I started this GoFundMe to help raise money for Rodney, a former stray turned bonded house cat. Rodney came to me in 2022, when he arrived at the hospital I worked at. He was skinny, unaltered, and had the worst abscessed head and facial wounds I've ever seen. He was also positive for FIV, which is feline immunodeficiency virus. Cats with FIV can live normal, healthy lives as indoor cats with regular vet care. Until the last few months, Rodney has been a fairly healthy boy.

Last week, I noticed Rodney had weakness in his rear legs and could no longer lift his tail. He became unable to jump onto the couch and was hardly mobile at all. A few days later, he started having muscle spasms across his back, ocular changes, a reduced appetite, and behavior changes. I consulted with a few veterinarians, including one highly experienced with FIP. After some diagnostics and discussion, they determined the most likely cause of his illness is neurological FIP.

Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is a viral disease of cats caused by certain strains of a virus called the feline coronavirus. Most strains of feline coronavirus are found in the gastrointestinal tract and do not cause significant disease. However, kittens and immunocompromised adult cats are more susceptible to the virus and less capable of fighting the virus on their own. Until this year, there was no legal treatment available in the US and diagnosis of FIP was essentially a death sentence. Luckily for all the cat owners and cat rescuers like myself, there is now medication called GS-441524 that can be purchased from certain compounding pharmacies in the US.

While GS-441524 has made saving kittens with FIP much easier, it can be cost prohibitive for big boys like Rodney. At 16 lbs, the full 84-day course of treatment will cost between $2500-3000, depending on how many bottles we purchase at a time.

I am someone who absolutely hates to ask for help, but the last few months have been a huge drain on our financial reserves: $4200 in car repairs and $2500 in furnace repairs. So here I am, humbly asking for assistance so we can get my boy through this and on the road to recovery. I have already purchased the first two bottles of his medication, which I'm able to get at cost since I work in veterinary medicine. But he will need ten more bottles at a rate of $250-300 each.

It might seem insane to spend that much money on a pet, but Rodney and I have a special connection that people will only appreciate if they've experienced it before. And while I want him to survive and thrive, I will not continue treatment if he is suffering and not improving, which is why we're only purchasing a few bottles at a time. If he doesn’t make it through the full course of treatment, any unused funds will be donated to Meowy Matchmakers Cat Rescue in Kansas City.

Thank you for taking the time to read about my best boy. I will be forever grateful for any assistance I receive.