We never imagined we’d be in a position where we’d have to ask for help to save our cat’s life, especially when he’s only 2.5 years old. This all happened so unexpectedly, and we’re still trying to process everything while doing everything we can to give him a chance.

On September 18th, Onyx was suddenly diagnosed with a grade 3 heart murmur that hadn’t been there in any of his previous vet appointments. What started as a simple vet visit over weight loss, quickly turned into emergency care, a diagnosis of congestive heart failure, and eventually the discovery of an incredibly rare congenital heart defect called Cor Triatriatum Sinister.

This condition is only present in .06% of humans, and there’s not much information on how rare it is for cats. It’s so rare that our primary vet had never seen a case before Onyx was diagnosed by his cardiologist. Essentially, he has an abnormal membrane in the left side of his heart that’s obstructing blood flow and causing his heart to struggle. Unfortunately, there isn’t much that can be done for this condition without surgery. It’s his only hope at having a future with us. 

We’re currently reaching out to specialists at UC Davis and the University of Minnesota to explore surgical options and find someone who can perform the procedure. The goal is to open the membrane that’s restricting blood flow to give his heart the ability to function properly. We’ve been given an estimate of approximately $20,000 for surgery , and that’s in addition to the $9,000 we’ve already spent on emergency care, stabilizing his congestive heart failure, and getting answers about what’s happening to him.

We weren’t prepared for any of this, financially or emotionally. One day we had our perfect, playful boy, and the next, we were being told he had a life-threatening heart condition that could take him from us before he could even turn 3 years old. It’s been terrifying trying to navigate something so rare, especially when there are so few treatment options and so little experience with this condition in cats.

We’re asking for help covering some of the medical expenses we’ve already accumulated, as well as the cost of the surgery and the additional specialist care he’ll need. We know it’s a huge amount of money, but we’re not ready to give up on him when there’s still a chance to save his life.

We love Onyx with our entire hearts. He’s still so young, and we want so badly for him to have the life he deserves. We want more years with him, more cuddles, more purrs, just more more. We want the opportunity to see him grow up. Him and his brother Opal came from the same litter and the only time they’ve ever been apart was while Onyx was in the emergency vet. They’re best friends who sleep together every night and play together every day. In the 36 hours Onyx was away, you could see how much he worried for him. It’s devastating to think that we could lose Onyx to something we never even knew was there, and devastating to imagine how hurt his brother would be without him.

We’re doing everything we can to find someone who can help him, and every donation helps us fund this exhausting medical whirlwind. If you’re able to contribute, anything helps. If you can’t donate, just sharing his story would mean so much to us, too.

Thank you for taking the time to read about Onyx and for helping us fight for our boy. We appreciate every bit of support, kindness, and love you send his way. ❤️