Help Peter Fight CKD and Heart Disease

Hey all,

I know it’s been a while, but I’m sure a lot of you remember Peter, my baby little lion boy. He’s in a bit of a pickle, and I thought I could share his story with you.

When I high-tailed it to Australia, I unfortunately couldn’t bring Peter and Furgeson with me. They’ve been in foster care for nearly 2.5 years, and I haven’t seen them in person since then, which has been really hard. Sadly, last month, Furgeson unexpectedly passed away while still in foster care.

I finally got back to the States and settled down in Atlanta in December, ready to bring Peter home. In the time I was away, he moved from Tucson to Santa Cruz, and then to Reno, Nevada. But last Saturday, I got a call that he was very ill.

He was rushed to an animal hospital in Reno, where they discovered he had chronic kidney disease (CKD). This is a serious condition for cats, but it can be manageable, and his case showed hope. He was hospitalized overnight, and I flew to Reno the next day, hoping to bring him back to Atlanta with me where he could get proper ongoing care.

Peter did well in the hospital and was released, but the following night still in Reno he became very ill again. I took him back to the animal hospital the next morning, where we found out he also has an enlarged heart (cardiomegaly). These conditions alone are manageable, but together they can be a tricky balancing act.

From Saturday to Monday, I researched tirelessly, consulting with different vets and scouring support groups. But the risk of flying him back to Atlanta with his heart condition was extremely high.

After hours of torment in the hospital, I made the heart-wrenching decision to put him down. I chose an urn, had a catheter placed, and spent an hour saying our goodbyes in the euthanasia room. It was absolutely devastating.

But I know my boy, and he was telling me it wasn’t his time yet. In a last-minute decision, I had Peter’s catheter removed and told the vets nevermind. He was treated with Plavix (a blood thinner), steroids, and Lasix to get the fluid off his heart. We realized too late that the fluids given for his kidney disease had worsened his heart condition.

We rushed to the airport, and after an absolutely horrendous time in Reno and a grueling travel day, we arrived in Atlanta.

I was terrified of what shape he’d be in when we got home. I let him out of the carrier, and to my disbelief, he walked out bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, looking like a million bucks—as if he hadn’t just been hooked up for euthanasia six hours earlier.

He explored our new home and was miraculously his old self again. I knew I missed him, and you all know how much I deeply love this guy, who has lived 15 years of life with me. But being with him again after so long has absolutely broken my heart open. Words cannot express how much I love this cat and how deeply connected to him I feel.

We had an incredible night that night, and over the next few days, he has been mostly stable. He has an appointment with an internal medicine specialist next week, where he’ll get an echocardiogram. I’m hoping we can find a plan to manage his chronic conditions. They can’t be cured, but hopefully, they can be managed for a while longer.

The vet bills have stacked up exponentially and quickly, and this is just the beginning of his treatment. I would do anything for this boy, and I know many of you have followed his journey over the years and loved him, too.

Nothing is expected, but if you feel moved to help, any contribution would mean the world to me and make a huge difference for Peter. Thank you so much for taking the time to read his story. ❤️