My name is Owen. I am a 19-year-old full-time college student studying Music Technology at the University of Central Missouri. I am a member of the Missouri National Guard, and I have two part-time jobs. I was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder at a young age and have suffered off and on throughout my life.

Recently, I decided that because of my long history of living with pets, I would benefit from adopting an emotional support cat to live with me at college. I adopted my friend Simon from a shelter in September and have fallen in love with him in the month since. Simon was a stray that was caught and placed in the shelter, where he stayed for almost eleven months. When I met Simon, we had an instant connection, and I felt that he had been at that shelter for so long because he was waiting for me to find him.

After about a week of living with Simon, I learned that he was quite active at night—even vocal. One night in particular, I noticed that Simon was crying quite loudly. I trusted my instincts and took Simon to the vet in the morning. I later received a call from the vet stating that Simon had a double ear infection and that his gums were infected. This news was very confusing as I had JUST adopted him. I paid $500 out of pocket and began giving him medicine. The vet had me schedule a dental appointment for him to get his teeth cleaned about a month later. I contacted the shelter from which I adopted Simon, and they claimed that they were not responsible for funding Simon's dental appointment, as there was no way to tell he was in poor health while he was in their care. The shelter even went as far as to suggest that the vet I took Simon to was simply exaggerating the severity of his condition. In the end, I was only able to talk the shelter into paying only $250 of what would end up being another $500 vet bill.

The day of his dental appointment (10/13/2025), I received a call from the vet telling me that Simon's gingivitis had caused him a serious case of periodontal disease and that he would require a full mouth extraction of all of his teeth. I was at a loss for words. The vet estimates the procedure to cost anywhere from $1,200-$1,500, and I simply cannot afford to help Simon alone.