Queen Nala's Vet Bills

As many of you know, I found out that my little Nala had cancer about a month ago and was devastated, fearing the worst. I am beyond lucky to have her at home with me now, recovering and cancer free (for now), thanks to the incredible vets who looked after her. I need some help, though, and I'm very humbled and honestly a bit ashamed to be doing this, but here we go.

Basically about a month ago, I brought her to the vet because she was limping, which I wasn't too concerned about. She's 21 years old, so I figured she had arthritis and maybe pulled a muscle. Her vet decided to do an x-ray after not feeling any swelling or obvious fractures, and we discovered that there was a large lesion on her left leg bone, essentially eating the bone away and causing her to limp and be in pain. I was totally shocked - we've been through some other health scares together - she was diagnosed with renal disease and hyperthyroidism in 2016, along with high blood pressure - all of which have been kept under control with diet and medication. She's never acted or looked her age and always ruled the house, amazing everyone who hears that she is a supersenior kitty.



After freaking the F out at first and spending a week thinking it was our last one together, I took my vet's advice and brought her to a specialty vet hospital. She got an ultrasound and 3-view x-ray at as well as a needle aspirate to look at the cells in the lesion seen on her leg bone in her initial x-ray. They also saw a growth in her chest area that would require further investigation. To my (very happy) surprise, she was not cancer-riddled as feared but the lesion on her leg bone was definitely some form of cancer, likely a sarcoma. I was so worried that the vet would recommend euthanasia based on her age, but they said "age is not a disease" and suggested I meet with an oncologist the following week to talk about our options. 

The idea of amputating her leg had been brought up a few times and really scared me but after talking to her doctors and researching online, I learned that most dogs and cats do very well with 3 legs, and the alternative was that the cancer would continue to spread into the rest of her body OR her leg would fracture, which would be extremely painful for her and necessitate emergency surgery, which is dangerous for older cats - they need to be properly prepared for anesthesia. I had to think about it for a while but in the back of my mind I knew I would do anything I could to save my little girl. She's an incredibly special cat and has charmed everyone who's met her. She's also been by my side through many experiences - two apartments, multiple train rides and car rides, two video shoots, one book photo shoot (featured in Jim Tews' Felines of New York), a few different dogs (who were all more scared of her than she was of them), a few silly haircuts, getting used to her little brother Riley, and so much more.



After some thought (and honestly, panic) I decided to go ahead with the surgery, which would mean at least one night in the hospital. They also took a needle aspirate to study the cells in her chest growth, which is likely non-cancerous but we want to know more about what it is. One night turned into two, as she was slightly anemic and needed a blood transfusion before the surgery, as well as fluid therapy to make sure she was properly hydrated. I know she's a strong little girl, but I couldn't live with the idea that saving some money could give her a worse chance of making it through surgery. So we did it, and the surgery went wonderfully, and she is home with me new, recovering, high on gabapentin, and learning how to walk with three legs - she's already doing so well and I am in awe of this little animal. I can't believe it's only been 5 days and she's already getting to the litter box and back and actually ESCAPED her limited mobility pen yesterday and woke me up by meowing in my face. GIRL.

(drunk after surgery)

This is condensed (really), but I'm getting to the point now. I could not have asked for better or more caring, competent doctors. I thought they would think she was on her way out but they believed in her and agreed that she has plenty of life left in her. They did everything they could to help her make it through a major surgery and keep me informed. Unfortunately, as you might imagine, this cost... a lot of money. I thought I was prepared for how much ($7-8k), but with her age and co-existing health issues, they had to take many precautions - extra tests and procedures (echocardiogram to make sure her heart could handle anesthesia, the aforementioned fluid therapy, blood transfusion, extra night in the hospital etc.), we passed the amount I was prepared for a couple thousand dollars ago (currently at $13k and counting) and I'm starting to get kinda scared. There will also be a follow-up visit and possibly more testing and ultrasounds/x-rays on her chest to see what the growth is. That growth could then require medication. You probably get the picture. I've said goodbye to the cash, but I've also opened a CareCredit account and all I'm hoping to be able to do with this fundraiser is make a dent in my balance on there ($7000) before the APR goes up in 6 months. 

(at home in the DIY kitty hospital)

There are so many people out there asking for help and I don't pretend to be one of the most desperate or deserving. Please only give if you're in the position to do so. I'll be sending you a little something as a thank you. If you're not, please just send her your love and kind thoughts. We're also around if anyone wants to come visit - Riley is feeling kind of jealous so he wouldn't mind the extra attention. I wouldn't have made it through this past month if it wasn't for everyone reaching out and checking on us and just being so kind and supportive. It helps more than you know. Thank you.

Love,
Heidi
and Nala
and Riley (probably)