Kitty found in need of medical attention

Update, Friday 7:30am: The vet called to say Tabby had had a bad night and gone into organ failure. They called the owner, which was their legal obligation, who authorized euthanizing Tabby. I was sad, and upset that I had not been consulted, but when we hung up, I saw that the owner had texted me at 6:50am to ask if I thought that was the right thing to do, so maybe, at the eleventh hour, she was a responsible pet owner.

I was so hopeful for a happy ending for this little cat. I'm so sad we couldn't save her, but so grateful that we were able to give her as much care and love as we all did. You are all in my heart.

Update: An update on our communal kitty. Things have not been going well for our little girl. She was put on a feeding tube today so they can finally get some food in her, but her liver is in a very bad way with hepatic lipidosis. The wonderful, kind vet said that clinically Tabby is not good. When they try to take blood it is very slow to come (which is apparently bad). The wonderful, kind vet said that if she doesn't do any better overnight, it might be time to consider putting her to sleep.

I know you are all wondering about her owners. We did, indeed locate them. They moved to Fitchburg on July 15 so that's how long she's been on her own. They cannot afford to take care of her, but the final decision about whether or not to surrender her to my proxy ownership won't be made until tomorrow. Should Tabby be surrendered, and if she makes progress, I do have an adoptive family lined up. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could get that far?

You have all been beyond kind and I honestly don't have the words for how touched I am by your willingness to help. I'll write again after I talk to the vet in the morning.

Original post:

This little 5 pound girl is a black tuxedo with four white paws and a black face. She's wearing a light blue collar with a little bell.

She was found trapped in a basement by a homeowner who had been away for several weeks. I swooped in to take her to the Emergency Vet group in Freshpond, not stopping to think about the cost. There was a cat in need! Who had time to count pennies?

She was horribly dehydrated and showing little in the way of signs of life, but after some IV fluids she perked up enough to look around some. That said, her medical state is still dire.

She is chipped, and it says her name is Tabby. The phone numbers associated with the chip have not responded to calls and she is still at the vet where they are trying to get her healthy. Not sure if there are underlying issues that will require ongoing care. I expect all will be revealed in time.

Here's the ask, they have my credit card and the bill as of this morning was up to $2,600. That's for initial assessment, meds and a 24-hour stay. She will be there at least another day, and possibly more. I have instructed them not to exceed $5K without a serious discussion. It's impossible to tell at this time what her prognosis is, but we want to do all we can to give her a future.

If you can help, I'll be most grateful. I'm working hard to try to find her owners, who may well accept financial responsibility, but of course, I can't know one way or the other. If you can't donate, please keep her in your heart.