Please save our kitty, Habanero

Cameron Matthews is organizing this fundraiser.

Donation protected

On October 28th, 2022, my wife and I adopted our beautiful cat Habanero from the Oregon Humane Society. We instantly fell in love with him and have done everything to make his forever-home as perfect for him as possible. We consider him our child and would do anything for him.

Fate, however, has thrown us a roadblock. Habanero, whom we lovingly call Habi, is now 15 months old but is currently hospitalized at DoveLewis Veterinary Emergency & Specialty Hospital due to Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP). You can learn more about the virus here: https://www.vet.cornell.edu/departments-centers-and-institutes/cornell-feline-health-center/health-information/feline-health-topics/feline-infectious-peritonitis.

Essentially it is a feline corona virus that until recently had been 100% fatal. And it still is, unless treatment can be received in a timely manner. The problem is that the only treatments known to work are not yet approved by the FDA, meaning pet insurances will not cover it and most clinics/hospitals will not administer it.

I am currently working on finding a way to get Habanero the life-saving treatment he needs and have made significant progress. The only major obstacle is the one that it always is: money. I don't have an exact number yet, but I've been told that the treatment cost is somewhere in the $7,000 range. Unfortunately that is way outside of anything we can afford, but we will never give up on our little Habi as long as he still has breath left.

Any amount that anyone would give will be immensely appreciated, no matter how small or large. Even if you can't donate anything, simply spreading his story to anyone that will listen would extremely helpful. If enough people hear his story, maybe he'll still have a chance. The money raised for Habanero will only go to any costs for his treatment that we ourselves are unable to cover. Our money will be the first in, no matter what. Any money raised beyond what he needs will be donated to groups and foundations that assist cats and their owners affected by FIP, or conduct research on vaccines and treatments for FIP. I am still researching things myself, but one such group I found has been an incredible help.

Thank you so much for reading my story. That alone means the world to me, knowing one more person knows about his struggle and can spread the word around. With enough effort we can all save Habanero and so many cats in the future that could benefit from these treatments. Please help us create more memories with him.

UPDATE #1

Day 2 of treatment, Habanero is finally interested in food again and even ate some on his own! He is unfortunately starting to show some neurological FIP symptoms, such as his motor skills being a little off. Aside from that his energy levels are up, he's being very cuddly and he's freely and happily moving around the apartment. (Although he's not too happy about the injections.) Treatment is going to take 84 days total, plus 84 days of observation, so it's going to be a long road. But I prefer a long road to short one, and I'm finally allowing myself to feel a little bit of hope. Thank you so much to everyone that has helped so far by either donating or sharing his story. With the help all of you and those who will join in later, Habi has a fighting chance.

UPDATE #2

Day 11 of treatment and Habi almost seems back to his old self! His motor skills have drastically improved. And this was only made possible because of all of you! Thank you so much for your donations. Unfortunately, there's still a long journey ahead with 73 injections left, and we have to continue to ask for your help. If the treatment can't continue there's likely chance of relapse. Anything you can do to help will be greatly appreciated. Remember, any excess money raised will go towards saving other cats and conducting more research. UC Davis is currently costing research on FIP treatment, and they are one such organization I plan on donating to. Another is a group called FIP Warriors. They were my primary support when starting this process, and Habi's recovery wouldn't be possible without them. On a happy note, my boss has starting collecting donations for Habi at our store, Bricks & Minifigs! One of my coworkers even made a LEGO statue of Habi, and Habi made it down to the store to pose with it!