.png)
Christmas was extra special last year for McKenzi and her teenage daughters—they expanded their family by two sweet kittens. McKenzi’s daughters had been begging for a kitten, and McKenzi made their wish come true as a special Christmas gift.
They only planned to bring home one kitten, but when they met Scrim and his brother Jasper, they knew both kitties were meant to be part of their family. The teens have bonded deeply with Scrim and Jasper, and they love to cuddle with their kitties when they’re home from school or time with friends.
So when Scrim started behaving oddly, McKenzi was worried. He’s a total “people cat,” and loves to be around the family, but he was more withdrawn. The following morning, McKenzi saw Scrim straining in the litter box, and she knew that this sweet kitty needed help.
As the only adult in her household, McKenzi needed help. Thankfully, her mom was able to bring Scrim to an emergency vet for care. He was diagnosed with a urinary blockage, a deadly condition in male cats, where the urethra is blocked and the kitty is unable to urinate. Unfortunately, care at the emergency veterinarian was outside of McKenzi’s budget. McKenzi loves her pets, but the cost wasn’t feasible for her at that time. And Scrim was only getting sicker—he needed help.
The emergency veterinarian referred McKenzi and Scrim to Mission Animal Hospital. “It was a huge relief knowing that Mission had their subsidized fees,” McKenzi said. “The cost was definitely much more doable.”
Not only did the referral to Mission Animal Hospital make veterinary care accessible, it was life-saving for Scrim—though it was a close call. While our medical team assessed his condition, Scrim went into medical distress and needed emergency medical intervention. If not for fast action from Mission Animal Hospital staff, Scrim would not have made it.
McKenzi was able to join her mom at Mission with Scrim, and she was able to see him as he prepared for hospitalization. “I got emotional seeing him in that state of helplessness,” she said. “I was just so grateful that the vet and all the staff there did such a great job.”
Now, after careful care and treatment from the Mission Animal Hospital staff, Scrim is happily back home with McKenzi, her daughters, and his brother Jasper. McKenzi reports that he is happily terrorizing their household with plenty of playful antics.