Help Keep Harpo's Head Healthy

Most of you already know Harpo's story, how he beat cancer and then saved us from ending up on the street. It's been five years since the surgery I didn't expect him to survive, and he's still a happy, energetic cat. But there are signs that trouble may be brewing.

The little wobble he recently developed was initially diagnosed as arthritis, but I was never really comfortable with that. It looked more like a balance problem than a mobility problem, and he was still going up and down the stairs dozens of times a day when he didn't have to. So with your help, I took him to see some specialists.

The orthopedist said he looked amazing for a cat his age. He has full range of motion, nothing feels crunchy, and everything looked fine on X-rays. But the neurologist said his left eye is responding more slowly than his right eye, and he seems to not be fully aware of where his rear left leg is in space. That sounds a lot more like what I see every day.

Unfortunately, the most likely scenario is that his cancer is finally coming back, and there may be a tumor forming on the right side of his brain. But if that is the case, considering how healthy he is otherwise, and how well he responded to treatment before, there's a good chance he'll beat it back again. For we'll be catching it well before he started showing any of the alarming symptoms the neurologist asked about, like walking into things, turning in circles, getting stuck behind or under furniture, confusion, or seizures.

I had thought his dental work would be the only big expense this summer, but alas. The pre-anesthesia workup for that will be about $650. The procedure itself will be $1700-$2200. It was recommended that he get an echocardiogram before anesthesia this time, given his age and medical history, which will be $900-$1400. After he's fully recovered from the dental, he'll need a new set of labs a couple weeks later, which is $250. And then the big scary thing, a brain MRI and spinal tap. That estimate is $5900-$7400.

So the total is between $10,000-$12,000. Since some of you were kind enough to donate via PayPal when I first announced the news, I've set the goal in the middle of the estimate. I'd put it at the low end, but Groucho and Gummitch are both due for their annual senior workups.

Between this, his surgery last summer, and everything in between, Harpo's care has cost about as much as my 20K-ish annual income from my captioning job. I could never do all this for him without you. Every time you step up for him, I am overwhelmed by how much people love him. He brings so much joy to so many people. I pray he can continue doing it for another couple of years at least.

Thank you so much. All the love to you all.