Pets are an integral part of their owner’s life. Therefore, whenever these companions are hurting, so do their owners. A Mexican student with a sick kitten decided to sell books, albums, and everything she could to fund the medical treatment.
A resident from Mexico City named Gabriela Cruz opened up about the health condition of her pet Pikuya. The cat received a diagnosis of terminal illness in February 2022.
Exams revealed the kitty was suffering from feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), a potentially fatal infection caused by a feline coronavirus.
In a tweet, Gabriela shared her distress on her Twitter, explaining that only one therapy option was available. The cure was an experimental medicine with an 80% to 90% success rate, a favorable rate if not for the hefty price tag.
Indeed, the said treatment is expensive at two thousand pesos the dose, with the treatment lasting in total eighty-four days. Overall, the cure would cost Daniela a total of one hundred and sixty-eight thousand pesos.
No efforts were spared for the sick cat
Despite her best intentions, the thesis student could not come up with such a lump sum. On the other hand, her cat would probably die without medical intervention with peritonitis’s high mortality rate.
Faced with this dilemma, Gabriela devised a few ways to find the necessary funds. Initially, this cat lover decided to sell book bundles, with prices ranging from 35 pesos to 220 pesos each.
To encourage buyers, Gabriela provided significant discounts of up to 30–40% off the book on sale’s regular prices.
Once Gabriela and Pikuya’s battle was made public, many people offered the young woman financial assistance to assist her in purchasing additional books for resale. Besides, others have sought out her to check whether or not she needed help acquiring particular titles.
On top of the books, the determined cat owner announced that she would hold a raffle to raise money to pay for the cat’s veterinarian bills.
The big prize was the albums of Gabriela’s favorite group, the female K-pop band Blackpink.
Touched by her story, some netizens asked for Gabriela’s accounts to make private donations. The girl was able to buy Pikuya’s first treatment doses.
After thanking her audience for spreading the word and contributing, she asked them no leave them alone. From March to May, the cat owner fought to raise money for her puss and succeeded.
On August 31st, Gabriela shared pictures of a healthy Pikuya. The Mexican student explained that following the treatment completion, the critter was under observation for three months.
As the observation period ended, Pikuya is now a proud survivor of FIP. Although the process was long and taxing, Gabriela is extremely grateful for all the help she received during this fight.