Rita is a 13 year old American Shorthair in Hillsboro, OR, who needs $2,000 for Endoscopy and Laparatomy.

My family used to live on a farmhouse with plenty of barn cats - in 2012, one kitten in particular was so sweet and attached to me that I decided to bring her with me to college. Rita's been with me ever since! We recently made a very large move across the country, from the Midwest to Oregon. She was so brave for the entire trip, I can't bear to think that she made it all the way here for nothing.

On Monday, Rita spat up a small blood clot, and later we realized there was also blood in her stool. We took her to the ER and confirmed that something in her upper GI tract is hemorrhaging. She's currently hospitalized at Bridgetown Emergency Vet in Portland, but she needs an endoscopy and quite possibly surgery to identify the source of bleeding and help get through this alive.

She has so much big diva personality, stomping everywhere she goes and letting you know exactly what she thinks of everything. She loves ear rubs, playing with people's hair, and sticking her face into a freshly worn shoe. She has the most beautiful green eyes. Even though she can barely jump, she once caught a mouse out of nowhere from underneath my apartment stove. I love her so very much.

The industry I work in is very unstable right now, and my salary was cut back in November to keep the doors open. I was prepared for expenses related to moving, but not for something as sudden and terrible as this to happen.