When I was in 5th grade, our family decided to get a new kitten. I remember the day we went to the local shelter like it was yesterday. It was the first snow of the year, sometime in late November. I gathered all my closest friends to help me pick out my newest family member. We went to the shelter, chatting excitedtly about kittens.
She stood out to me immedietly. A fluffy white ball with a tail and eyes, playing with her littermates. Her shelter name was "Angel", because she looked like one. I knew that her true name was Snowball though. We looked at the other kittens before finally deciding, but to be honest it was a match made by destiny.

Snowball has been my best friend, my confidant, my pride and joy, ever since (that's 8 years!). If you know me, you know Snowball. She is everything to me, and I know it's a little silly to say that about a cat, but I don't know who I'd be without her. 


Everyone who's met her loves her. Strangers who see her picture say that she is one of the cutest cats they've ever seen. She's got a good temperment, she's gentle, kind, mellow. If you get her trust, she'll follow you around like a dog. She's travelled across the Atlantic, lived in three houses, stood up to a bear, lived with two dogs over three times her size, and yet she's only halfway through life.

She's a really unique cat in her own ways. Her fur is the type that doesn't matt easily (I suspect she's part Turkish Angora)
The fur in her back legs makes it look like she's wearing pants. And her scruff makes her look like a fierce lioness (with a mane)


She snores (seriously) when she sleeps. Sometimes, she'll fall so deeply asleep, I can literally pull her tongue out and she won't wake up. I can move her head around and lift her paws and let them drop, and she'll stay asleep.


To me, she is the perfect cat. 

(she's perfect for Chirstmas postcards too)

About two weeks ago, she started to have difficulty breathing. She was wheezing, coughing, and was very low energy (she's normally very energetic, even at 8 years old). Her fur was in bad shape. I knew something wasn't right. 
We took her to the vet on  Saturday the 17th, and we only had about an hour for her appointment because the family car was needed elsewhere. It was just enough time to check her out, listen to her breathing and her heart (both of which were abrnormal) and take some x-rays. The x-rays showed something in her lung and an enlarged heart. The local vet said that she was unsure if she had liquid or a mass in her lungs, but either way it was making breathing difficult for her and we should bring her to the emergency pet hospital right away. 



After some tests, the emergency vets found that the problem was actually in her heart. She's got some sort of genetic heart disease that makes it harder for the heart to pump as much blood and oxygen as it should. They put her in an oxygenated cage where she's staying overnight. There is fluid in her lungs, but the major problem is her heart. They say that there are medications that could help her, but she'd have to be on them for the rest of her life. Essentially the medicine would help her heart constrcit more so that more blood could pump per beat. 

As you can imagine, the vet bills are racking up. For the first vet visit, we paid $280 for the checkup and the x-rays. The hospitalization will cost us $200 just for having her there, and that doesn't include all the tests and treatments.The estimated bill so far is $1,814. This doesn't include the medication that she will have to take later. 
These are hard times. I'm planning on traveling and going to college soon, and I'm already taking classes at the community college. I petsit, but that's not a steady enough income. I don't have much in my savings account, but I'm already planning on giving as much as I can to Snowball's cause. My family works too, we rent out apartments and my dad is the night auditor at a local hotel. But taxes and utilites take up most of our income. 



This is where you come in. Any amount helps, wether it's $1 or $50 or even $100, or even if it's just telling someone about this cause. Everything helps. Snowball is only halfway through her life, and I am not ready to say goodbye just because I can't pay a few bills. Snowball is special, she touches everyone she meets in some way. She loves her life, she loves going outside and chasing mice and birds, she loves sleeping on every surface in the house, she loves her Fancy Feasts and her Friskies. She keeps the household together, keeps our dog Gracie and our other cat Simba in their places (she's the Queen bee).  She covers all our clothes in white fur, and fill our hearts with her purrs. I can't imagine living without her by my side. Please help me keep my best friend.


Snowball deserves more in life. There are sill birds to catch and squirrels to chase. There is still catnip to roll in and trees to climb. There is still a warm lap to sleep on and loving arms to hug her. Help her live her life the way she deserves to.