Help save Chicory

Chicory is a 2-month old kitten who was born outside. He and his siblings lived beneath a concrete patio of a college dormitory in Brooklyn, NY and were dutifully looked after by students and staff until they were rescued by us.

75% of kittens born outdoors die before they turn 6 months old. But what most people don't realize is that some of the largest dangers they face are microscopic.

Chicory and all his littermates had terrible fleas when they were rescued - they were immediately treated for these parasites with topical and oral flea treatments which also kill mites, maggots and ticks. Additionally, he and his siblings tested positive for both high levels of coccidia and giardia living in their guts. These nasty parasites cause diarrhea and painful cramping in kittens.

Of all the kittens, Chicory has been hit hardest by these symptoms. For the last week he has had constant diarrhea. This is concerning in small kittens as they can quickly become dehydrated and even sicker. We took Chicory to the vet and began supportive fluid therapy at home.

But despite treatment for these parasites, Chicory has only gotten sicker. Three days ago he lost all control of his bowels, simply leaking diarrhea where ever he was. The pitch of his cries began to change form playful meows to more pained and urgent shrieks. We knew something was not right.

On Friday we took Chicory to the ER vet, concerned he might have panleukopenia (a very fatal virus in kittens.) While we are still awaiting confirmatory tests to see if Chicory has panleuk, an initial blood analysis was thankfully negative for telltale indicators.

However, while examining him the vets made a discovery that shocked and horrified us all. When expressing him for a fecal sample, the veterinary team discovered living maggots burrowed into his anal sacs. These maggots have not only been living in Chicory but eating at his flesh.

The vet team has done further treatments to kill and flush out these maggots and he's been started on antibiotics to help his body heal and recover from any damage caused. But the extent of how much harm has been done is currently unknown.

The initial costs for Chicory's visit was over $700 (invoice pending and will be shared when received), which we are trying to raise here today. However, if Chicory tests positive for panleuk or we realize these terrible parasites have done harm to his body that he can't repair on his own we will likely have to increase our fundraiser.

Any donations to Chicory not only help us cover his ongoing ER care, but put us in a strong position to say yes to any further treatment required. If it so happens we raise funds in excess of his bills, they will go to Buttercup and Bobtail - two other cats in our rescue with medical needs requiring treatment this summer (their stories can be found on our instagram)

Thank you for all your support for Chicory, for all our rescues, and for us.