Hello friends! Please take 2 minutes to watch this video I created to support my cat and raise money for her surgery; she’s an angel and it would mean the world to me!


About us
My name is Hannah (left) and I love my cat Alice (white blob to the right) more than almost anything else in this world. I study journalism and mass communication and American Indian studies at Iowa State University. I write for a not-for-profit e-zine called Go! Magazine that teaches high school teens in the classroom about transportation, encouraging them to pursue a career in STEM. Despite my work with Go!, which helps to cover most of my living expenses, I don't have enough money to cover Alice's pressing medical expenses.

***For a quick and visual telling of our story, check out the video I created for Alice's campaign here.



What I'm raising money for
I'm raising money for my kitty, Alice, who was recently diagnosed with severe dental disease at just 4 years old. The money I'm fundraising will be used to help pay for Alice's medical expenses. Alice needs almost half her teeth pulled (cats have 30). Alice's teeth are rotten and decaying—some teeth have fallen out, leaving the rotten tooth root behind inside her gums. The rotten/broken teeth cause Alice an increasing amount of pain when she eats (though some of her pain has been temporarily relieved with kitty pain killer).

***You can see the effect of the dental disease in the image below.


When cats stop eating, their liver shuts down in a matter of days and they will die; this is what the veterinarian told me the night I took Alice to the ER to figure out why she'd stopped eating, and why her mouth appeared so wounded all of a sudden. The swelling (shown above) overcame her entire mouth. She couldn't eat or drink before we introduced her to the pain killers, which temporarily restored her appetite. We got to the emergency vet at ISU not a second too soon.



Best laid plans
I know what you're thinking, $1,500 to cover a cat's medical expenses may seem like an absurd thing to ask for—but Alice is family, and she's only 4 years old. Any pet owner knows that our pets, more often than not, feel less like an animal and more like a friend. That said, if she were an older cat, it would be no issue; I have no problem making rational decisions when it comes to the best logically laid plans.


For example, at this time last year, I took my 1-year-old hamster to the vet (she had a tumor in her paw) and after the doctor gave me my options, I chose to put my hamster down almost immediately. I cried my eyes out, but I knew what was best. Putting Alice down wouldn't have been best, and the only alternative is somehow collecting enough money for her surgery. I need the money as soon as possible.

Asking for help
When it comes to asking for help, that's something my mom taught me—through her actions and words—should be a last resort. You ought to be strong for yourself first, and that's a lesson I reaffirm in my actions every day. That said, financially, this issue is beyond me. It's a lot easier to "be strong," when it doesn't involve having a certain amount of money.


When it comes down to it, I wasn't going to let my cat—admittedly my best friend—die. The only way to make sure we can stay together is to get her teeth removed; if there was some other way to make this work, trust me when I say I would've found it already. 

Gratitude
Sometimes all you can do is put your story out there, pray, and promise to pay it forward. To anyone who has the means to help us and chooses to do so: my gratitude to you is eternal. Sometimes the sadness of the world is too much for me, but simple things like my cats and small acts of kindness keep me going. I am short in money, but not short in heart, and when I have the means to give back in the same way—I promise you all I will do so.


Thank you.