Leo is a 12-year-old Siamese Cat in Charlotte, NC, who needs $2,000 for MRI.

I found Leo when he was only 8 weeks old. He was a barn kitten and I immediately fell in love. I was 16 at the time and my parents were going through a bad divorce, Leo was the one constant in my life and has gone everywhere with me. He talks to me, cuddles with me, and is my absolute best friend. He has moved across states with me, into my first apartment and has been my only baby since the start

Leo is a cuddler, at least with me. I joke with people that you’d never know I had a cat cause he hides so well when people come over. He’s a big boy that loves his food and loves sitting in the window sunbathing. When he was a kitten he used to sit on his back and scoot under the bed like it was a racetrack.

Leo talks to me all the time. I can call him from another room and he will come running to jump on my lap and purr. He greats me at the door and sits at my feet while I work. He knows sit and say please and will do just about anything for a treat. His favorite treat is tuna or cheese. He loves to be brushed, he’ll sit for hours or as long as you’ll give hime.

I noticed one afternoon he wasn’t coming up to me, he had laid down in his kennel and wouldn’t come out, this is very unlike him. The next day I noticed he had lost use of his back legs and couldn’t walk straight or stand up. I immediately rushed him to a veterinary hospital. We waited for 4 hours and told he either has a spine issue or something neurological.

I live on my own and don’t have any outside help from family. I work full time and do side jobs as much as I can, but I recently got into a car accident and had to buy another vehicle, which has really stretched my finances.