Sweet Phil was dumped and needs dental surgery

Hi, my name is Sharon and I’m trying to raise funds to get Phil some badly needed dental work.

Phil (who is named after the late Pjern from Metafilter) has been hanging around my neighborhood since about 2018. He is the most laid back boy ever - all neighborhood ferals hang out with him, like he’s a feline capybara. Someone took him in about two and a half years ago, and we didn’t see him for a while. Six months ago, he showed up again, skinny and missing a collar. He’s been showing up twice a day since then for breakfast and dinner, and has mostly been hanging around my yard the rest of the time. Today, Jan 5, 2024, I took him to the vet with the intention of making him an inside cat. After they charged me almost $500 to examine him, give him shots, take blood, etc., they told me he needs an additional $1444 worth of dental surgery. They also won’t give him any pain meds or antibiotics until his labs come back, which will be Sunday at the earliest. They gave me an estimate range of between $850 and $1444, but said it was truthfully going to be $1444 because of his age and the condition of his mouth. He has no teeth, they said, and his mouth is in bad shape. They said he’s between 16-18 years old but seems to be in good shape other than his teeth. His fur is shiny and he purrs a lot.

I want to take Phil in to give him a good life for whatever time he has left. But yesterday I spent $1133 on dental work for one of my other cats, Peanut, and another almost $500 today on Phil, and I just don’t have the spare cash to pay for his dental work. The extra $50 or so I’m asking for is to cover GoFundMe’s fees.

If this doesn’t work out, I will have him put to sleep so that he doesn’t suffer. My neighbor across the street works for the county shelter and is bringing home euthanasia supplies today just in case we need it this weekend.

Phil and I both appreciate any help you can give, even if it’s just sharing this on social media. Thank you for reading all this.