Winston is a 1-year-old Ragdoll in Los Angeles, CA, who needs $2,000 for the treatment acute renal failure and subsequent dialysis.

Winston was rescued from ASPCA about 1.5 years ago as a kitten. I had just returned from a trip to Thailand where I had found a stray kitten in need of medical care. I named him Rio and took him to the local vet to get him neutered, dewormed, vaccinated and treated with antibiotics. I wasn't allowed to take Rio home to America so I decided to rescue a cat here. They thought Winston would be feral but in fact with enough love he became quite the opposite. He is the cuddliest of cats and gets lonely soooo easily. I am a medical resident in emergency medicine at UCLA so I am often out of the house for 12-14... even 30 hours at a time trying to save lives at the hospital! Seeing as I wasn't often home it became apparent that Winston needed a brother. So I rescued another cat, this time having learned that little black cats rarely got adopted out, I chose Winston's opposite: a very shy little, runt of the litter, black short haired cat. Winston immediately took his role as big brother seriously and made Jasper feel so welcomed (as you can see in the pictures).

Winston brought so much love into my life during a very difficult time - residency. Medical residency is hard to explain. The level of stress and emotional drain is something that can't be put into words. When you still don't know everything in medicine (still a learner) but have people's lives in your hands the type of stress is the type that affects your body, mind and soul. Add in the lack of sleep, lack of food, lack of breaks, strain on your personal relationships and emotional drain from seeing people pass away in front of their families. This should start to paint a picture of what medical residency is like. Winston is literally my little life saver. He knows exactly when to come cuddle me and he always comes to sit in my lap while I study.