeks old. Tiny! I have fostered maybe 60 baby kitties for animal rescues, but she was the one we had to keep because she was so sweet, snuggled right into my neck the first time I picked her up and licked my daughter's hand while she petted her. We didn't know she was sick. After a few weeks with her, she wasn't acting her age - no climbing, jumping, running around. The first x-rays didn't reveal anything. While waiting for an appointment with a specialist, she got worse. Her back feet went from being slightly splayed (pointing out) to almost plantigrade (walking with feet flat on the ground instead of on the balls of the feet like most cats).

The second x-rays at a specialist showed that she had a metabolic bone disease, 'brittle bones.' Usually this is due to feeding cats pure meat or other bad diets, but Smol had been on canned and dry kitten food since we got her, so it's something genetic. Then she started having new problems, like not being able to poop and breathing too fast. Vet #3, one that only sees cats, has been amazing at helping us manage her problems and her pain with the right medicines and foods. They also recommended we go to the veterinary teaching hospital at UGA. After a six-week wait for that appointment, the new x-rays showed that a slight dip in her spine had developed into a deep dip and her ribs and chest had abnormalities, too. Smol is currently on a medication to help her retain calcium in her bones, and we will retest her in two weeks to see if it has helped anything.

Here's an x-ray of her back:

As you can see, it's already been a long journey with this sweet little thing. A lot has happened in a few months time.

Most pet parents would have her put down. I'm not doing that until she tells me it's time. She's way too happy and her spirit too joyful to give up now. But the frequent vet visits, special food, and kitchen counter full of medications are expensive (scroll down for an example). I'm several thousand dollars out of pocket already and my bank account looks grim. Please help me keep Smol going for as long as she wants to be going. Maybe her treatments will help (update: they are!!). Either way, she's here now, enjoying life, probably not even realizing what she's supposed to be able to do, and I'd like to keep her here for a lot longer.

Here were the costs for a vet visit on January 3, 2023:

Exam $64.50

Xrays $146.50

Blood tests $245.50 (to make sure her medicine is not making new problems!)

Medicines for the next month $114.80

Special food for the month $72.00

Total $643.30