Last week, I noticed that our youngest kitten, Mei, had a swollen belly. She’s very small, so it was pretty noticeable. A vet appointment was made. Mei had been drinking, eating, and using the litter box fine, so I figured it wasn’t too great an emergency yet.

Fast forward to today. When the vet started poking around her abdomen, he noticed some fluid. He took her back for an ultrasound to confirm his suspicions. When he returned, it was confirmed that there was, in fact, fluid around her bladder. They then asked to run a blood panel to see what they could find. I was not ready to hear that Mei’s panel came back positive for FIP.

If you don’t know, FIP is essentially mutated kitty COVID that is fatal without medication. Until VERY recently—seriously, just months ago—there wasn’t even regulated medication for it. People were buying it from outside the country and having it shipped to the US to treat their babies. Now, there is a regulated medication available.

We were given two options: try the medication or euthanasia. I do not want to give up on my baby just yet, so we opted to try the medication. Along with the weekly vet visits and blood panels, it’s quite costly. I was told we would start her on a 45-day medication period, and depending on how she responds, we will determine how to proceed moving forward. With it being so new and Mei being so young, there is still the possibility that she may not make it through the medication, but we are staying hopeful.

Mei is the sweetest, most vocal cuddle bug I have ever met. She loves to gently grab your face and rub cheeks. She is a climber and loves to sit on my partner’s shoulder while he prepares dinner or watches us wash dishes. She is not even a year old yet.

I know things are tough in the world for everyone right now, and if I’m being completely transparent, asking for help is very hard for me to do—but I need help. I am in school and work part-time, so money has already been extremely tight. Any money generated will 100% go toward her medical bills for the medication, weekly vet visits, and blood panels. We are devastated by this news, but again, we are trying to stay hopeful. I just want to see my girl healthy and thriving again. If you made it this far, thank you. Any support is welcome—be it monetary, your thoughts and prayers, or simply sharing this message.

Updates will be given as I learn more.