Support Pelusa's Journey to Recovery

Hello there, my name is Shalom, and I am raising funds to pay for Pelusa's medical bills and cancer treatment.

Let me tell you a little about Miss Pelusa -- the day we found her, she was meowing outside the window, and we took her in thinking she wouldn't make it through the night. Wrong -- the moment she had food in her belly, Pelusa started wobbling around the house with my senior dog (Iggy) right behind her, making sure she wouldn't hurt herself. Iggy had never been a mom, but they bonded in a matter of hours, and she adopted Pelusa as her own. Needless to say, Pelusa stayed with us and made our lives better.

She is sassy and knows what she wants. Whether it's wet food at 4am or head scratches while you're in the middle of a meeting; she knows what she wants and makes sure she gets it. She specially bonded with my mother and even meows at my mom when she walks around, talking about her day and for sure complaining about me kissing her again. After Iggy passed away in 2022 - Pelusa became cuddlier with us all. Before she was the "pet me when I say you can," type of cat but after the passing of her mom, she knew we were all sad and needed her then.

I made a promise to Iggy that I would care for her child and would make sure she had a good life. Unfortunately, Pelusa had to undergo emergency spaying due to pyometra in March 2024. I moved heaven and earth to be able to pay those medical bills. I begged the heavens to let me make good on my promise to Iggy. Now, I feel like I have failed Iggy because her child is sick, and I don't know what else to do.

What Happen to Pelusa --

We noticed Pelusa limping on May 1st but thought she must have stepped wrong climbing down the sofa or dresser (she loves that dresser). However, two days later we decided to take her to the vet, Banfield, to get checked. The vet charged me $649 to tell me they didn't see anything wrong, just a little inflamed. They did x rays to which they said for $50 more we can send them to be reviewed. I said please do so and they sent her home with Gabapentin with a checkup in two weeks. They told me they gave her a shot of pain medication and she should be back to normal.

A few days later, I noticed she wasn't putting any weight on her left front leg and was walking tiptoe on her right front leg. I went online with a vet nurse and told her the symptoms, she said, “it may be arthritis” and even sent me a link of Arthritis in cats. The vet had said my cat is between 4 and 5yrs old, so arthritis in a cat that young? “Ok,” I said and was waiting for the checkup scheduled for May 17th to bring this up with Pelusa’s doctor.

On May 11, Pelusa stopped getting up from her bed and I knew there was something wrong and not just arthritis. I took her to another vet (Banfield still since she has insurance w/ them) who said there is definitely something wrong because her breathing was labored, her blood work made them worry, and she was showing symptoms of being anemic. They referred her to a specialist hospital because Pelusa needed a blood transfusion. Once there, they did further test, and it turns out that Pelusa had a small fracture on her left leg and indications of cancer.

My baby had a fracture on her left leg – and the first vet said there was nothing wrong but inflammation! My child has been poked and prodded and the entire time I've prayed that it is not cancer and that it's something else.

Today May 16, 2024, the doctor called me to say that everything points that it is cancer, and they are waiting to see what type of cancer; however, by the look of her blood work it seems it is multiple myeloma. She told me that if it is, that there is no cure, and it will be addressed with the oncologist if there will be treatment or start the “end of life” talk with us.

When Iggy died, they too told me she was very sick and should put her to sleep. My dog was 15 yrs old so I decided to take her home and let her go on her own accord. She lasted two weeks before passing away in my arms, surrounded by the people that loved her.

Now – I don’t want to make that decision again and want to think there is a treatment. However, after the emergency spaying in March my line of credit with care credit is maxed out. The last bills for her stay in the hospital have been paid with credit cards, and I have applied for more but unfortunately have been declined. I am the type of person who helps without being asked, who lends a hand with zero expectations, and who tries to handle everything herself – but I have no other choice than to ask for help because with each night she stays and tests they need to run, the bill is going up very quickly.

Originally, I was told we were looking at a high $3k but at the moment I’m very close to hitting $7k and now I’m being told it may be more with treatment.

If there is a chance at treatment, we will try. Pelusa came to us almost dying and she survived, we know she is strong, and we will be there with her. She proved us wrong once and made it this far, and with God’s help I know she will prove us wrong again and beat the odds. We just need help getting there – I have been so overwhelmed and stressed the last few sleepless nights, I have been worried about when Pelusa will come home.

The money will be used to pay the increasing hospital bill and pay for the treatment. If you can give something, anything, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. If you cannot do so, by sharing this with others will be of immense help as well and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Some pictures of our tiny baby angel, Pelusa