Background

On August 22, we found an adorable 12 week old kitten in an alley near our home, in very poor health. We named him Harold. He had an upper respiratory infection and was stuck breathing through his mouth, and his eyes were nearly cemented shut from discharge.

We took him in with the plan to get him into good health, socialize him, and adopt him out to a loving home. He has received many treatments over the past few weeks — antibiotics for his infections, ointment for his eyes, flea treatment, and parasite treatment for his intestines — and all of these conditions have improved dramatically since we found him.

Harold is a vibrant and loving kitten. Weighing 3 pounds and 1 ounce, he has the sweetest little face, and his mouth remains somewhat open because of a congenital skull malformation. He loves nothing more than to jump into your lap and purr while kneading your arm. His affection is boundless, and he shows it through vocalizations, greetings, long stretches when he sees you, and the sweetest little bonks of his face to say hello. He loves to be held like a baby, and the "jingle ball" and green shoelace ribbon are his toys of choice. He is beloved by all who have met him so far, and will certainly brighten someone's life once he finds his forever home.

Health and prognosis

On Saturday, September 3, Harold suffered a cluster of seizures that required emergency treatment from an emergency vet. He is currently receiving three doses of antiepileptic meds per day, in addition to an antibiotic to treat for Toxoplasmosis, a parasitic infection that can cause severe neurological disorders in young kittens like Harold, and sometimes death, if not treated. We are awaiting the results of a PCR test for Toxoplasmosis this week. There is a chance his neurological symptoms may be caused by other congenital disorders, much like his skull malformation. Fortunately, this is relatively common, and the treatment is perfectly manageable.

What's next

We are reaching out to various rescues and nonprofits in Brooklyn to see if we can partner with someone more experienced and equipped to deal with special needs cats. We hope to form a productive partnership with one of them so that Harold can find a forever home. In the near-term, he will likely need a refill of his meds, and will need to be neutered in the coming weeks.

How you can help

We have spent beyond our means to get Harold the care he so badly needs. Our goal is to stabilize his health and gain as much understanding of his special needs (if any) so that he can be adopted out to a home that is well suited to care for him. We have spent just shy of $1,500 thus far, prioritizing his care over that of our own cats in the process. Any contribution will go directly towards reimbursing those expenses, or toward continued care of our small buddy. If you know someone in the Brooklyn area who may be a good forever home to Harold, do let us know.

Thank you for your love and positivity — we appreciate it greatly.