Hiiii everyone. My name is Emily Tootoo and I’m creating this GoFundMe to help my cat, Pinky, who is going through a sudden and very serious medical crisis.

Back in August, I took Pinky to the vet for a routine check-up to update her shots. During the visit, the vet noticed an abnormal heartbeat and brought in multiple doctors to listen. They told me she had a heart murmur but reassured me that it wasn’t anything to worry about. They didn’t document it in her chart or recommend any follow-up tests because she is only a year and a half. So I was told I had no reason to believe something more serious was developing.

Over Thanksgiving, I was out of town visiting family, and Elissa, was caring for Pinky since we co-parent her. Elissa noticed abnormal breathing and contacted me immediately. I left and drove from Wilmington back to Raleigh so we could take Pinky to the emergency vet.

At the ER, Pinky was initially diagnosed with congestive heart failure (CHF) as well as an enlarged heart. A few days later, when I had to return to Wilmington for family reasons, Elissa took Pinky to a veterinary cardiologist for a full evaluation. After more specialized testing, Pinky received her official diagnosis of restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM), a severe form of heart disease that affects the heart’s ability to relax and fill properly. This prognosis typically means we have six months to a year but with stabilization and the proper medication, there can be hope for a long life span.

Since then, Pinky has been experiencing labored breathing, a consistently high heart rate, weakness, and moments where she becomes wobbly or struggles to walk. She is currently taking three medications to help stabilize her, including diuretics and heart medications, but even with treatment her symptoms remain unpredictable. We’ve already had to bring her in for emergency stabilization more than once, and she will need ongoing monitoring, medication adjustments, and follow-up care with her cardiologist.

As full-time students with limited income, we are doing everything we can to take care of her, but the cost of emergency visits, medications, diagnostics, and ongoing cardiology care have become overwhelming. Pinky is our family. She has been with us through so much, and we want to give her every possible chance to stay comfortable and supported through this condition.

Any amount helps—whether it goes toward her emergency care, daily medications, oxygen support, or her necessary specialist appointments. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and for offering support during such an emotional and difficult time. Your kindness truly means more than you know.