Late on the night of 07/15, I noticed my sweet cat Sol—aka Monkey, thanks to his adorable curled tail—was crying in pain and struggling to pee. He kept licking himself and seemed increasingly distressed. I rushed him to the emergency vet, where an ultrasound showed a dangerous buildup of crystals in his bladder.

They sent us home with medications for pain and inflammation, along with a prescription for Royal Canin Urinary SO food. But by the next morning, Monkey still hadn’t peed—it had been nearly 24 hours, and he was clearly getting worse. I brought him back immediately.

Sure enough, he was fully blocked. The vet told me he wouldn’t have survived another day. They had to put him under and insert a catheter to remove the large blockage, then kept him for another 48 hours to flush his bladder and monitor his recovery.

Thankfully, he’s still with me—but he’s not out of the woods yet. He’s still struggling to urinate and it will be a long road to full recovery, including a lifelong prescription diet. Monkey is just over a year old, full of life, love, and sweetness. I had to do everything I could to save him.

The emergency visits, surgery, hospitalization, and follow-up care have added up to nearly $7,000 (thank you Care Credit), but this hit at a really difficult time. I’m humbly asking for help—every single dollar truly makes a difference right now.

If you’ve met Monkey, you know he’s the most lovable little guy, and he means the world to me. Thank you for reading, sharing, and supporting in any way you can. ❤️