Hello there, and thanks for taking the time to click on this fundraiser.

Newt is a gorgeous one-year-old Domestic Medium Hair girl, and the baby of the family. She stumbled into our lives as a stray kitten at about four weeks old, having been abandoned by her cat mama in our backyard (thanks again, Cat Distribution System!) and has been enjoying a lavish, exclusively indoor lifestyle with her two adoptive big brothers ever since. And yes, she was named after the little girl from Aliens (1986).

A common cuddle pile configuration

Newt as a baby!

Newt had been in good health until we noticed she was lethargic and refusing food. What we assumed to be simply a disagreeable hairball turned out to be something much more sinister.

Newt has unfortunately been admitted to an emergency vet ICU following difficulty breathing, and an X-ray which revealed pyothorax (the accumulation of pus around the lungs). She has since undergone major thoracocentesis under anaesthesia to drain the fluid, and is currently being treated with aggressive antibiotics and IV fluid replacement. The source of bacterial infection is unclear at the moment, but Newt is slated to have a CT scan in order to best inform her treatment.

Unfortunately, such intensive care comes at an incredibly high cost without pet insurance. As of writing, we have spent well over $6,000 AUD on 24 hours of treatment, scans, and pathology, and our finances are already stretched thin.

As the vet has informed us, Newt’s best prognosis is conditional to her staying in hospital for 3–5 days for drainage and monitoring. The minimum cost of hospitalisation for this period was quoted at $20,000 AUD, not including potential surgical costs. This is a life-changing amount of money for our family, and has prompted the immensely difficult conversation of whether euthanasia may be the most financially sound option.

But I know Newt wants to fight, and so do we.

With your help, we will be able to continue Newt’s treatment in hospital and give her the best possible prognosis, rather than risking much less favourable outpatient treatment. At only one year old, Newt has a lot of life left to live.

Please share and consider donating if you can: even the tiniest bit could help save our baby.

Thank you for taking the time to read this far. Much love from Newt’s mama <3