Althea is a kitten in Minooka, IL, who needs $577 for Mid-Femoral Amputation.

I fostered Althea for a month before adopting her. I fell in love with her sweet face as soon as I saw it! I was told by the rescue shelter she arrived there at 2 weeks old with her back left paw already amputated from the umbilical cutting off circulation to her paw. She had been found in a garage with 3 siblings. I named her Althea, which means "The Healer" in Greek.

I adopted Althea as a playmate for a kitten I had rescued on February who loved to play and was lonely. The two quickly bonded to each other and spend most of their day playing '"chase", wrestling and snuggling together. One time Althea ran down the hallway, pounced on Elsa's back and went for a piggy back ride! At night she curls up on my lap, purrs loudly, and falls asleep.

I was a single mom for many years and am living paycheck-to-paycheck on a small income. In the past 2 years I incurred major vet, RX and food expenses for 3 elderly pets . The rescue told me if she needed a higher amputation it would be free but that was misleading.

Althea's paw amputation was not amputated at a good spot. He entire leg was left, with no tissue or paw pad protection at the bottom of her stump.. She has a constant open sore which dirt gets into. I have explored multiple options, including baby socks, prosthetics, and full amputation. Multiple vets have told me mid-femoral amputation is the best solution so she can live a full pain free life.

Althea is quite a character! She is clearly in constant pain, because she has had a raw sore at the bottom of her stump her whole life. She never complains though and is so sweet and loving. Although her sister is 3x her size, Althea always wins their wrestling games by laying on Elsa's belly even though her paws don't touch the ground. She also manages to hog my bed every night!