On St Patrick’s day in 2018 I became the luckiest girl ever because I found the most perfect orange little cat. I was visiting my local Operation Kindness and saw the cutest little fluffy guy. I picked him up and he fell asleep in my arms, I knew I needed him and he needed me. I named him Mr Yams and took him home immediately.

Fast forward the last 7 years, he’s been with me through everything. Living 1,500 miles away from my family, and after working from home for years and living alone, we developed such a deep bond. He became my little prince.

On August 7, 2024 my world changed, I lost my twin sister. It was the darkest time of my life. To be completely transparent, I dealt with suicidal thoughts and my own mental hurdles as I dealt with my grief. I truly believe that he helped pull me out of that place. Taking care of him gave me a reason to get out of bed. He gave me a purpose when I didn’t feel like I had one.

On Monday November 10th, I came home from work after staying at my girlfriend’s Saturday and Sunday night. I noticed he barely ate any of the multiple bowls of food I left out. I could tell he was very lethargic and he wasn’t his normal bright self, I rushed him to the emergency vet. After a few hours, I got some pretty devastating news. He did not look like he was in good shape. After running some bloodwork, there was a lot out of whack. I was told he needed to be hospitalized that night or else he wouldn’t make it. I started bawling, I was in shock and my chest hurt for him. I feel like I failed him as a pet owner.

They quoted me ~$4,000 for the first 24 hours, but weren’t even sure if he would even make it with how bad his liver was. I decided I wasn’t going to give up on him, just like he never gave up on me. He’s only 8, I knew he had a lot more fight left in him.

They told me they would call me the next morning around 6-7am with an update, I didn’t sleep. The doctor called and let me know that he’s still very sick, and it’s going to be a long journey ahead. Diabetes was confirmed, but it looked like he had some more going on.

That day they ruled out a few different things. His thyroid was fine, FIV test was fine, a slight UTI, and he had an ultrasound which they were able to confirm that there were no tumors on his liver or any of his organs. They even told me that he didn’t even have to be sedated for the radiologist.. he just laid there.

From here there’s been a lot of calls from the doctors with not so much good news. I would wake up at 5am every morning just to wait for that call and visit him during my lunch. They were monitoring his blood glucose, ketones, and electrolytes, and it was basically a balancing act. One would go up, and another would go down. He wasn’t eating very much at all. They tried everything and basically told me he was a medical mystery. They haven’t seen a case like this. They consulted specialists and they mentioned he just needed more time. I tried to remain hopeful but was coming to terms with the fact that he may not be coming home, and that was a decision I needed to make soon.

On Saturday November 15th, I was getting ready for a walk for an organization to help support those affected by addiction, in honor of my late sister. Anxiously waiting for the call, I decided to call them first instead. No huge updates once again, they basically said that with him not eating, they would have to resort to a feeding tube. I told myself I couldn’t put himself through that discomfort.

I decided to still leave and go to the walk despite that not so good news. 10 minutes later I got another call that he was FINALLY eating. I have been praying to both God and my sister for a miracle, and it felt like it was happening. After the event, I came to visit him and he seemed more and more like his normal self. The doctor the said his bloodwork came back and basically everything looks PERFECT. Now the only thing is figuring out what insulin works for him, and can he maintain his electrolytes when they stop providing his fluids.

It’s November 16th and I’m so hopeful that he should be coming home within the next few days. I know our lives will be changing, but I would do absolutely anything for him. I maxed out one credit card for his first few days in the hospital, and about to max out the Care Credit card I have recently opened. So far, the cost of everything is right around $17,000, but he still needs a few more days before he can be sent home.

Myself and Yams are asking for your support during this difficult time. Whether a donation or prayer, any contribution is appreciated and will help make this transition for us easier. I’m dedicated to him 100% and will continue to try to give him the best life possible.