Let’s get Gus peeing again to save his life...

Hello everyone! This is the most bizarre thing I’ve ever done but desperate times call for desperate measures. I am the proud mother to one year old rescue cat, Gus.


Gus was found straying between cars in Birmingham when he was just a few weeks old, and when he was picked up he was found to have herpes and chlamydia which he caught from his stray mother during birth. I was lucky enough to take on this poorly boy and his healthy brother, Dougal. I didn’t expect the bond between me and these boys to become so deep so quickly, but they captured a large piece of my heart and are firmly holding onto it.


Sixteen days ago, Gus wasn’t himself. This usually outgoing, roaring boy who lives on our shoulders or in our arms was vomiting and hiding. We took him to our brilliant vets straight away where they established he had a urinary blockage and his bladder had swelled enormously where the urine couldn’t escape. They rushed him into surgery to no avail, they couldn’t get a catheter in him to drain the blockage. They used a needle to draw out the urine to try and relieve some of the pressure that his full bladder was putting on his kidneys but that was all they could do except send Gus higher to a referral hospital. We drove Gus down to Somerset immediately and he soon went into surgery where they managed to place a catheter to start draining him.

The pressure in his bladder forced urine out of the needle hole used earlier to draw out his urine, and his abdomen filled with toxin-filled wee causing his heart to slow down and sending his kidney levels through the roof. The catheter they placed had to stay in for 70 hours, and he caught an infection from this so needed antibiotics. Despite raging cystitis Gus tried and tried to wee on his own but couldn’t, and we couldn’t risk any more complications. An external catheter was inserted through his abdomen last weekend and the amazing team have been draining it every six, eight and twelve hours since.


Gus is still not weeing on his own. We are running out of time. If he doesn’t manage to wee on his own then he will be put forward for a truly invasive amputation surgery to remove his penis to widen his urethra hole. This is the absolute worst case scenario we have spent the last 17 days trying to avoid. But if it comes to it and it won’t cause him any suffering then we will need to find the additional £3500 for the PU surgery.

(photo from the nurses at the animal hospital)

So far we have spent £1135 at our own vets. Gus’ insurance limit per condition is £1000, so that has covered one night out of seventeen.


So far the bill is just short of £5000, which we will need to find ourselves. I am chronically ill and largely housebound due to Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS) and had to stop my business in 2017. I volunteer online with Helping Dogs in Romania to help Romanian street dogs and kill shelter dogs find safe homes in the UK because I am so passionate about animals living out their long lives and potential. My other half Dan is in his second year of a Business Management degree as a mature student, so has no earnings coming in as he’s juggling a diagnosis of adult ADHD with deadlines and adult life, as well as looking after me and my reduced mobility. There is no family to help us with a loan, we are completely on our own with this. And my goodness do we feel alone.




If it comes to a decision between money or this animal who owns a chunk of my beating heart then what can I possibly do?




He doesn’t deserve to die because of our financial situation, the life of an animal is worth more then all the money in the world to us, but the reality is we will need to pay for his procedures and surgeries and I am in pieces trying to achieve that.

Please help Gus live to see his second birthday in August. His brother needs him. Our dog Brontë needs her baby back to give him a good clean. We need our little boy here at home.




I am shamelessly begging and asking for any support to help pay for the treatment our sweet boy needs. Anything you can give will help. Thankyou so much from my family to yours. With your help I can hold my little boy Gus again.