My name is Anna Lisa, I am a foster at North County Paws Cause, and a kennel tech at North County Animal Hospital.

I have pondered writing this as I didn’t want to shine a negative light on Paws in any way, I did not want people to think each and every kitten is diseased, I did not want to put a hold on their adoptions and the healthy little kittens looking for homes. So, let me make this perfectly, 100% clear- the sick litter of kittens is at a private foster home. Not all of Paws Cause fosters is sick, only the one home. Unfortunately mine.

Thursday morning my mom Ashley Cryer, Paws Causes Vice President, came out to our “cat room” (a renovated shed built for our fosters) to do our daily routine of cleaning, feeding, and medicating if needed. I looked over to one of the cages and in complete horror I see one of our fosters, Rain, mouth covered with a yellow goo. We called the vet and were on our way immediately.

After multiple tests we discovered we had Feline panleukopenia. This disease is one of the most contagious, transferable, and regrettably most fatal. It affects the gastrointestinal, immune system, and nervous system.

I cannot describe the look on our face as we discovered what we were in for.

We proceeded to go home pack up all 31 of our kittens and cats to bring them in for a evaluations and blood testing. Due to this particular disease being so contagious every single one of our kittens were hit.

We ended up having to put Rain down, and throughout the day two of the other kittens became noticeably more sick than the others. They were each placed on opposite sides of their hospital room yet somehow managed to crawl together and cuddle as the life slowly slipped away from each of them. We had lost two more, Thunder and Toulouse.

After doing all we could, we took everyone home, separated some, and fed them all.

I woke up this morning and instantly felt pure dread. I did not want to go into my cat room but I knew it had to be done. We went in and discovered we had lost one more throughout the night, King. Yet again we packed everyone up and brought them to the vet.

This is when seven kittens who had become unexplainably weak throughout the night had to close their little eyes, and cross rainbow bridge.

We see that all the kittens from the litter will gather together to clean and love on the sickest weakest one, it still amazes me that these little lives who have only been here for six weeks at most are so capable of having such an instinct and ability to do such. They’re souls are so innocent and pure.

Today we took action, we talk to the vet, and set up a plan. Since about 6 o’clock this afternoon we have been giving our kittens IV fluids, medication, supplements, sugars probiotics, etc.

We know with this type of disease it will not be enough. We know that the only chance of survival for some of these kittens while to be hospitalized, costing about $870 for three nights per kitten.

We are in desperate need of your help, since we’ve caught it so early on we may be able to salvage the lives of some of these sweet babies.. Anything helps. It’s been the worst possible predicament of my life. We have bottle fed, cuddled, medicated, cleaned, watched them grow, open their eyes, take their first little shaky little steps, and to now watch the their little lives come to an end, has been the absolute hardest thing I have ever been through in my whole life. 

Let’s do all we can for the little lives we have left, they are counting on us.

Thank you.. ❤️