Help Ian & Eva Pay For Winston Benjamin's Veterinary Bills

Most of you know Winston, our beloved 8-month-old kitten, brother to Cece, cross-eyed cuddle bug and biscuit-maker extraordinaire.

After years working on cruise ships, we made the decision to live on land, and we were over the moon to be able to adopt kittens and make them part of our family for many years to come. But two weeks ago, we took Winston to the emergency room, as he hadn't been eating for a couple days, and was extremely lethargic. After initial diagnoses were grim (cancer, heart failure) but not certain, we had to take every possible measure to save Winston. He was referred to a specialist that same night, to get a clearer picture of what was wrong. The hospital was able to determine that instead he had lung lobe torsion, a rare condition occurs when a lobe of the lung twists, causing severe pain and difficulty breathing. Thankfully, it was treatable, but would require immediate surgery.

Fast forward two weeks, and the good news is that the surgery was very successful! He was the darling of the hospital; before picking him up and taking him home post-op, we let the nurse take him around so all the vet techs could say goodbye.

The bad news is that the path to bringing our kitty home included x-rays, an ultrasound, blood work, an EKG, a CT scan, multiple nights at the hospital, and of course the surgery itself.

As much as Winston is a part of our family, we are reaching out to our community of family and friends for support. As responsible pet owners, we had been putting money aside for veterinary costs, but we did not anticipate going into debt with a bill of over $9,000. We appreciate any help so that we can paid this off as soon as possible.

This fundraiser will be active indefinitely; you can make your donation at any time. We will also be presenting a Benefit Concert for Winston on Monday, June 3rd @ 5:30pm ET via Facebook and Instagram livestream. You can send tips and request songs, and all proceeds will go toward paying off these medical expenses.

We are so happy to have Winston back home with us (and so is his favorite playmate Cece!). Thank you in advance for your generosity, and please feel free to share this fundraiser with others who understand that pets are family!