Please Help Us Pay Our Sweet KitKat's Bills While We Grieve

Thursday, July 18th:

Please help us GET THE MESSAGE OUT about the protocol for WET FIP. Our sweet baby KitKat lost her battle to Wet FIP before she was even 7 months old, but it didn’t have to happen this way!  

I want to bring awareness about Wet FIP to the cat communities of the world. If we can save just one kitty, it means she didn’t die in vain. ❤️‍

Wet FIP can present in different ways, but our sweet baby had fluid buildup in her abdomen. When we took her to our local ER, we were told that she likely had FIP, and that it was fatal if left untreated. They pointed me to the FIP Warriors facebook page to get her the treatment that could save her life, but they told me they could drain her abdominal fluid which might help her feel more comfortable and eat. THIS WAS A HUGE, DEADLY MISTAKE! If they had not drained her completely of her fluid, I am confident she would still be with us today. 

‼️ That fluid consists of protein and electrolytes that her body would reabsorb once the FIP medication started to work (usually 2-3 weeks after starting the GS meds). The ONLY instance in which abdominal fluid should be drained in a Wet FIP kitty is if it is causing problems with breathing (which she wasn’t having) - and even then ONLY DRAINING UP TO 25% of the fluid. If too much of this vital fluid is removed, it can cause a dangerous shock to the kitty’s system, and potentially lead to death (which can happen up to TWO WEEKS AFTER draining the fluid). I can’t stop feeling guilty for not having this ONE single piece of lifesaving information, before I signed the papers agreeing to the draining.

 (I am only referring to abdominal fluid, other fluid buildup, like around the heart and lungs absolutely should be drained in full.) 

 We miss her so much and wish that we had made different choices that could have saved her life.

Friday, July 5th:

We miss our sweet baby KitKat so much. Nothing can bring her back. It feels like there is a huge hole in our family now. Cake misses her sister, I can tell when she is wandering around looking for her. Or when she cries for KitKat when I accidentally play a video of our baby meowing. This past two weeks hasn’t felt real. I just want to wake up from the nightmare, and see the littlest kitten run up to say hi, jump on my lap and request pets. 

The final bill came in and I have updated our total fundraising goal to include all of the expenses between the first ER, who unknowingly cost KitKat her life by fully draining her Wet FIP fluid, as well as the cost from Harmony Hill who did absolutely everything in their power to try to save her. I’m including photos here for transparency. Please consider donating or sharing to help us. 

We chose to do a living urn for KitKat in her memory. Once it arrives, we will pick a tree and plant it at our forever home. We will get Cakey a harness and take her to visit her sister, though it will never be the same without her.  

Friday, June 28th:

It’s been 4 days since we lost KitKat, and over 8 days since we last saw her, before we made a middle of the night run to get her to the hospital. I cry everytime I think about her and everything I could have done differently. I just want her back on my lap, getting all the love and pets she deserves.

We have not yet received our bill from Harmony Hill, so that is looming over our heads along with the heaviest cloud of grief. While I am amazed at the love and support we’ve received already, our fundraising needs to continue to make sure we can pay everyone who tried so hard to save her.

Again, once I receive full final bills. I will be posting those for transparency, and keep the fundraiser going. It won’t ever make up for KitKat never making it home to us, but it is appreciated nonetheless. 

2nd Monday, June 24th Update:

We are heartbroken. Our sweet baby lost her battle today. She fought so hard, but her little body just couldn't do it anymore. She was so loved, and will forever be missed.

We do want to thank Harmony Hill for doing everything they possibly could try to help her. And to everyone who has donated, every last cent is going straight to Harmony Hill. We will be leaving up the fundraiser, because the bill is still high, and we used everything we had to try to get her home to us.

Once I have a final bill, I will be updating the goal to match the amount we've spent and what we still owe Harmony Hill.

Monday, June 24th Update:

KitKat is struggling, but she IS fighting. The giant hurdle we need to get over is her digestive system. It needs to start working before our AMAZING SUPERHERO Team thinks we will see improvement in all of the other problems she is having. We are still hopeful that she will pull through all of this and make her way back to us to get so much love, so many pets and snuggles on our laps. Harmony Hill has gone above and beyond to help our baby, and we really cannot express how thankful we are for everything they have done. They brought her to a picnic yesterday, and tried to get things moving with a poop walk. No yet, but hopefully today.

Saturday, June 22nd Update:

My poor baby just had a seizure. This is a complication of the FIP when it causes the brain to swell. Our HEROES at Harmony Hill are jumping into action and getting her the meds that we hope can save her, but our hearts are breaking

Another Friday, June 21st Update:

My poor KitKat baby is UNCOMFORTABLE right now. She is having motility issues where her stomach is not emptying into her intestines. We need to get her digestive system WORKING WELL before she can come home to us. I’m so sad for her. Our bill so far is running $2500, and it’s not ending soon. This does not include the $2500 we already owed for her two previous local ER visits.

She is WORTH fighting for. She is the sweetest baby ever.

Friday, June 21st Update:

The amazing staff at Harmony Hill are taking great care of our sweet baby girl. They were ready for her before she arrived yesterday and jumped right in to help save her life!

She has had a blood transfusion from her hero donor Elbow and a feeding tube place. She already looks better and stronger, but still has a long fight ahead of her. We need to get her stable enough, eating and pooping on her own, and making her own red blood cells before she can come home to us, where she will continue her lifesaving medication.

Please consider donating to support her on her journey. We do not know how long she will stay at Harmony Hill, and the cost is tremendous. Thank you all!

Her hero, Elbow

Thursday, June 20th:

Our sweet little kitten, KitKat, is currently fighting for her life right now. We are doing everything we can to save her, but we are drowning in vet bills, and could really use some help.

KitKat was diagnosed with FIP 10 days ago. FIP was, up until recently, 100% fatal. It is a mutation of a cat coronavirus (just like a cold), which many cats contract as kittens, especially those from shelters or cat colonies.

We were told by the ER vet last week that she had no chance of survival, but the vet directed us to reach out to an amazing group of people called FIP Warriors, and with their help we have gotten her the life-saving medicine she needs.

Unfortunately, she has been in decline - she is severely anemic and needs a blood transfusion. I was told last night at the ER vet that she will die without a transfusion, but that’s they WON'T do transfusions on FIP cats because “it’s a limited resource” and they don’t want to “waste” it.

With the help of the warriors, we are getting her to the best FIP vet on the east coast (Sterling, VA) for a blood transfusion so she can get her strength back and have the best chance to fight FIP. We left at crack of dawn this morning. She is being transported through multiple amazing warriors to get her to the FIP specialist, 215 miles away, for her transfusion.

Of course, none of this is cheap, and we’ve already spent thousands. We could really use some support. Anything helps.

KitKat has a long road ahead still. After the transfusion and getting her hospitalized and stable, the treatment for FIP itself is 84 days long (minimum) - the medication is expensive - and then she moves into another 12-week observation period. But FIP IS curable, and we are doing everything in our power to help KitKat beat this!

Please consider donating to save our sweet girl. ❤️