Help Ebony the Kitten Defeat FIP!
Meow-- I mean hello! My name is Ebony. I am a playful 7 month old kitten who started out my life at the local Humane Society. They treated me nicely and there were a ton of kitties there, but I wanted a real home of my own. Eventually, the nice people there sent me to stay at a pet store where more humans could see me, and my little home there even had a view of the cat food aisle, yum!
That's where I met my parents, Ryan and Kristin. Kristin saw me right away, and reached out to touch the glass between us, so I reached right back towards her! I think we bonded immediately. The people at the pet store took them into a little room to play with me, and although I was a little nervous at first, I knew this was right. Kristin has something called autism, and she needs a friend to be there for her when she's overwhelmed... and I was up to the task, meow!
They took me home and life was great! They spoiled me plenty, and Ryan even got to play with me more when his car stopped working and he couldn't take pizzas to people anymore. I'll miss him smelling like them, but I like the extra playtime, purr. At least until one day I didn't feel so well anymore. I was really tired, and even my favorite wet foods didn't satisfy me anymore. My parents took me to a vet, which I didn't like, and they said I was sick with something called FIP and my parents were crying. I spent all night in my mama's lap to try and make her feel better, but it wasn't helping.
But the next day they took me to a different vet, and this one was nicer, meow! He did more tests and talked to Ryan about what he saw, and he seemed a lot happier. Ever since then he's been giving me a shot once a day... I don't like those very much, but I do like the treats I get after, and I've been feeling a lot better and can do my job of keeping mama comfortable a lot easier. I'm also getting so many more treats!
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Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed the story. My name's Ryan, and me and my partner Kristin are the lucky owners of this wonderful kitten Ebony, who serves as an emotional support animal for Kris and just a loving companion for me. As alluded to in the story, I'm a college student who was also working as a pizza delivery driver to pay the bills until my car broke down. I thought I was going to be able to pull out of that with careful planning and time commitment, but then Ebony wasn't feeling well.
She was diagnosed with a very aggressive disease known as FIP (Feline Infectious Peritonitis) and we were told that she only had days or weeks to live. That is, until we found out about a treatment with a very high success rate that can potentially cure her. Unfortunately, the treatment is not inexpensive, and between the medication and veterinary costs, is pretty crippling.
To this point, I've been closing my eyes and shoving my credit card forward. This kitten is a part of our family, and I will do everything I can to save her life. Not only because of what she means to us, but also because it just isn't fair that such a loving creature who's only seen seven months of life would have it taken from her by this terrible disease. I won't stand for that. Our Ebony is a fighter, after just a couple of the injections she rapidly has been returning to her normal levels of health, and we will support her battle as best we can. The treatment lasts a minimum of 84 days of injections, followed by 84 more of observation, but as said, it's not cheap.
At her current weight, a 2-week supply of the medication alone runs approximately $300. That's not counting vet visits to monitor and continue her blood-work and other tests needed during this process, nor increasing dosage as she gains weight, extra treats to soothe her after injections or anything along those lines. So. I'm not ashamed to say it. We need help.
Here's how the money will be used:
Any funds donated will go first and foremost towards Ebony's FIP medications, related care and medical costs like bloodwork, vet visits, etc. This is a matter of life and death and I treat it accordingly. I'm estimating that about $3,000-4,000 will be needed in total for this, but I will ensure that any funds collected go towards this purpose first.
Any funds beyond the amount needed for Ebony's FIP treatment and medical costs will be put towards a drivable vehicle. We have been fortunate so far that we have been able to find rides to take her to her appointments, but schedules don't always align, and honestly, if I can get working again, that's more income that can go towards our cat's health. Though this is a secondary goal, and will vary depending on the price of vehicles -- I don't need anything fancy, just something that moves and has air conditioning, since it's Florida!
Should enough funds be collected to both pay for Ebony's FIP treatment and medical costs, and a drivable vehicle, anything over this amount will be donated to help other FIP Warriors like our Ebony get the care and treatment they need, so rest assured that every donation will go towards saving lives. I would like nothing more than to see every cat diagnosed with this disease win their fight, and plan to continue to fight even when our baby is cured.
So please, consider joining #TeamEbony and let's #ScratchOutFIP . Our kitten needs your help, and if everyone donates what they can, we can save her! If there are any questions, please feel free to contact me directly.
