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Hi everyone. My name is Neil, and I’m fundraising for my cat Arugula.
I adopted Arugula with his brother Kale all the way back in August 2013 as kittens. I’ve spent almost every single day with them over the last nine years. The love I have for these two knows no bounds. They’ve been with me for some of the best and worst times of my life and are always there with their patented headbutts and kisses to make me feel better. Some people think that cats don’t love their humans but I promise you, my cats don’t snuggle up with me on a nightly basis just because I give them food… it’s because I’m a heat source
On September 20th, Arugula started hiding and was not his normal cuddly self. He was not eating or playing. We went to my vet the next day and she pulled a sticky yellow fluid from his abdomen. Cancer, heart failure, and FIP were immediately discussed. I broke down - suddenly, he went from a healthy, loving cat to one with maybe only months to live. It brought back terrible memories of a few years prior, when I had to put my kitten Ginger down due to FIP.
Arugula’s condition rapidly declined and he spent the next several days in and out of the hospital. The past few weeks have been riddled with tests, treatments, and attempts to diagnose his condition, which included biopsies, x-rays, ultrasounds, fluid drainage from his abdomen, and even a feeding tube insertion (which fortunately, he doesn’t need anymore). A few tests later, we decided to treat for FIP.
FIP, or Feline Infectious Peritonitis, is a nasty disease that kills thousands of kittens a year. With an outlook of 4-5 weeks without treatment, a diagnosis of FIP feels like a death sentence. Discovering that my Arugula might be suffering this disease has been devastating to say the least. The good news is, FIP is no longer untreatable.
There is a treatment proven by UC Davis to be effective but it’s quite expensive. A majority of cats who are afforded this treatment can spring back from what was once considered entirely fatal.
Unfortunately, beating FIP is not cheap nor covered by pet insurance. His vet bills from these past few months alone are in the thousands of dollars, and the treatment costs several more thousands, which is beyond what I can afford on my own.
Beating FIP is going to be a long journey for Arugula and for myself, but I will never forgive myself if there’s a treatment available and I don’t give him the best fighting chance that I can. If you are able to help support Arugula’s fight against FIP in any way, whether that is a donation or a share, we would be eternally grateful.
I adopted Arugula with his brother Kale all the way back in August 2013 as kittens. I’ve spent almost every single day with them over the last nine years. The love I have for these two knows no bounds. They’ve been with me for some of the best and worst times of my life and are always there with their patented headbutts and kisses to make me feel better. Some people think that cats don’t love their humans but I promise you, my cats don’t snuggle up with me on a nightly basis just because I give them food… it’s because I’m a heat source
On September 20th, Arugula started hiding and was not his normal cuddly self. He was not eating or playing. We went to my vet the next day and she pulled a sticky yellow fluid from his abdomen. Cancer, heart failure, and FIP were immediately discussed. I broke down - suddenly, he went from a healthy, loving cat to one with maybe only months to live. It brought back terrible memories of a few years prior, when I had to put my kitten Ginger down due to FIP.
Arugula’s condition rapidly declined and he spent the next several days in and out of the hospital. The past few weeks have been riddled with tests, treatments, and attempts to diagnose his condition, which included biopsies, x-rays, ultrasounds, fluid drainage from his abdomen, and even a feeding tube insertion (which fortunately, he doesn’t need anymore). A few tests later, we decided to treat for FIP.
FIP, or Feline Infectious Peritonitis, is a nasty disease that kills thousands of kittens a year. With an outlook of 4-5 weeks without treatment, a diagnosis of FIP feels like a death sentence. Discovering that my Arugula might be suffering this disease has been devastating to say the least. The good news is, FIP is no longer untreatable.
There is a treatment proven by UC Davis to be effective but it’s quite expensive. A majority of cats who are afforded this treatment can spring back from what was once considered entirely fatal.
Unfortunately, beating FIP is not cheap nor covered by pet insurance. His vet bills from these past few months alone are in the thousands of dollars, and the treatment costs several more thousands, which is beyond what I can afford on my own.
Beating FIP is going to be a long journey for Arugula and for myself, but I will never forgive myself if there’s a treatment available and I don’t give him the best fighting chance that I can. If you are able to help support Arugula’s fight against FIP in any way, whether that is a donation or a share, we would be eternally grateful.