Milan showed up at our door in October of last year, and from the first time we met, he came up to our door as if it were his home. He was so friendly and loving, we thought he could be lost, so we posted his picture in a couple of groups only to learn that he didn't belong to anyone. Because he was so young, we went out and started getting food for him, and he would come back every morning like clockwork. My daughter and Milan bonded instantly, so we knew it was only a matter of time before he would become a permanent part of our family. We took him to the vet to get all his shots, and the rest was history. We played with him, bought him toys, and even an outside house to make sure he had a nice place to rest on days he just wanted to enjoy the weather.

When the winter months came, he stayed inside with us, and as soon as it warmed up, he would be outside during the day and come back home every night. He absolutely loved being outdoors, chasing birds and bugs, and hunting in the grass. Most days, he would just hang out on the porch waiting for our return.

Well, everything changed the night of Tuesday, June 24th when we heard him from outside yelling in pain. We quickly rushed to the door to find out that Milan had been hurt. As soon as he got in the house, he collapsed in pain, and we realized very quickly that something was wrong with his rear leg. He tried to get up a few times but struggled. We noticed that his back leg was not moving and figured it was broken or dislocated. We rushed him to the vet, still not knowing what was wrong but trying to comfort our cat the best way we could during our 30-minute car ride, which seemed like forever. Once we arrived, they took him in the back and did X-rays. When they returned an hour later, we received the worst-case scenario. They told us his femur was shattered into so many pieces that surgery wasn't an option, and there was nothing they could do to save his leg. My heart instantly broke because how could this have happened to him? He was such a good, easy-going cat and never bothered anyone; there's no way this is his fate. Originally, we thought that maybe he got into a fight with another cat or maybe he fell and landed wrong on his leg, but the vet said that looking at the X-rays, it had to be something very strong to break that bone because of how strong it is, which led her to believe he was struck by a car. So now we are faced with two options: either amputate his leg or put him down, and after crying myself to sleep that night, we decided that his life is still worth living even after losing a limb. However, now we are faced with the financial burden of the surgery, which could not have come at a worse time, as I am expecting my second child in November and planning a wedding in June. So much of our savings have already gone to these events, and I do not want to lose our cat because it was cheaper to put him down than to save his life. He is currently in the hospital because he has to be heavily medicated due to the amount of pain he is in, and wait until there is an opening for the surgery he needs. We are ultimately asking for help to cover his medical bills and the cost of the surgery to save his life, so he can get back to the fun-loving, adventurous cat he was before. Anything helps, and I thank you in advance for any support. God bless.