My cat Puddle is sick, and I am at a loss for what to do.

Puddle is the cat who saved me from myself. I got him when I was the loneliest and most isolated I have ever been. Puddle helped me see the happiness in life and start looking towards the future. He is the silliest, sweetest, most loving cat.

A few weeks ago (9/25/25), Puddle had a Feline Idiopathic Cystitis (FIC) flare-up and was rushed to the ER vet. Through many meds, prescription foods, and water fountains, Puddle seemed to make a full recovery.

Last night (10/6/25), Puddle was straining to urinate, and I could tell something was very wrong. Upon first glance, we thought it might be a FIC flare-up again. We gave him meds from his prior flare-up and waited to see if he would improve. As the night went on, his symptoms got worse, so we decided to take him to the ER vet again.

This time, Puddle was badly blocked (he had a buildup of urine crystals blocking his urethra). The ER vet gave us two options: 1. In-take him and hold him for 48 hours to monitor, costing a minimum of 5.5K, or 2. Send him home with medicine to manage his symptoms until we can get him into an affordable cat clinic in the morning.

I was not able to afford the in-take at the ER vet. However, we were able to get him into the affordable cat clinic this morning. While the affordable cat clinic is significantly less expensive than the ER vet (1.6K so far), the unexpected expenses this month and last month have immediately depleted what little savings I had and have added a few new credit cards to my wallet.

I am typically not one to ask for help, especially financially, but I am hardly keeping my head above water as it is right now. I want to ensure my cat can get the help he needs without financial pressures preventing that from happening.