Tom Sawyer's Emergency FLUTD Surgery

We found Tom just before Christmas in 2018. Since then, we've lived all over the world together and helped each other through the hardest times in our lives. For weeks, Tom, my spouse, and I have been looking forward to celebrating 5 years as a family.

But 48 hours ago, we had to rush Tom Sawyer to the ER. He spent the evening crouched in every spot, trying to pee but never making more than a drop. He didn't seem scared and he didn't meow in pain, but we'd heard the stories and we knew that urinary issues, for cats, are often fatal.

It took only a few hours at the ER to find that Tom had a deadly blockage threatening to poison his bloodstream.

The doctors got Tom to a stable condition after 12 hours, but the treatment attempts did not dislodge the blockage. Tom still needed surgery to have his bladder cleared, and another surgery to stop the blockage from coming back.

But finally, 48 hours after we brought him in, the surgeon called: Tom made it through all of his procedures. He's going to be okay.

Tom is in stable condition now, and we're optimistic for his recovery. We've been so lucky to already receive a massive outpouring of support from our community, and, thanks to luck and generosity and the surgeons at the emergency vet, it looks like we'll still be able to celebrate 5 years with Tom.

At this point, we're only asking for half of what the total medical bills cost us. We knew we would pay anything to keep Tom safe, and we're confident that we made the right decision. We could do this on our own, but it would be hard for a very long time--and if there's one thing we've learned from our loved ones, it's that we should give others an opportunity to help us when they can.

We're so grateful for the thoughts and prayers offered to us through this time, and we're so grateful for you taking the time to read this page.

All of these funds will be used for Tom's medical bills. Anything extra will go to helping other families with cats suffering from medical emergencies.

PSA: Urethral blockage can be sudden and deadly for cats, especially neutered males! Please consider getting pet insurance for your kitty if you can. It can very well save their life.