On July 20, 2025, my wife and I rescued a litter of five tiny kittens (2 had been lost before we could rescue them) and their mother, Miso, a beautiful tortie cat (less than a year old), from a neighbor on Next Door who found them in a bush at her apartment complex. It was noted that they had fleas and were suffering from the heat. We picked them up and realized the litter needed emergency care, so we took them to BluePearl Pet Hospital. Tragically, two kittens lost so much blood from the fleas that they didn’t make it. The remaining three kittens, who we named Jack, Carrot, and Romeo, and their mom were bathed and treated with flea medicine. The staff at BluePearl spent many tedious hours removing literally hundreds of fleas from all of them.

The litter required follow up care and after many vet visits and testing, it was determined that all three kittens had anemia from the fleas and their red blood cell counts were alarmingly low. Carrot needed life-saving measures, and we made the decision that instead of euthanizing him, we would try a blood transfusion. Romeo, sadly, succumbed to the anemia on August 1. We are grief stricken and heartbroken, to say the least.

Miso, the devoted mother, has been a pillar of strength throughout, with her tortie (“tortitude’) shining as she nurtures the survivors. Carrot, who has become quite a bold foodie, is recovering well and we’re keeping our fingers crossed – we have done absolutely everything we can do for him, and we must see if the treatment holds. Jack, the playful charmer, is growing stronger every day and is best positioned to escape unscathed. We’ve been committed to saving the lives of this special family and we’re committed to giving Miso, Carrot, and Jack the best chance at a happy life.

We’ve spent around $8,000 on the emergency care for Miso and her litter, urgent care and follow up visits for testing and symptom evaluation, Carrot’s life-saving blood transfusion, specialty kitten food to help them grow stronger, pine litter that kittens won’t eat or swallow, and various supplies.

We’ve really tapped out our resources and we still have on-going blood tests, vaccinations, flea treatment, spay for Miso, and neuters for the two boys. We’re not sure what else to do but ask the community for help in getting all three of these survivors to a place of health. This sweet family has already lost 5 out of 7 kittens and we only have 2 who survived this agonizing ordeal and we need help with them.

Your support means the world – help us turn this heartbreak and loss into hope for these remaining, resilient fur babies. Every donation brings us closer to their full recovery. Stay tuned for updates and Kalindi’s inspiring Instagram reels. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!