Gizmo's Battle with FIP

Gizmo is a "sweeter than sugar" two-year-old rescue cat who has won the hearts of thousands with his silly cat videos and general adorable-ness online.

Everything was fine until the week of October 9th. I could tell by his behavior and demeanor that something was wrong. After extensive testing, we learned that Gizmo's kidneys were failing, severely. He was already at stage 4 kidney failure. He was immediately admitted to the ICU where he stayed for three days, receiving round the clock IV therapy and antibiotics.

He was admitted to the ICU Wednesday morning. When they checked his lab work again on Friday, there was no sign of improvement. Given all of the medical evidence (blood panels/urinalysis/ultrasound/biopsy) and observation, he was diagnosed with Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP), a viral infection that until only recently had a mortality rate of 100%.

You can read more about FIP here.

The only potential treatment for FIP is an experimental "supplement" that must be given every day for 84 days straight. It used to be by injection only, but thankfully now there are pills. I have procured the supplement thanks to a phenomenal nonprofit organization that specializes in helping cats diagnosed with FIP. Gizmo has already received two doses of the supplement.

Gizmo is now back home with our family. He is enjoying resting with his big brother Bruce on our terrarium as it is heated below them. He is resting in my home office, so I have been turning around about every three minutes to shower him with kisses. (Well, not actually every three minutes, because he does need his rest.)

The fight now is for the FIP supplements to work, and for his kidneys to play "catch-up" on all the toxins that have built up in his body. The prognosis is grim, but we will not give up.

I am overwhelmed by the amount of support and encouragement we have received. This experience has been extra traumatic because we lost our last kitten, Waffles, to FIP in 2020. We adopted Gizmo to help us heal, and now our hearts are breaking all over again.

Some of the wonderful people who have grown to love Gizmo's shenanigans have mentioned starting a GoFundMe because they wanted to help show support. I won't lie, we racked up a hefty vet bill, and we're not even close to being done.

We thankfully DO have pet insurance, however, I don't know what parts they will cover for the animal hospital bills. Our coinsurance is 20% and we have already met our deductible. So we'll still need to pay a minimum of over $400 for the ICU stay alone. I know for a fact that the insurance won't cover the FIP supplements. I will gladly provide financial documentation if requested. The only thing I cannot provide is the company supplying the supplements nor the name of the supplements.

So far our total bill is: $2,658.36 USD.

The estimated cost for the future supplements and monitoring lab work is $1,312 USD.

None of that even begins to cover the treatment for his stomatitis after he gets stabilized.

The amount of encouragement Gizmo and my entire family have received from you all has been indescribable. Over the years, so many of you on Gizmo's videos have thanked me for sharing his happiness and joy. So many of you have told me about the things going wrong in your lives. You have trusted me with your losses and your sorrows. I have seen you at your lowest, and I have wept with you. I'm honored that you have chosen Gizmo's Best Life as a place to find comfort, and I am forever grateful for the love and support you have given us in return.

Thank you for fighting this battle with us. I wouldn't want anyone else by our side. We will keep fighting because the spark in my heart isn't a flame, but rather an orange cat.

You can watch Gizmo's Fighting FIP videos on YouTube here.

Please know that if there are funds remaining after Gizmo's treatment, they will be donated to the nonprofit organization I mentioned earlier who provides this lifesaving care to families like us.