Let's all save Puzzle Jones!

Earlier this week, two of my closest friends, Sarah and Matt Jones, noticed that one of their new kittens was struggling to breathe and had lost his appetite. After a vet visit, x-rays showed that there was a sizable mass in his lungs and Puzzle was diagnosed with FIP -- Feline Infectious Peritonitis. If left untreated, it is 100% fatal to cats. With recommendations and encouragement from people who've cared for kittens with FIP, Matt and Sarah are giving Puzzle treatment from a company called Mutian. They report a high success rate with FIP, with some clients even reporting "miraculous" results, so they're hopeful about the treatment. However, it's very expensive. The total amount, including what they've already paid, will come to around $4500, so I thought a GoFundMe was appropriate to help them offset the cost of the treatment and I hope you'll consider chipping in. Truly, any amount toward the goal is deeply, deeply appreciated.

In the beginning of August, Matt and Sarah lost their previous cat, Ping, to oral cancer. Ping lived a long and happy life with them and while they weren't outright looking for another pet, when the opportunity arose to adopt Puzzle and his brother Bunch, they jumped at the chance. When I asked Matt about the decision to adopt them, he responded:

"I don't know where we'd be if we hadn't gotten these guys. They have been one of very few bright lights in this whole shitshow of a year. Sarah and I were both pretty traumatized from putting Ping down, and these two brothers made it bearable. We couldn't wait to see how they grew up together. They were inseparable from the start. If we got out a food container, they would simultaneously kitten-gallop into the kitchen together, and then kitten-gallop down the hall to their food bowls  like a tiny herd of deer. They played incessantly. Puzzle, always being the braver of the two, never got upset in the carrier on the way to the vet, always keeping his brother Bunch calm. Puzzle loves belly rubs, and will stretch out to full length, belly up whenever they're offered. The Siamese in him is totally evident. He's super assertive, and his talkative side is diminished only by his tiny little bark-meows, little staccato squeaks, while his brother Bunch sounds a lot like Cyndi Lauper. Puzzle is the more stately, thoughtful brother.

I've also never seen any human/pet relationship like the bond they have with Sarah. They literally follow her around the house from morning to night. When she stops and makes herself lunch or takes a shower, they demand to be let in and sit opposite of her and stare until she moves on, and they trail after her. Except now, Puzzle has to be carried, so she carries him everywhere. Sits down, puts him on her lap, and he goes right to sleep. We think that Sarah has kinda been Puzzle's lifeline tbh- the more he stays in direct contact with her the happier he is. She has started sleeping upstairs because when he lies down with her on the couch, she doesn't want to wake him up to move him again."

The treatment plan is 12 weeks, one pill a day, then 12 weeks without and if he stays good, he will be considered to be in long term remission. Sarah and Matt have already ordered the first 20 days of medication for $800, but they need help to get the rest, so let's make it happen! Let's all save Puzzle Jones!