Hello! I'm Lauren, and this is my soul kitty, Rosie.

She's 10 years old and has been inexplicably losing weight. All the vet trips and tests so far have turned up pretty much nothing and completely depleted my savings. Having just moved interstate, my resources are extremely limited, and because she is the most important thing in my life I have been skipping meals just to scrape every dollar I can so I can continue to take her into the vet.

The next step is booking in a medical specialist to perform an ultrasound on her abdomen, which will require sedation and a stay at the vet hospital. This has been estimated to cost me 1500. I genuinely don't know what to do - at the risk of sounding "woe is me", bills are overdue, credit card is maxed, and I have absolutely nothing in my account until the next pay cycle.

I'm sure the majority of people are feeling the strain at the moment, given the current cost of living. Though I work full time, I've taken up extra work at my university in the evenings, and I still find myself in this position. If anyone has the capacity to spare even the tiniest amount, I would be so incredibly grateful - Rosie has been my rock for the last 10 years, and has got me through the hardest of times. She deserves only the best, and it breaks my heart that I'm currently struggling to provide that for her.

Thank you to everyone who is able to help or just takes the time to read - me and my girl appreciate you so much!

Update:

Rosie was taken to the urgent care vet this afternoon as she developed concerning respiratory symptoms. X-Rays revealed concerns regarding cardiac congestion and fluid in her lungs, and she needs to stay in the hospital overnight. The cost for this stay will be $2400, and there will likely be more following as the hospital administers more test. Any help is much appreciated as I do not have any funds available and Rosie's situation has become life-threatening.

Update 2:

I received an update from the hospital this morning. Her breathing worsened around 3am, and the fluid in her lungs has spread. New x-rays show her condition has deteriorated, and they're now running tests to determine if she has calcium deposits in her lungs. She's on antibiotics currently, and will need to stay another night to see if her condition improves - all of course increasing her hospital bill.

Update 3:

Rosie has been discharged today after her breathing has stabilised and some minor improvements have been seen since antibiotics. She has been diagnosed with Aspiration pneumonia, concurrent chronic bronchitis, bronchiectasis and pneumothorax. Although they're currently not certain if the antibiotics are actually helping, all they would be doing in hospital is continuing to monitor her, and they feel she would be more comfortable at home. While we continue the course of antibiotics, she will need regular visits to the vet over the next couple of weeks for x-rays to monitor the condition of her lungs.

Thank you so much to everyone for the support so far, words cannot begin to cover how much it means to me and Rosie!

Update 4:

While Rosie is semi-stable, we are continuing to investigate the root cause of her weight loss - she now weighs just 2kg and is skin and bone. She had her ultrasound and it appears she has one non-functional kidney, although the other appears to be compensating ok. They believe she may have a pancreas disease which is preventing the production of digestive enzymes, meaning she wouldn't be properly absorbing nutrients from her food. There are another 3 tests she needs to investigate this lead, and in the meantime she is being put on 3 medications to assist with her eating.

Update 5:

Unfortunately, Rosie's respiratory symptoms have worsened once again, and she is now in a state similar to when she was admitted to hospital. We have started her on another course of antibiotics.