This is our 14-month-old Bengal baby girl, Whiski. She has always been a healthy, fun, cuddly, and spunky kitty until the night of 9/25/25. We noticed her suddenly acting lethargic and more clingy than normal. We decided we were going to bring her into urgent care the next morning, but at 2 am, I woke up to her struggling to breathe, and we immediately rushed her to Westford Animal Referral Hospital in Westford, MA. They rushed her back to be put on oxygen, and the journey to getting her better began.

The next day, she was diagnosed with Pyothorax - a very rare, life-threatening infection in her chest cavity. Since she is an indoor cat, this is usually caused by something as simple as a scratch, bite, or inhalation of something very small. Over the last 7 days, she has received amazing care and has been treated with bilateral chest tubes, heavy-duty antibiotics, and IV fluids. She has been slowly making improvements with her fluid output and overall behavior. She’s earned the spot of the Westford “Mascot,” and we get told daily how amazing her temperament is and how her personality has been showing through more and more every day.

On 9/30/25, we were made aware that although she is overcoming awesome hurdles (she’s eating and drinking normally and loving attention), her fluid output has started to increase again, and her bloodwork is showing that her immune response isn’t acting how they would expect. They believe it is hindering her ability to fully heal and make the progress they would like to see.

The specific testing now involves specialists, a CT scan, and/or thoracic surgery, along with a longer stay.

We have always had Whiski and her sister Sushi on pet insurance but recently paused it in order to save for our house that we move into on November 1st. Insurance is now active, but this is now considered pre-existing and not covered. We have already come out of pocket 10k and are now struggling to imagine what this added specialized testing, treatments, and potential surgery will amount to.

This infection is life-threatening 60-70% of the time, but Whiski has already proven that her body and spirit can fight this with the right treatments. The last thing our family wants is to lose her due to lack of funds.

Any amount you’re willing to donate is very much appreciated, and we look forward to keeping everyone updated with Whiski’s healing journey! ❤️‍

Love,

Tiana, Jesse, Sushi & Whiski