
Steinway’s Ultrasound & Hospitalization
Donation protected
Hi, my name is Coral. I’ve had the joy of being Steinway’s parent for the past two years, since I adopted him in Lincoln, Nebraska. Anyone who knows me probably knows Steinway - he’s one of the strangest animals I’ve ever met, and absolutely the sweetest cat. His headbutts come with heart emojis, and his purrs could drown out an industrial machine.
Two months ago, after throwing up ~10 times, I took Steinway to the vet thinking he had swallowed some earplugs. He stayed there for four nights on an IV, he took some x-rays that only showed a huge buildup of defecation, and he was sent home thinking that was the end of it. Luckily, I had gotten cat health insurance a couple months before for his other issues (overgrooming and anxiety), but I had forgotten that the annual reimbursement limit was $3,000 through ASPCA.
Steinway has since been to the vet’s (through emergency calls) five times. Once for seemingly no reason (which later turned out to be dehydration, and an infection in his lungs), another time when I thought I had fed him bad cat food (throwing up multiple times again), and three times in the past month of unexplained gastrointestinal issues. A combination of vets have given him diagnoses such as megacolon and pancreatitis (which have so far been disproven), and now we’re potentially thinking all of these visits have concerned a foreign object stuck in his system (likely those earplugs we never saw on the x-rays two months ago).
Steinway’s currently hospitalized and getting fluids, with an ultrasound scheduled for tomorrow (10/8/23). With our insurance unable to help out, I’m trying to find ways to pay for the accumulation of procedural expenses now totaling $6,000. As a grad student, this is two month’s of my pay and an amount that is very difficult for me to afford right now. I understand that our current economic environment is not very forgiving, and that money is important to everyone. I am incredibly grateful for any support during this extremely stressful and difficult time. The love I’ve only known and experienced through cradling Steinway’s small, tender body is worth everything to me.
Organizer
Coral Douglas
Organizer
Ithaca, NY