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Lucky needs our help, organized by Amanda Fuquay
Surprise Kitties Most of my friends and family know me as a "bird person" but I really love all a… Amanda Fuquay needs your support for Lucky needs our help
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Most of my friends and family know me as a "bird person" but I really love all animals. And this love for animals was not lost on one particular stray cat. For some unknown reason, this feline mommy decided she could no longer take care of her babies. She left 2 of her kittens in our yard, directly below our bedroom window, on 9/5/22. She then surprised us with another kitten the following morning. We decided to call them Lucky, Charm, and Magic and made plans to have them vaccinated and fixed before finding them new homes. But our plans went on hold when we noticed Lucky was getting sick.
Out of the three, Lucky has always been the runt of our new found troup. He has completely won our hearts over though. You would be hard-pressed to find a sweeter, more well-mannered and patient kitten. He is incredibly loving, playful in the gentlest of manners, with big round eyes full of trust. His siblings have their own winning traits, and we love them all, of course, but even they look out for him like he is the precious little brother that needs all the love and protection he can get.
One Sick Baby
Lucky turned out to be a lot sicker than we could have imagined. He's been fighting as hard as any kitten can against a disease called FIP (Feline Infectious Peritonitis). Until a couple of years ago, FIP was considered to be 100% fatal. While there is no FDA approved treatment or cure for this killer of many of our feline friends, there is an unapproved treatment, known only by its alphanumeric designation, that has shown surprisingly stellar success rates at saving cats afflicted with FIP.
Although veterinarians are not allowed to officially prescribe this wonder treatment, ours let us know they had seen it used successfully and that, once treated, cats are considered cured and should have a normal life expectancy. After speaking with a friend that had also used the treatment (twice) and was able to provide us with some left over medication, we started the injections that night. Lucky responded so well we decided we would do all that it takes to save this kitten's life. He has stolen our hearts and trusted us to take care of him. And so, we shall.
The Cost
The trouble with this miracle treatment is the cost, of course. It is a daily dose of medication for at least 84 days (with another 84 days of observation). We're estimated to need about 14 vials (at a price of $80 each) for the full course of treatment -- so a little over $1100 in total. And, of course, that is not the only cost associated with this disease. Lucky will, at least, need to have blood work rechecked at the 30, 60, and 84 day marks and the cost of visits to the vet's office so far has been... well, sacrifices have been made.
So now we need help with helping this gentle and trusting soul. The treatments have started Lucky on the road to recovery, and he has made a lot of progress already, but it is a long road that will be full of ups and downs.
His name might be Lucky, but we were the lucky ones the day his mother decided to entrust his wellbeing with our family. And we can make sure he gets back to well with your help.
Lucky's progress so far with pictures:
Lucky after his first tests were run. His symptoms weren't specific to FIP at that point. He did well for a few days on antibiotics then crashed.
The day he crashed. He seemed confused with cloudy eyes and his third eyelid showing, particularly in his left eye. He wouldn't eat or drink. He could hardly move; he was wobbly and his legs trembled when he tried and he had a high fever. We got him back to the vet that afternoon. The FIP was attacking his eyes and neurological systems. We started treatment that night.
We weren't sure he'd make it after he developed fluid in his chest on day 2 after diagnosis, but we started to see gradual improvements throughout the evening after he got his second dose of medication.
Within a few days, his eyes cleared up, he was eating and gaining weight, but best of all...
He started acting like a normal, playful kitten again.
We had a bit of a setback at the beginning of treatment week 2. He had some painful lumps form at the injection sites. He stopped eating and his ocular symptoms came back in his left eye. We went back to the vet for fluids and got some medicine to help with the pain and his appetite.
He got lots of extra care from brother, Magic (resting his head on Lucky) and sister Charm (in the back) and was back to his playful self about 48 hours later.
