My whole life, our family has always had at least one cat. My sister and I grew up with them, as did all of our own children. Anyone that knows us could tell you that we never get rid of our pets. They are rightly a part of our family. The last cat from our "pride" of nine cats passed last November at almost 20 years old. This August, we finally (and very meticulously) chose two new babies, who we adopted through a store-promoted Humane Society event.

Unfortunately, within three weeks, little Zelda’s eyes began to squint and get goopy. The following week, Honey's eyes followed suit. Kitty cats can get sick, just like people can, so we made an appointment with our veterinarian. However, before we could attend, we received an important call. It was from the employee at the Humane Society who fostered our kittens pre-adoption. She informed us that a whopping four of Honey's siblings had tested positive for Feline Infectious Peritonitis! One of the siblings has passed away.

FIP is a deadly disease that stems from feline coronavirus (FCov). Not every cat that comes down with FCov also develops FIP, but due to the genetic probability that Honey would fall in line with her siblings here, we were told she would need to have bloodwork done. The Humane Society she was adopted through is one county over from ours, but they were offering free medical services for both kittens at no charge to us. Our contact was very helpful, even going so far as to transport the babies to their appointment. Zelda is recovering, but, unfortunately, Honey was diagnosed with FIP. She is now on expensive medication, at no current expense to our family, but we don't know how long the Humane Society can help us with that. We may only get temporary help with this first treatment. FIP can relapse and have other complications, and the Humane Society she came from is under no obligation to continue to render free services to our kitty cat.

Honey is now anemic with elevated liver enzymes, thanks to FIP. We have no way of knowing what other costs may arise if Honey suddenly needs quick care, but this little life is a part of our family now and our own responsibility. We are worried because, even though it is a treatable disease, FIP medication is expensive ($150 a bottle, which can amount to $1000-8000 for one treatment). Financially, we aren’t quite sure where this could end up leaving us. Please, if you’re able, help contribute to save our 4-month-old kitty from this mutation that is 100% fatal without treatment!