Merlin's Medical Expenses

UPDATE #1:

Firstly, thank you all for the donations! The support we have received so far has been instrumental in allowing us to pay for the treatments he's needed, without which Merlin would not be here today.

Since the fundraiser started, Merlin's condition further deteriorated, and he returned to the vet twice. Neither the antibiotics nor the steroids were working, and the vets had no other avenues to try, so we thought that was the end of the road. However, we were contacted by someone that noted their cat had similar symptoms to Merlin, and had been diagnosed with a disease called FIP. Until 2 years ago, this disease was 100% fatal, but a new treatment exists that not only mitigates the symptoms, but also cures the cat completely. Due to COVID factors, the drug has not gone through the lengthy and costly FDA approval process, but has had very high levels of success in both clinical and real-life situations. We were able to acquire an initial vial of the drug, GS-441524, and administer it. Within hours, we noticed a positive change in Merlin's alertness, energy, and mobility. It is a powerful antiviral, so it's entirely possible that the drug is just helping in that way, rather than dealing with FIP itself. It is difficult to accurately diagnose FIP (depending on the type and symptoms).

Regardless, these results are very encouraging, especially considering Merlin's status just prior to his first injection. His future treatment will require daily injections of the drug for 84 days, along with several lab tests periodically throughout, along with 84 days of observation in case of relapse. Currently, each dose is around $18, but this will increase as he hopefully gains weight and improves. The lab tests will also likely be several hundred dollars each. All funds are going towards this process, and if we raise more than we need after the initial 84-day treatment, the extra money will be paid forward to other animal fundraisers.

We will continue to keep you updated as the situation evolves.

For now, we'll leave you with some new pictures of Merlin!

Original Post:

Merlin is an extremely sweet and loving 16-week-old kitten. A couple weeks ago, without warning, his hind legs began to fail, initially slipping out from under him, until within a week, he could barely use his back legs at all. After several veterinary hospital visits and thousands of dollars, he still has no diagnosis, but there are several possibilities. The neurologist we consulted with suspects a "progressive degenerative neuromuscular disease of infectious or inflammatory origin." But ultimately, they won't know until he receives advanced imaging, specifically an MRI, which will cost over $2,500.

To discover what is causing Merlin's suffering, we need a diagnosis to know what treatment he will need. He is currently taking four medications daily to help with his various symptoms and attempt to isolate causes, but we are only giving him a slight chance to pull through without knowing for sure.

His eyes are still bright, and he still loves so hard; the vet said she could barely hear his heartbeat over his purrs. Everyone who meets him falls in love because he shows everyone so much love in return. We can see how hard he is fighting to live. Still, he is consistently weakening, and we are afraid he is running out of time.

We are desperate to help Merlin get the healthcare he deserves and to give him a chance to live and grow. The ~$2,500 MRI is the first step to healing Merlin. From there, we hope to be able to afford whatever treatment measures are necessary to do what is best for him, which will likely start at another $1,500, but will presumably be much more.

Thank you for any donations or attention to Merlin's cause!

Please share this fundraiser with anyone that can afford to give or who may share with others!