Rascal's vet expenses

On paper, we adopted this stray cat in 2013, but we know that Rascal was the one who adopted us. He is our first real pet and a special, one-of-a-kind cat. As first time fur parents, we learned how to care for a pet and figured things out along the way, but we always tried to do our best. Rascal is sweet and friendly, almost a dog in a cat's body. If he was in Hogwarts, he would definitely be a Hufflepuff. He loves belly rubs., which we learned was not typical of cats. We also learned that cats do not like wearing costumes, but Rascal has been surprisingly tolerant of our efforts and has worn many costumes over the years. We started a Facebook page in 2015 to share his costumes, his antics, and his stories.

When we were rubbing his belly sometime this past November, we discovered a hard lump in his lower abdomen. Combined with lethargy and decreased appetite, we took him to the vet and received this most heartbreaking news: Rascal has cancer.

Rascal is seeing an oncologist. It has been a slow going process of getting Rascal examined, diagnosed, and considering treatment options, especially with this starting from Thanksgiving and already going into the New Years. The oncologist has not been able to determine what cancer Rascal has, even with sending aspirate samples to a pathologist, who is 80-90% sure it is an aggressive cancer. Fortunately, Rascal is not in pain currently, and, honestly, we would have thought he was just getting old and tired if it were not for the lump in his abdomen. The ultrasound has revealed a second mass inside where a major artery runs, making it too risky for surgery. The surgeon did not recommend surgery even for the mass in his abdomen, saying it's still a major surgery and not worth putting Rascal through the pain and recovery process. We have decided on chemo to hopefully manage the tumors, slow their growth, and possibly decrease their size. We are trying our best to consider Rascal's needs first without sacrificing his quality of life.

The cost of exams, tests, appointments, and now treatment is adding up already, so we are asking for a little help from Rascal's friends and fans for sweet Rascal. Thank you!

Every little bit helps. If there are excess funds remaining after covering Rascal's expenses, we will donate it to a pet charity.