I'm starting this fundraiser for my little 6 year old kitty named Twister, who is a special needs fur baby with a spinal cord injury and who is unable to use his hind legs although his upper body strength is amazing! Here's a photo of Twister taken a few months ago.

About a month ago he developed a ravenous appetite and greatly increased thirst. He had had a urinary tract infection and was on antibiotics so I thought I'd wait about a week to see how the medication helped but he continued to have increased appetite and water consumption and was acting extremely lethargic so I took him immediately to my vet who did about $350 worth of blood work to try to figure out what was going on with him. 

He had at that point a mild pancreatitis, (inflammation of the pancreas), and was pretty severely anemic. My vet thought that it might be a blood parasite called mycoplasma so he was given a different antibiotic and a course of steroids. We returned a month later which was last Friday, to have a recheck of his blood and that showed that the anemia was still present and had not gotten that much better although he had maintained his weight and was still eating and drinking well but was greatly reduced in his amount of activity and was very lethargic still.

Our vet, Dr. Barbara Larson at All Cats Clinic in Fayetteville Arkansas, has referred us to an internal medicine specialist, Dr. Jarod Williams at Ozark Veterinary Specialty Care in Springdale, Arkansas, for further diagnostic test and evaluation. 

I just spoke with Dr. Williams who was kind enough to call although the offices are closed because of the awful winter storm that has swung through here and paralyzed everything! 

He believes that the best route to follow now is to do an abdominal ultrasound which will give a lot more definition of Twister's internal organs and could show whatever might be going on. We have an appointment on March 2 at 2:00pm. At that time Dr Williams will do an examination and ultrasound of Twister's tummy.  

The consultation alone is $165 and the ultrasound cost is $345 equaling $510. I've already spent nearly $350 on the lab work and exams that were done by Dr. Larson at All  Cats Clinic in Fayetteville, Arkansas. I am doing this GoFundMe fundraiser to raise money to help defray the cost of Twister's veterinary care. I, too, am a victim of spinal cord injury in my lumbar spine and neck. I'm totally disabled and on a very low fixed income so needing to come up with this kind of money is going to be almost impossible. It doesn't seem like a lot but it is when you consider how little money I have coming in especially now with the pandemic and the expenses I've had to incur to stay safe as I am high risk and 70 years old.

I have budgeted every month money for veterinary care for my cats but that is not enough to cover these costs which are extra for my dear little Twister. 

Dr. Larson is amazed that Twister has survived this long, he will turn 6 on March 19th. I have given him the best possible care for these years along with a large amount of healing energy as I am a Reiki Master. I don't want to have to have that end as just the thought of losing him because I wasn't able to give him the kind of medical care he needs and deserves is heartbreaking to me. Other than seeing this specialist for further evaluation, Dr. Larson tells me that palliative care is the only thing that can be done. I simply cannot accept that, so I'm doing this fundraiser in the hopes that enough people will see it and contribute any amount, as every little bit helps. I thank you in advance for any consideration you can give this dear sweet boy and me because it would break my heart to lose him. 

Please know that it's difficult for me to do a fundraiser because it is an embarrassment to me as a caregiver of a companion animal. I am sorely aware of  all the conditions we find ourselves in with the pandemic have added up to great financial stress for so many people. My heart goes out to each and every one who has inadequate medical care or is about to run out of unemployment or is homeless because of eviction or is lacking money to buy food to feed their families and themselves. My little cat seems very inconsequential in light of all the suffering that's going on in our country right now but I hold on to the hope that you will consider giving to this small cause. 

As I said any amount is incredibly welcomed and more appreciated than I can even say. Let's save little Twister, please? 

I thank each of you  in advance for whatever you can give. May you be abundantly blessed and may you stay safe and well. 

Thank you so much.

Twister's Mom, Pat