Charlie is an eight-year-old rescue cat who came into my life four years ago. He is normally the happiest, most affectionate cat, but over the past week, he completely stopped eating his dry food and began hiding under the bed in obvious distress.

​A visit to the vet today confirmed he has severe resorptive lesions—a very painful condition where the body breaks down the tooth structure from the inside out. He has three severely broken, exposed tooth roots that are infected and causing intense pain every time he tries to chew or open his mouth. The vet gave him temporary pain medicine, but he needs full oral surgery to extract the damaged teeth before the infection spreads.

​As an individual managing everyday living expenses, I simply don’t have the upfront funds to cover an unexpected medical procedure like this all at once.