Madison Riebe has shared the last decade of life with her cat, Luna. She has been there through Riebe’s college years and a series of family illnesses, including Riebe’s own diagnosis of melanoma.

Luna, who was a stray as a kitten, has always been a goofy and cuddly cat and has loved car rides since she was a kitten. She has also had a perpetually stuffy nose.

“I thought it was a normal head cold when adopting her, but it turned out to be more than that. She would have various symptoms, including sneeze attacks, her pupils would be two different sizes, she snored, and seemed to have a chronic stuffy nose,” Riebe says.

Through the years, Luna has been on countless rounds of antibiotics prescribed to treat her runny nose. Nothing seemed to work, but her symptoms were manageable until Summer 2024, when Luna’s health took a quick turn.

The same month that Riebe had surgery to remove melanoma, Luna developed vestibular disease, a group of disorders that affect balance and spatial orientation. For two weeks, Luna could barely move.

“All of a sudden, there was one day where she was really off balance, and then all her vestibular symptoms subsided just as quickly, but she had developed a head tilt and was never back to normal,” Riebe remembers.

Still, Riebe, who lives in St. Paul, took Luna to the small animal veterinarian who had treated Luna before.

“It felt kind of like this vet gave up on us,” she remembers. After prescribing a few rounds of antibiotics for Luna’s still-clogged nose, Riebe was told they'd done all they could do. 

Another veterinarian, who specializes in cats, tried an inhaler and more antibiotics that were tailored to the bacteria in a sample of Luna’s mucus. When neither worked, they referred her to the University of Minnesota.

Getting help from generous strangers

When Luna arrived at the Veterinary Medical Center (VMC) in February 2025, Annette Lundberg, an assistant professor of dermatology and veterinary clinical sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM), made a care plan. 

Luna had chronic ear infections and chronic rhinitis, an inflammatory condition that affects her nose. Because of this, she needed a CT scan and a myringotomy, a procedure in which a veterinarian makes a small incision in the eardrum to allow fluid to drain. In total, the bills would be around $5,000.

“The cost of everything was beyond my means,” Riebe says. “I work full time as a mental health therapist but was the sole financial provider of myself, and this was beyond what I could do”.  

Around the same time, Riebe was still battling with skin cancer, and her own medical bills started to stack up.

“It was a really rough situation, but I knew I would do anything to make it work," Riebe says.

She cared for Luna’s ear with a strict regimen of ear drops while she saved up the money for the CT scan and myringotomy.

Behind the scenes, Lundberg was exploring options on her end. She delivered the news that Luna’s care would be mostly covered through generous donations made to the VMC Companion Animal Fund. The fund provides financial assistance to clients who cannot afford necessary veterinary care for their companion animals.

“I cried so hard when they told me I was given a grant through the program,” Riebe remembers.

The CT scan revealed two polyps, one in the back of Luna’s throat and another in her right ear canal, which had destroyed her right eardrum as it grew. This damage caused Luna’s vestibular disease, since disruptions in the inner ear affect balance. On top of that, the polyp in Luna’s airway was making it even more difficult for the stuffy-nosed cat to breathe. Lundberg and her team removed Luna’s polyps and performed a myringotomy on her left eardrum, which allowed antibiotic drops to reach her middle and inner ear, where they would be most effective. The total cost to Riebe was about $300.

“It was so meaningful,” Riebe says. “I would have been able to save up the money over time, but for me not to have to worry about this payment was such a gift to have.”

Riebe takes Luna to regular follow-up appointments and sticks to a care routine for Luna’s ears at home. Riebe says she’s able to cover the cost of these additional visits because of the generous donation she received through the Companion Animal Fund.

“This is the only place I’ve worked that has this ability to provide some funding for care for clients that cannot afford care right now,” Lundberg says. “We knew what was wrong with Luna and that there was something we could do about it; finances were the only barrier to doing that right now. It was wonderful to eliminate that barrier.”