On September 1st, 2025 I opened a door to a cat loudly meowing at me and trying to get inside my house. This cat had a badly swollen and infected eye, mange, and looked like skin and bones. I could count his ribs. I got him some food and put some Revolution Plus on him. He attacked the food. I took him to the emergency vet (vets were closed due to Labor Day). They scanned him for a chip and found none. They stated he was not emergent so stated I should wait until the next day and take him into the regular vet the next day.

I put him in a spare bedroom with more food. He ate three 5.5 oz cans of food that day. (My cats typically eat 1 - 1.5 cans a day, so this was quite a lot more than I was used to feeding a cat!)

The next day, I took him to the regular vet. He was dramatically underweight, had an abscess on his face, an eye that needed to be removed, diarrhea, and I found out that he is FIV+. He was given a lot of medications, and I took him home.

I got up the next morning and opened the door to feed him. He was unconscious on the floor, sprawled in an uncomfortable position as if he had collapsed. I gasped and picked him up. Colder, much colder than he should be. But still alive, and slightly responsive. I immediately drove him to the vet, crying the entire time, terrified that he would die in my arms.

The doctor reported he was in shock and dehydrated. He was given warming liquids and I reluctantly left him there to go to work. By the end of the day, the vet reported to me he was doing much better and in fact was acting very cranky. Relief!

We are still not sure why he went into shock, but suspect he had an unusual reaction to one or more of the medications he'd had the previous day.

I have been giving him his medications since, and he seems to be doing much better. His mange is clearing up, the abscess on his face drained, and he has gained 2.2 pounds over the past two weeks.

The next step is to get his eye removed (enucleation). After that, he will need to have some teeth removed and to be neutered.

I have already paid $900. The enucleation will cost $1200. I have not gotten a quote on the dental work, but based on past experience, I'm guessing it will be around $500. The neuter I can go to a low cost clinic for and can probably cover myself - it will likely be less than $100.

I understand it's a difficult time for everyone - I get it. I'm giving up a lot to take care of KitKat, and I'm okay with that, but I can't cover all of it. Even if all you can donate is a few dollars, every little bit helps. If you can't manage that, a share would be appreciated. Please consider helping me and KitKat so he can get back to a healthy life.