Little Kitten with a Broken Heart

Hello all,

Thank you for clicking. My name is Kim, and I am a teacher, veterinary assistant, and feline fanatic, whose 7 month old kitten direly needs your help.

Let me tell you our story.

April of 2016, through the perfect alignment of events, a litter of tiny, helpless furballs happened upon my place of employment. A kindly couple had brought them into the PetSmart within which is the Banfield Pet Hospital where I work as a Veterinary Assistant. Their mother was found dead on the side of the road, with five mewling kittens surrounding her corpse. They were barely over three weeks old at the most- their ears were barely open, each little paw still learning to coordinate with the other three. The couple was desperate to find homes for these babies- they were leaving the state the next day and could not find a foster for them until they returned. Hearing what was going on, I ran out of my hospital, fearing that an inexperienced pet owner would take in one of these kittens, not knowing what they were getting themselves into, and ultimately, a kitten would suffer for it. By the time I got there, there was only one left unclaimed. Originally, the plan was just to foster her until she was 8 weeks of age (the recommended minimum age for adoption), but this kitten is now my Emi, whose name means "blessing".

Fast forward six months. This little one was indeed a blessing, and has become the light of my life, the thing I look forward to seeing the most every day. She is innocence incapsulated into a tiny feline body and equipped with teeth and claws (which she does not usually use on humans, by the way!). But, she has one tremendous flaw:

Her heart is busted. Well, kind of.

One night several weeks ago, I returned home from work, and opened the back door as usual. 99% of the time, Emi would come bolting over, fullspeed, eager to greet me (in the hopes of fresh food? Who knows!). This night, however, she did not. Instead, the first thing I hear is her cry, louder than any cat I have heard in my life. What I found next was my fluffy orange and white 7 month old baby lying on the kitchen floor, not moving. Panicked, I ran over to her, asking her what was wrong, trying to palpate her body and legs to see if anything was abnormal. When I got to her legs, she screamed again and put her teeth on my hand. Frantic, I tried getting her to stand up. She promptly fell. Within the next hour, we were sitting in an emergency room at Premier Veterinary Group.

$500 later, we were told that no bones were broken, and that she may just have a sprain. However, two veterinarians and the nurse all heard an arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat. Work up was required.

The next day, we get an EKG done. Emi has VPCs, something a cat should never have. Our veterinarian immediately refers us to a cardiologist, so we call every cardiologist we can think of to find an appointment. Two hours later, we're at another Premier, being seen by their cardiologist. We get an echocardiogram done- Emi's heart appears normal. That's good, right? Plan: recheck EKG in 1-2 weeks and see if her condition worsens.

2 weeks later: repeat EKG. VPCs have doubled in number/frequency. New plan: start this 7 month old kitten on beta blockers to help regulate her heartbeat and repeat an EKG in 3 weeks.

Medications were started today. Emi is furious.

All of these diagnostics and treatments have costed me a fortune, something I cannot regularly afford. Like any caring pet owner, I would love to do anything and everything for my fur-children, and up to this point, I have, despite my already desperate financial situation with student debt, my own medical bills (I have postponed my own yearly MRI for my pituitary microadenoma due to Emi's condition), cut work hours, etc. All five cats under my care (three under my roof, two elsewhere) have Optimum Wellness Plans (OWPs) with Banfield (each valued at >$300). Sister Bailey had a $3000 surgery two years ago, and numerous rounds of bloodwork and xrays since then. Emi has had an echocardiogram at age 7 months (~$400, not including consult), with no end to her treatment in sight. Neither of them had insurance at the time of their accidents/problems; I had thought we'd have more time to weigh our options before getting a plan for Emi. Anyway, I like to think I'm a good pet owner. But, I need your help to continue providing optimal and necessary care.

Emi's total bill is currently at around $1500.
Here is the approximate breakdown:
Emergency exam fee: $109
Radiographs: $400
Consult fee: $80
Buprenorphine for pain control: $70 (ridiculous, right?)
EKG#1: $40
More pain medication: $30
Cardiology consult: $139
Echocardiogram: $400
EKG#2: $30
Heart Meds: $10

With no end in sight currently, I imagine Emi's total cost of care for just her heart condition will be at least $2000.

I am asking for a donation of any amount. Every cent counts. Every. Single. Penny. We are on our knees begging for help, because we cannot do this alone. Once the credit cards are maxed out, there is only so much I can do, not to mention the severe hit already done to my credit score from this ordeal.

All donations will be used to provide continuous care for the little one, or to pay off past veterinary bills from her to afford new ones.

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Thank you so much for clicking the link and reading my entire story (or skipping to the end!). It is not easy for me to express weakness like this, but if any of you know me, you know I am absolutely and irrevocably a "cat person". I exert no effort in hiding it. So, I must give up my pride and plead with you in an attempt to save my beloved fur-kids and my own sanity. So, again, thank you on behalf of Emi, who has no idea what is even going on, and thank you from me, from the bottom of my heart.