Hazel was a healthy kitten just a week ago...

On Monday, my sister and her fiancé started noticing that Hazel seemed to be sleeping more than usual and barely ate any of her food, but she has always been a picky eater so they went to Petco to try new flavors. Tuesday came and again Hazel seemed disinterested in wet food but was still drinking plenty of water and ate kibble only. Wednesday, Hazel would only drink water and lick her food but then walk away to go sleep some more. Thursday night, her fiancé had some friends over to watch football and they even noticed that something felt off. She loves company, loves to play and that night she barely moved around. Friday, my sister tried to feed her without success, she noticed that Hazel was sleeping in a spot that was abnormal, as Hazel loves her spots with her fluffy blankets. She felt Hazel's ears and immediately noticed that she was extremely warm and her belly felt bloated. Her intuition told her to take her to the Vet right away.

At the Vet, Hazel was found to have a 104.1 fever, she was dehydrated, fluid in her abdomen and they needed to run bloodwork, take an x-ray and do a sonogram of her lungs and abdomen. She only weighs 6 pounds. The bloodwork showed that Hazel was severely anemic and her protein was elevated. The x-ray showed abnormalities and thickening of her intestines. The sonogram showed fluid around her kidneys and lungs. The Vet told them that she needed critical care and that there was nothing that they could do for her and suggested that she go to a 24 hour Emergency Vet Hospital.

My sister immediately went to an Emergency Hospital and checked her in. They needed to keep her overnight to get her fever down, administer pain medication and test for everything they could think of. They let her know that what they were seeing was consistent with a deadly disease called FIP. A sonogram technician was coming in the morning who could provide more details of what they were looking at internally. The next day, they Vet called to request consent to take a sample of fluid build up around her lungs to test but unfortunately they could not do so as the location was difficult to attempt safely. Her results showed an enlarged pancreas, enlarged lymph nodes, and abnormalities around her intestines. The Vet was very blunt in letting them know that most likely she had FIP or a rare case of juvenile lymphoma, but it was incredibly hard to diagnose and be 100% sure. They recommended that Hazel go to another Hospital that would be equipped to aspirate samples from the fluid built up in her body but that she needed to get in touch with FIP Warriors 5.0 in order to get access to the medication that could possibly cure Hazel.

My sister immediately went to the 3rd hospital and checked Hazel in. They were willing to do whatever they could to save Hazel's life and get answers. After discussing with FIP Warriors and sending over her bloodwork and critical care summary, they told my sister to IMMEDIATELY take Hazel home and begin FIP Treatment as this was her only chance at survival.

Thankfully, the woman who my sister and fiancé got Hazel from, had the treatment available and was able to administer her first dose and teach my sister how to inject the medication. Imagine being told you have to stick a needle in your kitten every day for 84 days, not knowing how to even use a needle as she's never needed to before, because it's the only way to save her life. My sister, the most empathetic person I know who hates the idea of causing pain to any living creature, now has to inject her delicate little girl every day for months.

FIP is a viral disease caused by feline coronavirus, it is extremely deadly and progresses rapidly and is almost never correctly diagnosed until it is too late. Treatment for FIP is legal in the UK and Australia, but it is not technically recognized in the US just yet. Newer Vets have begun learning about the disease and are able to indicate but not diagnose or treat for FIP, and there are still some that don't believe in the validity of this horrific disease and pressure to euthanize.

Hazel will need to be injected every single day for 84 days.
She will need bloodwork every 4 weeks.
She will need to be observed for 84 days after treatment, which also includes bloodwork every 4 weeks.
There is around an 80% success rate with this medication but it is costly.

My sister had surgery in September and is still paying off medical bills close to 8k, she and her fiancé just booked their wedding earlier that week, and then Friday alone cost them close to 8k in vet bills. Each vial of medicine is $80 and she will need around 2 vials per week for the first two weeks. As she gains weight she will need a larger dose which means more vials per week. Each vet visit for bloodwork will cost $150-$300 depending on where they take her and who is willing to only test for FIP indicators. She will probably need additional x-rays to check on her organs which $400.

Hazel is only 7 months. She deserves a fighting chance and her parents are willing to do anything and everything to save her including putting their wedding on hold. Hazel is the sweetest and most gentle cat. She loves every single person that walks through the door. She has the most incredible closeness with her dad, they are so bonded and it has been truly a very tough few days for my sister and her fiancé.

Bills:
Friday (two hospitals and and overnight stay): $5819.58
Saturday (Hospital stay and additional testing): $2048
Treatment for the first three weeks including a steroid: $570

I'm starting this fundraiser in the hopes of helping them pay for the necessary and life saving medications, the continuous vet check ups, and any additional costs that may arise. Cat parents know, these kitties are our babies and the bond we make with these beautiful and loving animals is akin to that of a parent with their child. They are willing to drain their savings if it means saving their baby, putting their wedding and future on hold, because they are the kind of people who will do anything if it means saving her life. I'm hopeful this fundraiser will not only help financially, but will bring awareness to this disease and the incredible organization fighting hard to give cats a chance at life all over the country. Any medication that does not get used will go to another cat or kitten in need.

Hazel's Pages:

GoFundMe