Snowy, the red Siamese, “adopted” my wife, Kae, in late January 2024. Siamese cats pick one person and that person is THEIR PERSON. Snowy tolerates others, but Kae is HIS PERSON. Losing him after only a year and a half would break her heart.

Friday, 11 July, we were supposed to head to Huntsville, AL to visit my publisher. Early that morning, we realized that Snowy was a sick kitty. We took him up to Jefferson Animal Hospital, where we learned that he has Diabetic Ketoacidosis AND Immune-Mediated Hemolytic Anemia or IMHA. The vet told us that the prognosis was ‘guarded.’ We immediately cancelled the trip.

Diabetic ketoacidosis is the blood in the body turning acidic, but is relatively easy to treat with large doses of insulin. Snowy, during his hospital stay, got that and it brought the DK under some control.

IMHA is the percentage of blood that is the red blood cells. Normal percentages are forty to fifty percent. Snowy’s was below twenty percent, which was life threatening.

The treatment for IMHA is large doses of steroids, which generally causes problems with diabetes. This required special treatment that Jefferson Animal couldn’t provide, so after spending Friday and Saturday at Jefferson, we transferred him to Metropolitan Veterinary Specialists hospital.

He has markedly improved and should come home Friday.

Kae is employed, but I am now retired, living on a fixed income.

This is horrendously expensive. We do not have funds to pay for his extended hospital stay and will have to use credit cards to pay for it and start racking up massive interest charges, which as many of you know can quickly spiral out of control. Any donations, of any amount, would be greatly appreciated and a lifesaver for Snowy, as he will now need twice daily doses of insulin for the rest of his life.

I realize these are tough times. If you can’t help financially, please help by sharing Snowy’s story to help this special kitty and his mommy. Thank you so much for your time and support.