Thanks Country Bumpkin, keep the prayers coming! I was thinking today that throughout this whole ordeal, and it's been months, Mom has NEVER uttered a negative word. Never complained about pain, being miserable, (and I cried when the nurse left the room trying to put the PIC line in.....an intervenous feeding line, and she had to stop cause she found an obstruction. All Mom said was "what else can go wrong") That brought the tears down my face, seeing her with a half-inserted needle (among many iv tubes). Prior to this, I gotta tell you, she is not the most sunny side up, positive person. If it rains on a day when they go shopping, she'll say it "always" rains. But with this, she's as strong as they come. I asked her if she wanted to go ahead with the surgery and she does. Knowing the risk (possible death) she still wants to give it a shot. So that's mom.

Jasdip, I agree with the others that Flossie has either diabetes and/or a thyroid problem. Our 15 year old cat has hyperthyroidism but not diabetes. He is on methimazole transdermal twice a day (there is no way in this lifetime that we could pill a cat). But our cat was not fat, actually he was too thin before his diagnosis. Both of our cats are considered "big" by today's standards - they weigh 18 lbs. So while cats are generally hyperthyroid you just never know, Flossie could be hypothyroid. Here is hoping it is a thyroid issue and not diabetes that will require two shots a day with insulin. Hopefully her owner will have Flossie checked out. Our Eskie was hypothyroid and loved to eat - anything. The pills were no problem for him. Even unflavoured it was food. Kind of scary though. Very nice of you to babysit the cats. I guess it will help you decide whether to wait or get a cat sooner than later. A new cat won't replace Bud but will be different in his/her own way.

Aww, I'm so sorry to learn that after just having lost Bud, you now find out that Elliott is very sick. About 20 years ago, my cousins were in a similar financial scenario with their dog, who had leukemia. So they took him to U. of Guelph Veterinary School to see if a more affordable option for treatment was available. They accepted her dog for treatment from students in Vet School and he got chemotherapy at a reduced cost, than they had been quoted, by any Vet clinics. I have no idea if U of Guelph still offers such an option, but perhaps you could check it out. Their dog went into remission and lived until he was 18, so they certainly felt that the treatment cost given them was well worth it for so many more years with their beloved pet. But they were told he had a good chance of recovery with chemotherapy, so it made the decision to treat him easier than if his life would have been prolonged for only a short time. I know that often people who can't afford to pay for their pet's medical treatment, feel forced to surrender their beloved pet to a Rescue centre or Humane Society. If the pet can be treated, it usually will be, so it's healthy for adoption. But I think that surrendering a pet is considered permanent, to avoid people scamming the system just to avoid paying the treatment cost, then returning to adopt their pet back out afterward. I can't find anything about this online, but can anyone confirm if this is correct? This is such a sad Catch-22 for people whose only reason for surrendering their pet is a prohibitive treatment cost, but they didn't just want to watch their pet's health deteriorate. Perhaps the centre fears if the pet fell ill again, it would just be re-surrendered again anyway. I hope that if whatever you are able to do, if assistance from the Go Fund Me, is not enough to pay for the treatment, that you will know it was the best you were able to do, and that you are giving Elliott the most love and comfort possible!! We're all thinking of you.

Jasdip, I suggest you look at the VEC South Emergency and Referral Clinic (the one on McMurrich St. in Toronto). Go to the Newsletter Heading at the top and click on it, then you will see a bunch of articles based on specialty - but you want to hit on the Click Here section on Dentistry and it deals with Senior Pets (and cats are most definitely highlighted) - some as old as 21 years of age - and younger of course but emphasis is on senior pets. But they do mention heart issues, diabetes, hyperthyroid etc. and the measures taken. Dr. French is the pet board certified dentist and apparently she is excellent. If you do Google the clinic you will see a big notice dated as of March 7, 2022 regarding entrance (one pet parent is allowed - no cloth masks). But you only have to hit the notice again and it will take you to the rest of the pages. Referrals are definitely required to see a specialist. I am going to keep this info just in case. Best of luck.