Support Tussy's Battle Against FIP

Until recently, two-year-old tabby cat Tussy was playful, curious, and happy to spend quality time with her foster family. This changed around the time that foster mom Mallory reported that Tussy's belly appeared swollen and that her energy and appetite had sharply declined. KittyKind urgently arranged a vet visit, where our fears were confirmed: she'd contracted Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP).

An FIP diagnosis used to mean goodbye, but advances in veterinary science have made a treatment of antiviral meds available for the first time. While securing this new treatment for Tussy was costly, it felt well worth it when her appetite and energy levels began to show modest improvements.

Unfortunately, our relief was premature. It was right back on the FIP roller coaster: Tussy's breathing became labored, and diagnostics revealed she'd developed anemia. While discussing options with our vet and an FIP specialist, we were reminded that Tussy wasn't out of the woods, and that further treatment may not guarantee the outcome we wanted. But we knew we owed it to her to try.

Fast forward: Tussy is now two weeks into her three month regiment of antiviral meds, and her condition looks to have improved. While we are cautiously optimistic, blood tests will be required to monitor her recovery. This mean Tussy's medical costs, which stand at around $4,000, will rise even further. We do not yet know what the final balance will be, but expect it to exceed $5,000.

As a small, volunteer-run non-profit, KittyKind's operations require a constant balancing of resources. While we try to budget for uncertainty, costly medical expenses like Tussy's FIP treatment are felt across the organization, ultimately affecting how many cats we can get out of bad situations and into loving homes.

Tussy's hopes of finding a forever home may be on hold as she recovers, but you can support her with a donation toward her lifesaving FIP treatment. We will be sharing progress updates throughout this time ♥️

Yours truly,

The KittyKind team