Hey! My name is Hope, and I’m from Sauk Rapids, MN.

Featured here is my (not so) little kitty Frankie. We adopted him very early 2025, but it’s felt like so much longer. He’s very sweet and loving towards everyone he meets and can’t ever seem to get enough pets. He tends to follow people around the house as he always wants to be held and cuddled for as long as he can be. Never in my life have I been blessed enough to experience a type of companionship as Frankie has shown me.

Frankie has been around for some of the hardest parts of my life. Around the time he was adopted, my housing plans had fallen through, and I didn’t have a home for a couple of months (what most people consider to be homeless). While I was couch surfing between different homes and sleeping in my car, Frank had always been with me. While I was working almost 7 days a week to build up finances, I always had Frank to look forward to on my way home. Every night he sleeps on my chest, and we’ve rarely spent a night apart since I adopted him.

As of last week, my car has become undriveable due to complications with the engine. We had an emergency fund to work with, and was in the process of looking around for options to replace the engine with it.

In efforts to raise my spirits, Frank had decided to consume a hair tie.

Although a (not so) considerate effort, we called the vet immediately. The vet had refused to see him. For TWO days, the vet had told us there was nothing to worry about as long as he wasn’t vomiting. He still wasn’t acting himself, and I knew something was wrong. On the third day, he had an excessive amount of blood in his stool, and we decided to bring him to an emergency vet in the Twin Cities. The clinic gave him an x-ray, which we then discovered that not only did he not just have one hair tie, but SEVERAL hair ties. More than we can fully make out. We’ve always kept a habit of keeping them away from Frank (which we’ve now discovered didn’t work), and it’s suspected he may have had some of these before we even adopted him. The vet had mentioned it had to have been an act of God that he hadn’t passed away, and he should get life saving surgery asap.

This surgery costed a bit over $3,000, which I fear is an uncomfortable amount to be taken away so suddenly.

I couldn’t fathom the idea of letting my sweet boy go. I didn’t work this hard to build a life for us and let it end this way. Without a doubt I put all of my savings into saving his life, including my emergency fund. Although I have no regrets in doing so, I fear there are now no more funds for a functioning car, emergencies, or towards paying off his incoming vet bills.

We decided to ask for help, as even the smallest amount helps not only pay off the surgery but to help with the finances the surgery is ultimately putting us behind on.

If you made it this far, we appreciate the read. If you’re unable to donate, even a share helps. Thank you, and God Bless <3