Support the destruction of Gertie's cancer

Hello, this is Kirk.

Gertie is a scrappy, little survivor. She was found as a very domesticated stray - likely abandoned due to ongoing illness. She was adopted out multiple times, but each time, was returned to the rescue near death. Gertie lived this way for years, in a state of chronic, mystery illness that nobody could solve or manage.

Robyn began fostering Gertie following a 6 month stay at the vet. When the rescue attempted to, once again, adopt her out, we couldn't imagine life without her. Since adopting Gertie a few years ago, Robyn has doled out a great deal of money supporting her and her health issues. Gertie' ongoing slew of issues, were hard to pin down, but we seemed to get a handle on them after learning she has inflammatory bowel disease and triaditis, triggered by extreme food allergies. Finally, Gertie was able to enjoy an extended period of comfort and good health.

The world can be harsh, and some proof of this is that once Gertie's allergies were managed, Gertie got cancer. Mammary cancer in her tiny little nipple area.

After a battery of tests and a biopsy, we confirmed the cancer had not yet spread and was contained within the mammary chain - a best case scenario (we caught it early). With surgery, the vet has offered some hope - a staged bi-lateral mastectomy with chemotherapy can potentially cure, but at the very least, significantly prolong her life, giving the world (and us) some more time to experience the joy she so generously offers.

If you don't know Gertie, you can find her on instagram @babygertie. She is the cutest, sweetest, freakiest, little cat that has ever lived, and the world would be a much sadder place if her life were to end prematurely. Vet bills are obscenely expensive, and unfortunately, pet insurance wouldn't have been an option when Gertie arrived, as she had previous health issues.

This cancer is eating money - so far Robyn has dropped just over $3700 on diagnosing/testing and the two surgeries are estimated to total $11,200 - $13,600. We do not yet have an estimate on chemotherapy. We have provided invoices and the estimate for her first surgery. Any support towards Gertie's robust health is accepted with sincere gratitude and appreciation. You can follow Gertie's progress on Instagram @babygertie.

You can see one invoice in the photos above, and please feel free to review more HERE .

If you own a cat, especially if that cat is not spayed or was spayed after 6 months (Gertie was adopted at 3+ years so we don't know), you should check them for mammary cancer once a week by feeling around their chest and nipples for lumps. Male cats can also get this cancer. Siamese cats have a much higher incidence. Spaying a cat within 6 months reduces this cancer by up to 91%.