We are pleading for help.

Please meet Briella. Briella and her sibling were abandoned by their owner and left outside in their carrier in the sweltering heat back in late May. I was notified of this situation via Facebook, and the girl who found them outside her condo complex agreed to hold them until I could find a foster. These sweet siblings were failed by their owner, and it was my job to help find them a warm, loving home. The girl took them to the vet to scan for a microchip and did her due diligence. Unfortunately, they were not microchipped, and the vet said they are definitely indoor cats.

Being a volunteer for NAWS Humane Society in Mokena, we are always looking for fosters to help lighten the load of animals having to stay at the shelter.

A woman reached out to me and said she could take these two cats and foster them. Ecstatic and relieved as I was, she had filled out the paperwork through NAWS and was approved. As the days went on with communication, my gut instinct was telling me that this was not the right fit for these two cats. The girl holding them in her condo couldn’t keep them any longer. She already had two resident cats of her own and was worried the condo association would find out that she had two more in her possession. Time was not on our side, and I had the foster come meet me at the condo to do the transfer into her care.

I gave the foster a few days to settle in, and I texted her to see how the cats were doing. She claimed they were in a bedroom, decompressing and adjusting. Good start!

Fast forward a few weeks later, I check in again, and she then proceeded to tell me that she has not seen them in weeks. They were in her basement hiding in her ductwork. As furious as I was in that moment, I asked her, “Are they eating? Are they using the litter box?” to which she replied, “Yes.”

I found out that she had dogs in the residence, so I assumed the cats were hiding out due to the dogs.

Over the next few days, the foster told me that the two cats “ate” her chicks that were in the basement, and she wanted the cats “gone.”

The foster was renting her house on a farm and worked at the farm, so having chicks in her basement didn’t seem too far-fetched, but her version of the story kept changing. I didn’t know if her story was the truth.

I sprung into action and leaned on the staff at NAWS to help me set up traps to get these two cats out of her house.

The black cat went into the trap, no issue. He was transported to NAWS.

We had explained to the foster at length how to go about trapping the second one. The foster said she was a little more difficult to trap and being “stubborn.”

Unfortunately, after almost a week of trying to trap the second cat, we learned that the foster was getting evicted. She sent me text messages early in the day claiming that the cat was still in the basement, the trap was set, she had to get off the property THAT day per the landlord, and I found out that was a lie. The landlord was giving her to the end of the week. She wasn’t supposed to have animals in the house to begin with per the lease, and we found out she was stealing from the owners of the farm.

Later that day, I received a text from her stating that the cat was now outside, in the bushes, she left a trap outside for her to go in, and she vacated the property. I asked her how the cat got outside, and she claimed while moving her belongings out, the cat ran out the door. Frantic, Crystal from NAWS went to the property and by the grace of God, found her in the bushes. Emaciated. Skin and bones. Dirty. Covered in fleas. She couldn’t even walk. We knew for certain that the foster had thrown her out.

We knew at that moment that she was in the stages of liver failure due to starvation. The inside of her ears were yellow. Her gums were yellow. The worst case of jaundice they had ever seen.

She was transported to the Animal Hospital of Mokena where they gave her IV fluids, ran some bloodwork, anti-nausea meds, and an antibiotic. She spent the night there and went into medical foster care through NAWS.

Unfortunately, she spiked a fever and wasn’t really improving, some small improvements, but she ended up back in the hospital. The doctors wanted to give her some potassium IVs in hopes that would give her a boost of energy, and it wasn’t helping.

We talked to the doctor, and she recommended that this cat be transported to a specialist for a blood transfusion and get more critical care. She didn’t sound hopeful and suggested euthanasia, but we knew we couldn’t give up on her and had her transported to Veterinary Specialty Center in Bannockburn.

We are fighting to save her life, and this little girl, who I named Briella, is fighting. She is so strong, and we know she is going to pull through this. I spoke with the doctor last night (9/28/25), and she explained in detail what Briella will need moving forward. Briella is severely anemic, infested with fleas (which could be causing the anemia), and they will do a PCR test where a pathologist will look at her blood cells to get to the bottom of what’s really causing the anemia.

The doctor will continue to monitor her levels and make the decision if she needs the transfusion. They will do fecal testing, deworming, flea treatments, vitamin IVs, electrolytes, and urinalysis, and an ultrasound on her abdomen.

We are completely heartbroken that she was starved this whole time under the watch of this foster. This is a bad case of animal abuse/neglect. Chris and I could not euthanize her and agreed to pay for her medical expenses, but not knowing the extent of how much she would need, we are asking for your help. Our hearts are broken for Briella. We feel so much guilt that it was a foster we geared them towards.

Briella is in the best hands right now, and the specialist sounded hopeful. We are praying and staying positive, and we will continue to fight for Briella and hope to get her reunited with her sibling.

If you could help us with this huge financial crisis, we would greatly appreciate your support. They quoted her medical care between $5,000-$7,000. Our love for animals knows no bounds.

If you are reading this and wonder if any legal action will be taken towards the foster for intentional animal abuse, we have a few things in motion already.

Warm Regards,

Chris and Jen