Hi there, my name is Brent and I'm fundraising on behalf of my cat, Taro.

On September 16th, 2023 Taro suddenly developed a blockage in his urethra that prevented him from urinating. This is a critically life-threatening emergency for a cat. After taking him to the veterinarians, they said the outlook was fatal for him within the next few days unless he receives an emergency set of operations that:

A) unblocks his urethra so he can urinate again

and

B) reroutes his urinary tract so that blockages have a much lower chance of occurring.

The doctor stated that doing this urinary tract rerouting essentially changes Taro from a male cat to a female cat as their anatomy will be nearly identical from this point on. They (Taro) will be subject to issues that female cats face from now on as a result of this surgery.

The cost of both these life-saving operations comes to a total of $8000.

Taro is an integral part of The Shartment, the odd yet catchy name my 5 roommates and I gave to our small apartment that we live in. He goes by many names: Taro, Tanko, Tinko, Stinko, Squinko, Squinky, Squinkus...the list goes on. Saving his life is not only important to me as his caretaker, but those that he lives with. He is also a registered emotional support animal for one of our roommates that cares for him deeply and depends on his affection.

About myself, I am an academic advisor for students at low-income schools across San Diego. I do my best each day to help these students succeed in high school and assist them in attending the universities of their dreams. That being said, working in this section of education doesn't pay well enough to reasonably cover the cost of emergency surgeries. If living with 5 roommates weren't indication enough, I am struggling financially.

To help remedy the financial struggle, the funds will be used towards the monthly payments for each of these operations as well as bulk payments to lower each monthly payment.