Hi, I’m Ameera. My 6 month old kitten Cleopatra was diagnosed a couple of weeks ago with Dry and Ocular FIP, after a month of realising that something was horribly wrong, but being unable to pinpoint what even after several vet visits.

She was initially diagnosed with an eye infection, and we spent a total of a couple of hundred pounds after the first visit, with just pain relief medication prescribed.

What was meant to be a regular follow up visit a week later revealed a more disturbing issue since she seemed to be feeling better initially, but was declining in energy, spirits and eventually food intake. We were slapped with a £550 bill, unaware of the cost initially and surprised at the till. She was prescribed an anti-biotic and an anti-inflammatory and a full panel of her blood work and protein sample were sent to a lab for examination.

During that week, her health continued to decline rapidly, and we observed neurological issues alongside the ill appetite and obvious discomfort in both eyes. She had a wobbly gait, fecal and urinary incontinence and behavioural changes that were heartbreaking to witness. We had to take her in for an emergency appointment to relieve her pain at the very least, and were prescribed opioids resulting in a payment of a couple hundred pounds.

She was later diagnosed with Feline Infectious Peritonitis (Cat Coronovirus), a disease that was a 100% fatal only a couple of years ago. We were recommended to euthanise her the following day or face a bill beginning at £7.5K for an 84 day course of treatment.

We’ve managed to somehow do sleuthing work and have joined a wonderful FIP community online that we are communicating with in order to administer GS441524 (antiviral) ourselves, becoming de facto vets, and communicating with a vet who has given us advice, although is unable to help us from a legal perspective. This medication is expensive, and although not £7.5K, it is still several thousand pounds.

We would still need to monitor her bloods and general health markers via our vet, incurring more charges, and would appreciate all those who can to please help us save our lovely Cleo with a 95% chance of being cured. A disease that can be cured should not be one that puts her down.