The cat distribution system brought Snickerdoodle into my life almost two years ago via a group chat. One of my friends had mentioned that the local street cat had 3 kittens. When the kittens were about 2 weeks old, she took this gray tabby and abandoned him on my friend's front lawn. He waited for her to return all day, but she never showed up. He panicked; he had never raised a cat before and didn't know the first thing about taking care of one. I told him I would take care of the little guy. I felt that even though his mother rejected him, he still deserved a chance at life. I picked him up, brought him home, cleaned up his eyes, gave him a bath, and bottle fed him. Since then we have been inseparable.

Doodle's always been active and has a tendency of letting his curiosity get him into trouble. That's why when his behavior changed suddenly, I could immediately tell that something was wrong. I noticed he was going to his litter box more frequently. Sometimes he would spend longer than normal in there and not seem to be doing anything. When he started to yowl when he went into the kitty litter box, I knew I needed to act fast. I took him to the emergency vet to have him checked out. After a few tests, they found that he had a urinary tract blockage. They took him in immediately and had him sedated. The vet advised me that they would need to flush out the blockage using a catheter and they would need to keep him for a few days to make sure the swelling goes down and there are no infections. He came through the procedure fine and he was able to come back home by the third day.

It's very hard for me to ask for help via the kindness of strangers. But desperate times call for desperate measures. I had been laid off from my IT job months ago. I've been searching for work, sending out hundreds of resumes but only getting a handful of rejection replies. Even the unemployment benefits have run out. I've been able to scrape by on just the bare minimum running the odd job and side gigs. But Doodle's vet bill and checkups have thrown me for a loop. He also needs specialized prescription cat food to make sure he doesn't develop a blockage again. His Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets UR runs about $2.70 per can. I've become used to just having one meal a day so that I can make sure Doodle doesn't go hungry.

Ever since the divorce and my kids living with my ex, Doodle's been the only one who welcomes me home. Even though times are so hard now, he makes it bearable. I'm so thankful for him and I will do everything I can to make sure Doodle lives a long, healthy life. 

You can help be a hero in Snickerdoodle's life. Every little bit helps to get the vet bill to go down. Even if it's just enough to get a can of his cat food, we would be so grateful. To show you our appreciation, for any donation, I will email you a picture of Doodle with a thank you message.

God bless all of you and give your pets an extra hug for us!