Hi, my name is Madi and I'm trying to raise money to give my cat Asher a fighting chance at life.

6 years ago, I adopted Asher after the family that adopted him as a baby abandoned him to the same shelter 8 years later. He had his own room in the shelter, as he was severely overweight and could not fit into the standard cages. I had never seen such a depressed and reclusive animal. As I sat with him for 20 minutes, he barely even nudged his head out of his cat house.

I chose to adopt him and took him home for free, as the shelter said nobody wanted him. They told me I saved him, and I believe he got a 2nd chance at life.

He is the most affectionate cat - I wake up in the middle of the night to him being the little spoon, and when he sits with me, he puts his paw on top of my hand. He is a big fan of loving slow blinks and will follow me everywhere I go. He loves cat nip and sunbathing. He has given me the gift of having a curious spirit full of love beside me.

During a heat wave last week, Asher became lethargic and slowly stopped eating - something atypical for a boy who loves to eat anything and everything. Seeing how weak he looked even though he'd still purr when I was with him, it was clear he needed medical care immediately.

At Urgent Care, they found him severely dehydrated with a backed up colon and irregular kidney with kidney stones. They performed an enema and he was able to pass stool but he is not out of the woods at all. It is still unknown what is going on.

Euthanasia was proposed to me or a $6,000 procedure to remove his blockage.

Unfortunately, I had to walk away with just the enema which allowed him to pass stool but he requires further medical care that would cost me tens of thousands of dollars. I am still receiving estimates and understanding further diagnostics for him, but the financial situation I am in due to my own life circumstances is putting me in a bad position to be able to afford medical care for him.

I have already paid $1,400 for my urgent care visit, around $120 for immediate food changes and medications, with a projected estimate of monthly medication and prescription food at $200.

My usual vet turned me away, stating I needed more specialized care with an internist. So an upcoming exam's estimate for a 2nd opinion will cost me between $500 - $1000 for more testing, and then ideally I'd like to take him to an internist to be able to see what is going on, which is estimated to cost $2,000 at minimum. I have been urged to run an ultrasound but as he is still constipated, he will also need x-rays, more blood work, 2 nights of hospitalization, and a manual deobstipation to be able to remove the blockage and hopefully see the ultrasound and receive more answers to move forward with medical treatment.

I'd like to give Asher the best life he can and it is clear he is in pain and uncomfortable at this moment. I have started to have to consider Euthanasia and it has been brought up to me as well due to the financial burdens looming and his age and quality of life at this time. Even At-Home Euthanasia will cost $1,000, as he does not tolerate the vet well and he deserves peace in his final moments.

Already racking up an estimated $5,000 worth of vet debt as a Graduate Student about to pull out hundreds of thousands of dollars of loans, who has been searching for a job for the past year with pre-existing debt, I am overwhelmed and concerned about being able to pay for my own bills as well as properly care for my dog, Mochi, who is also getting older being 10 years old, and is more susceptible to medical issues with an eye surgery she needs too.

Asher is currently hiding most of the day, even though he has begun to come cuddle as he typically does and some appetite has returned, he is still unwell and is clearly uncomfortable and in pain. He means the world to me and it breaks my heart with each passing day.

I want to give Asher a chance to keep going and get the proper care he needs. I don't want his life to be cut short due to financial barriers and his inability to get proper diagnoses and medical care to address his issues.

Given that I will have accrued $5,000 just in beginning stage diagnostic fees to figure out what is going on, I can only assume it will potentially cost upwards of an additional $5,000 - 10,000 if the issue is treatable with routine internist treatment, necessary procedures, and appointments.

Asher had an acute episode with this heatwave but I've noticed over the last year or so he has steadily lost a substantial amount of hair and weight. I would like to give Asher a chance at life by understanding the full picture of his health, including assessing quality of life at this time and if he has a chance to regain health and vitality with sustainable proper treatment and observation. It would break my heart to put him down prematurely before understanding if he can have this chance at life only because I cannot afford further diagnostics and treatment on my own at this time.

Pets give us everything and I owe it to him to put my all into giving him the best shot he has. Anything helps me pay for my existing accruing bills and for him to potentially live a long, healthy life. My priority will be his quality of life and comfort as I hopefully can learn more about his condition, but regardless of what happens, the overwhelming costs will remain.

I have attached my Urgent Care receipt as well as food, medications, and will continue to upload receipts upon invoice.

Thank you so much for reading his story.