A few weeks ago Orangey began acting distant and stopped sleeping beside my head like he always does. I figured he was just in a mood, so gave him his space for awhile, but it persisted. I began to think he was depressed for some reason, maybe I'd somehow hurt his feelings, so continually tried to coax him out of it and make sure he knew I loved him and doted on him. 

Nothing worked, and eventually I noticed he was losing weight. He's a massive cat. Lots of "saddle" jokes over the years (he's 8). About ten days ago he moved into the living room, and I can see the weight loss continued, and his usually bright orange & white fur was now dull looking. He's was also eating sparingly. I got really worried and began tying to gather enough to take him to the vet.

This is difficult because, in addition to being on Social Security, I fell for the CareCredit scam about a year ago when I last needed veterinary care (basically they're loan sharks that prey on desperate pet guardians). Been paying on that, but still owe most of it due to their insane fees and rates that are almost impossible to pay off.

These last few days I've been in a panic. Orangey is emaciated and can barely take a bite or two of food in a day. Just before writing this he had trouble standing and almost fell. His voice is a timid croak you can barely hear. I'm honestly terrified and am desperate to get him into a vet, whom I pray can save him, but need help to even get through the door as the fees are beyond my means. I will be eternally grateful for any help that can be given.

Here are two pictures I took this evening. His fur hides just how much weight he's lost, but he's all skin and bone underneath.