Help Save Charlie

Our sweet kitten Charlie was recently diagnosed with FIP on June 10th, and we are so lucky that he's held on this long.

 

FIP was a previously incurable and almost always fatal disease that now has a trial anti-viral drug that shows fantastic promise and success in permanently curing FIP. However, this medication isn't widely available in the US and is extremely expensive so we need your help to keep him going!

 

Charlie came into our lives shortly after we lost my 14-year-old cat Caillou. Many of you knew Caillou as the sarcastic roommate, regal napper, and fresh-catnip-loving monster he was- and felt what a huge hole his death left in my life. Amidst my grief, I thought finding a new fur baby to love would help start my healing process, so I jumped at the chance to drag my husband to a local shelter one day. I thought we'd look around for a while and take some time to decide on the perfect cat to adopt, but boy was I wrong. We got chosen as soon as we walked through the door! That's when Charlie ran up to introduce himself.

 

You see, up to this point, Charlie was considered a 'lifer.'

 

Charlie was surrendered to the shelter in the fall of 2020 with 13 other cats from a hoarder who lived in a small trailer. Most of his litter-mates were adopted, but Charlie was left behind for over two years because of major digestive issues later diagnosed as IBS. Unfortunately, this earned him the designation as a 'poop cat'- anywhere he could get it out, or any time for that matter, that's where he did his business. Those of us who have ever had an upset stomach in public can share his pain!

 

Throughout his time at the shelter he went through multiple rounds of every anti-parasitic on the market, tried specialized foods, and even toughed it out through some isolation to get to the bottom of his IBS- and nothing could touch it! Because of all this he was extremely malnourished and weighed only 5.5lbs at 1.5-years-old. Needless to say, between his neglect so early in life and his lengthy medical records he has already been through so much hardship. He's the toughest little guy we know!

 

This is where you come in.

 

Every morning for 86 days Charlie gets a shot of his life-saving medication. This medicine along with clean syringes, new needles, wound care, special treats and limited-ingredient food are a part of his daily life. Every 4 weeks he'll get full bloodwork and exams done at the vet to monitor his progress along with any necessary fluids or supplements to keep his vitals within a healthy range. Unfortunately, this all adds up and is a lot for anyone to afford. The medication alone costs around $4,000.00.

 

Today Charlie began his 6th vial of medicine. He has been showing incredible progress with almost a pound gained, an improved glossy coat and a healthy growing appetite. His meow has even come back! Any funds you donate will be used towards this medication and care- and anything beyond that will be passed along to True Rescue, the shelter he came from, to help other FIP kitties in need. After we adopted Charlie I became a volunteer there so I get to see the miracles they work - and the joy of pet adoption - every week!

 

When we adopted Charlie we promised to love him and give him the home he never had. He (and every fur baby) deserve the best, so in order to keep my promise I need to ask for your help to meet the financial demand of saving his life. As a small business owner and entrepreneur it's hard to ask for help, but putting aside my pride to help my boy is the easiest decision I've ever made.

 

If you are able, please help me help Charlie. I'm happy to provide any and all documentation of his journey to recovery! I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your help, and I know Charlie does too.

 

Thank you,

Kate