Tyson is a 6-year-old Black Cat in Henderson, NV, who needs $255 for Abdominal Ultrasound.

I adopted Tyson aged 4.5 months in 2017. He was rescued at ~6 weeks, and was released from intensive care the day I met him. I had gone to the shelter to meet another cat, but he and I clicked and I took him home. They were so happy I adopted him, because black cats are so often overlooked, returned, or shunned under superstition. But I grew up with a black cat, and know they're special they are.

Tyson is scary-smart. My other cat, Sagan,... isn't. When I secured a cabinet with an elastic, Sagan kept banging it with his paw. Both me and Tyson were annoyed, and Tyson went to inspect the problem. He pulled on the door, looking it up and down, saw the problem, and pulled off the elastic and walked away.

Tyson is fairly aloof after conning me into adoption. He knows his name, but won't come unless you say the T-R-E-A-T-S word, or... sing "Rainbow Connection." He likes to go out on his leash, but is so smart he has worked his way out a few times. You can't catch him, but if you say, "I'll git yer booty!" he'll stop and swish his tail waiting for a pat on his heinie. It's his kryptonite.

Tyson started vomiting a lot and losing weight, and his vet thought it might be a poultry allergy. I changed his food, and he improved, but hasn't gained the weight back. It has gotten to a critical point where my 12 pound healthy kitty is now a skinny 8 pounds. They want to do an ultrasound, and if that doesn't show anything, a more expensive "TLI" test for EPI may come later.

I'm a single income household living paycheck-to-paycheck. Both of my kitties are emotional support animals, and Tyson's unique brilliance charms me every day. I don't know what me or Sagan will do if we can't figure out what's wrong.