Hi everyone,

We’re reaching out with a sincere and urgent request for help after an incredibly overwhelming month of emergency vet bills, rescue efforts, and unexpected financial strain.

In just a few weeks, we’ve faced two emergency veterinary crises with our own pets, Sophie and Henry, and we’ve also been providing care for a rescued cat family of six from our neighborhood. Between life-saving procedures, vet visits, hospitalizations, and daily care needs, we’re emotionally exhausted and financially stretched beyond our limits — having spent over $11,000 just this month.

Sophie’s Story – Emergency Pyometra Surgery

Sophie is our sweet rescue dog, adopted just last year. In June, we took her to a free spay event hosted by Paws For Life K9, but during her exam, a mild arrhythmia was detected, and they couldn’t proceed.

While we looked into safe spay options that would accommodate her heart issue, Sophie unexpectedly went into heat and soon after began showing troubling symptoms: a sudden change in mood, discharge, and clear signs of pain. Late at night, we rushed her to ACCESS, one of the only emergency hospitals open at that time.

She was diagnosed with pyometra, a severe and potentially fatal uterine infection, and needed immediate surgery.

We were quoted over $12,000 for her care. The final bill came to nearly $9,000, which we had to cover using four different credit cards.

Henry’s Story – Urinary Blockage Emergency

Just two weeks later, our senior cat, Henry, woke us up at 4:30 AM, crying out in pain. Even a soft touch to his back caused him to yowl, and we noticed drops of blood in his urine.

Once again, we had to rush him to ACCESS, where he was diagnosed with a life-threatening urinary blockage. The estimate for his emergency care was $7,400 — but after already maxing out our cards for Sophie, we couldn’t afford it.

We used our $2,100 rent money to at least get him unblocked, and then — with help from Actors and Others for Animals — we transferred him to a more affordable clinic for hospitalization.

Henry is currently being monitored and cared for. If he can’t urinate on his own by Friday, surgery will be required. His current care estimate is $493, but we don’t yet know the total if surgery becomes necessary.

Plus: Vetting & Caring for a Rescued Cat Family

As if that wasn’t enough, we’ve also been providing food, shelter, and veterinary care for a family of six rescued cats from our neighborhood — a mama cat and her five kittens.

We couldn’t leave them outside, unprotected, and have been working to get each of them vetted, vaccinated, microchipped, and eventually adopted into safe homes.

The cost per cat is around $400, totaling $2,400 — and that’s just for vetting, not including food, litter, and other care supplies.

Why We’re Asking for Help

We don’t regret helping any of these animals — they’re our family, and in the case of the neighborhood cats, they had no one else to look out for them. But we’ve hit a wall financially.

This GoFundMe is to help us:

Pay off Sophie’s $9,000 emergency surgery

Cover Henry’s current and potential upcoming medical needs

Replace the $2,100 rent money we used for emergency care

Offset the ongoing rescue costs for the six cats we’re fostering

We’re setting our goal to reflect these urgent and essential needs — and to help us simply get back on our feet.

How You Can Help

If you’re in a position to donate, we would be incredibly grateful. Every single dollar makes a difference and helps us recover from an incredibly difficult month.

If you can’t give, please consider sharing this campaign. Your support — in any form — means the world to us.

Thank you for reading, thank you for caring, and thank you for helping us continue to be there for animals who need someone to fight for them.

With love and gratitude,

Lina and the pack!

Elena N

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