I’ve had my kitty, Yukiko, for about 6 years now. She’s been through everything with me and I’d do anything for her. However, due to having to put down my kitten about six months ago, I am struggling to pay for her surgery.

One of the toes on her back right foot has swelled and darkened, leaving her in a lot of pain. She bites her foot so hard that I have to stop her and has been limping. Even our vet seemed puzzled and didn't give a direct diagnoses. She was put on antibiotics in case it was an infection, but her paw stayed the same.

When visiting the vet again, they recommended monitoring her unless she seemed uncomfortable. At the time, Yuki seemed to be doing alright, so I opted for that. Unfortunately, recently, she definitely seems to be getting more upset. She never acts like this, and I can't tell what else it would be.

She used to be much more energetic, but has since only been laying around. Her irritation is heartbreaking, because I can tell she wants me to try and fix it. She nips at me and cries while her tail swooshes. It's absolutely hard to watch and devastating when there isn't anything I can do.

Our last resort that the vet recommended was the amputation of her toe, since the swelling may spread to other toes. They explained she could live perfectly fine without it, since the toe that is swelling is not as crucial compared to the other toes. Of course, I don't want to have to have her go through the surgery, but I'd much rather do this than have her be in pain.

Our vet gave an estimate for the surgery, which was around $3,000 out of pocket, since I don't have pet insurance. Like I mentioned earlier, my mother and I have maxed our credit cards already due to my other cat that passed away, so I'm out of options.

I really feel like I can't lose Yuki, especially not after Kanji died. Today I sat in my chair, petting her, and crying. So I've decided to do whatever I can to help her.