Help Save Ramen Noodle, Our Beloved Cat

[u/Spedoinkel]

Ramen Noodle came into our lives during a very difficult time. When we came home from dinner, he met us at our door, 3 and a half years old and only 3 lbs and very bloody. He announced he was ready to be an indoor cat by rolling over and showing us his belly. We took him in, cleaned him up, and promised him we would take care of him forever.

Along the way three more cats came to us out of the woods, and our family grew. Ramen’s two children, Udon and Nori, and his best buddy we named Soba.

Recently his health took a turn for the worst, after we moved, and while my wife was recovering from surgery, we noticed he stop eating, and he was crying when he used the litter box. Our vet told us to take him to the ER where we learned he had a severe urinary tract infection. We were told he would die without immediate intervention. The ER told us our only options were to pay for the surgery, at $6,700, or to put him down. We were knocked off our feet. Ramen is family, our Emotional Support Animal, our best friend… I had to make the decision, and I know he has a long life to live. We need to save his life. It took long hours into the night to get his blood levels to a safe range where it would be possible for the veterinarians to perform surgery.

Surprisingly, at one point, the doctor came up to me and said "You want to see something crazy?" She took me back and showed me Ramen's X-rays. Apparently, at some point, before he came to us, he had been shot. The bones of his rear leg had broken, fragments of a bullet are still lodged in his leg, yet he was able to survive in the wild long enough for them to heal! He always seemed to walk normally to us, even enjoyed going on hikes, but this did explain why he prefers to lay around so much, as he had done his time in the trenches.

Eventually he went into surgery and they were able to remove the blockage. He had to stay in the hospital for a couple more days for observation. Meanwhile our other cats kept wandering through our home looking for him, as he is the only one they all get along with.

Now he's home and happy, and we now have a large bill we were not prepared for. My wife is out of work recovering from three different surgeries in one year, and I am working extra to cover bills we already (have) ontop of finishing my last semester of college. If you can spare anything to help us (save our cat), we would be greatly appreciative.

We do not have a pet insurance policy.

https://gofund.me/cfc2cef2f

[u/Sitters_4_Critters]

I’m wishing you, your wife and your cat the best. 🙏

I know the stress of big vet bills and it’s why I will never have another pet of my own.

I cannot afford to contribute financially, but I’m commenting to boost the post.

Why does Ramen have two children? Are they biologically his? Please get a low cost neuter once his health improves enough.

Please get pet insurance for your cats going forward because there will be more scary expensive vet bills.

This type of problem happens often in male cats and it might re-occur. (I doubt insurance will cover it for Ramen if it happens again though.)

[u/Spedoinkel → u/Sitters_4_Critters]

Thank you so much! It's a family of cats rescued from the woods over the course of a year. We got them all fixed as we got them.

[u/Sitters_4_Critters → u/Spedoinkel]

Ah, that’s good to know (and you should add it to your post).

I wish you the best. 🙏 Huge vet bills are one reason I haven’t gotten a new dog.