Help Save Merlin: Urgent Medical Care Needed

Right before the world turned upside down in 2020, we rang in the new year with our newest family member, Merlin. My friend Mandie found him in a park that December and was looking to find him a forever home. She checked to see if he was chipped and asked around to see if anyone was missing their cat. After no response and contemplating on her post, we decided to adopt him. So that New Year’s Eve, we went to pick him up and bring him home. He quickly formed a bond with my oldest son, Syd, and ever since, they have been inseparable.

Unfortunately, this past month, I started noticing he would have labored breathing after jumping off a couch or just being active. These past two days, he has been breathing with his mouth open, and his breathing has been consistently labored, so we took him to the emergency animal clinic this morning. They ran X-rays and blood work, and we got the devastating news that he has fluid build-up around his lungs, which is what is causing his labored breathing, and his blood work shows he has heart disease. Our hearts are broken at this news, and seeing the tears run down my son's face, I knew we had to try everything we could to save him.

He is staying overnight, possibly the whole weekend, until they get his breathing stabilized and he's able to be off oxygen. They are going to drain his lungs, run tests on the liquid, and start him on heart medication. If he pulls through, it will be a long road to maintain his health, but we have to try. We know how hard the economy is right now, but if there’s any way you can help, even if it’s just sharing this page, we truly appreciate it from the bottom of our hearts.