Sylvester is a ten-year-old Domestic Shorthair cat in Huntington, WV, who needs $2,000 for emergency care and surgery.

It's hard to believe anyone could leave this tuxedo-wearing kitty behind -- but that's exactly what happened to Sylvester. His owner moved, locked him out of the house, and took off. Sylvester went from living inside to living outside and fending for himself.

He survived for a while on his own but one day, a neighbor noticed Sylvester looked filthy, ragged, and his jaw was stuck open. They called One By One Animal Advocates.

"They told us he smelled like death," Heather A., with the nonprofit group, tells Waggle. "Since his mouth was stuck open, he could not groom himself. So he was disheveled and dirty. He was having a tough time breathing. He couldn't eat. He couldn't drink. He'd lost weight."

One By One arranged for Sylvester to go to the animal hospital. The medical team found he had sores on his tongue, rotted teeth, and a severe upper respiratory infection. But more puzzling, he did not have a broken jaw. Sylvester was admitted to the ER and put on IV pain medications and fluids since he could not eat. He was in such terrible shape it took a week for him to become stable enough for surgery at the Proctorville Animal Hospital.

The veterinarian removed some bad teeth, and now Sylvester can eat, but he's still having trouble drinking because he can't close his mouth. Veterinarians think Sylvester is suffering from trismus, a condition causing his jaw to lock up. They're running more tests to try to find out the cause.

The good news is now Sylvester is doing much better. He's chowing down on canned food at his foster home. When his bowl is empty, he swats at his foster mom to get more.

Now One By One is trying to fundraise to pay Sylvester's hospital bills. When Heather learned about his case, she had to make fast decisions to save him. "He looked like he didn't have a lot of time. He tried to make it for as long as he could. It was pretty shocking."

Sylvester is one of those animal rescue situations that makes you say, "People stink!" But now you have a chance to be one of the good guys! And help this sweet cat live happily ever after.