A heartbroken pet owner has revealed she forked out a staggering £22,000 to save her beloved rescue cat after vets warned he might not survive the night.
Louisa Khovanski was left sobbing in an emergency animal hospital when her tiny kitten, Morty, suddenly began suffering terrifying neurological symptoms.
The Ukrainian-born content creator – who boasts more than five million followers on Instagram – says medics prepared her for the worst.
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But the 32-year-old refused to give up on her furry companion, vowing to do whatever it took to keep him alive.
Now, after weeks of intensive care, blood transfusions and round-the-clock treatment, Morty has made a dramatic comeback – with stunned vets dubbing him a “miracle cat”.
“They told me his chances were slim,” Louisa, who boasts over five million followers on Instagram @louisakhovanski, said.
“One minute he was fine, the next his head was shaking and his eyes were darting everywhere.
“I honestly thought I was watching him die in front of me.
“It felt like my whole world was collapsing in one evening.”
Morty, who was rescued as a stray kitten in Ukraine, had already been diagnosed with FIV – Feline Immunodeficiency Virus – a lifelong condition that weakens a cat’s immune system. From the start, his outlook was uncertain.
Louisa, who lives in Canada, said: “Even when he was a baby, vets didn’t believe he would make it.
“But he’s always been a fighter. He’s stubborn – just like me.”
Last year, after what Louisa described as “the best summer of his life” travelling and exploring cabins in Canada, Morty’s health suddenly took a turn for the worse.
She said: “He started making these loud, distressed sounds and hiding away.
“I knew instantly something was very wrong.
“When his eyes started moving uncontrollably, I panicked.
“I grabbed him and drove straight to emergency – I didn’t even think, I just drove.”
Morty was in hospital for nearly two weeks and needed multiple blood transfusions after developing severe anaemia.
He was also fitted with a feeding tube when he became too weak to eat.
Louisa said: “Seeing him with tubes coming out of him broke me.
“I was signing forms and thinking, ‘Just save him. I don’t care what it costs.’
“When they told me the bill was almost £22,000, I didn’t hesitate for a second.
“You can always make more money. You can’t replace a life.”
Vets were left stunned when Morty began responding to treatment.
Louisa said: “At one point, they were preparing me for the possibility that he wouldn’t recover.
“And then suddenly, he started fighting.
“It was like he decided, ‘No, I’m not done yet.’
“They literally told me, ‘We don’t see cats bounce back like this.’
“Now they call him a miracle cat.”
Morty is now on long-term medication and, according to Louisa, “living his best life”.
She added: “He runs around, he plays, he acts like nothing ever happened.
“Sometimes I look at him and think, ‘You have no idea how close you were.’
“He cost me £22,000 – and I’d spend it all again in a heartbeat.
“He’s not just a cat. He’s my family.”
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