Cats Helping Cats is a charity founded by South Austin Cat Hospital in 2023 to help patients in dire need of life-saving medical care.
Specialty Feline care can be costly. This is the reason behind the creation of this fund. We want all cats to have access to Feline Specialty Medical Care. Anybody can donate to this fund with or without a specific cause in mind.
Donors can specify if their donation is to be used to pay a specific patient’s medical bills incurred within our hospital during the donation process.
The following are the guidelines we have instituted for this fund:
General Guidelines
- The patient to receive the donation must be an established patient or have paid for an exam the same day.
- A diagnosis must be provided or confirmed by South Austin Cat Hospital.
- The grant must be proposed by a staff member, not the caregiver.
- A veterinarian or a manager initiates conversations with caregivers regarding funding.
- A veterinarian in our team must provide the final approval.
- The caregiver must pay for the exam and initial diagnostics.
- The grant won’t be awarded for wellness care.
- No more than $2000 per caregiver will be awarded. This amount may be awarded only if we are to treat a life-threatening condition that qualifies.
- The patient MUST have a good prognosis from a single intervention for long-term recovery to a normal quality of life (except for exam, euthanasia, and cremation).
- The caregiver must be declined for financing on Care Credit, Scratchpay, or their credit limit does not cover the cost of their bill (proof must be provided).
- The caregiver must be able to fund any future long-term medications or services that the patient may need.
- If the caregiver has a balance on their South Austin Cat Hospital account, they won’t qualify for the grant.
- The grant is to be awarded once. A caregiver may receive funding more than once if they requalify and are approved by a veterinarian.
Special Scenarios and Limitations
- The caregiver is unable to afford the cost of euthanasia/cremation.
- The only option for cremation is communal.
- Bridge the Gap Care – there is a surgery that would fit the criteria, and the caregiver cannot afford the full cost. The grant can cover up to $500 to help them commit to the rest of the surgery (with proof that this exceeds their credit limit).
