Hey everyone, Jenessa here...
First of all Thank you so much. SO MUCH.
bit of a long update even if I try to keep it short, it will be nearly 10k words I'm sure. SO :
The TLDR version is that initially there was no hope for this but now there may be and we will do everything we can as long as he is comfortable.
my poor sweet baby just barely hanging on
2.5 days in the ER was not easy for any of us... such deep sadness... in this pic all I knew was that " this is almost certainly your cat's end of life" 
I did get to visit him each night and the second night he could at least move and looked more perky, still of course a wreck, but lookin cute for sure. Dove Lewis has an amazing staff and they really loved him. They could easily see how much he meant to me and they held my grief too. 
I cried so much at Dove Lewis but kept as positive as possible around my baby at all times.. the vets really saw me losing it hard though... hard.
Freddie is home resting now and despite his abdomen being so full of fluid - he still shows signs of happiness. He is on antibiotics and pain meds at this time. Lots of rest... more than the usual rest a cat takes and that's a lot. Check out the heart on his shaved belly, my little care bear. Poor friend even rocks the weird haircut like a champion.
...He is far from okay but doing better than when I first brought him to the ER, where we ran up a bill of $4,729.64 saving his life and running every type of test possible to figure out what happened to our sweet baby. For another 6-10k they said they could surgically go in and get this fluid but it would not stop whatever is making it progress rapidly.. finding out how to stop it at the cause is key, they also said he could come home for some "final quality time" because this must be something terminal. We did so many dang tests and scans and xrays and labs.
Any minute now I should have confirmation as to what we are wondering. We have just about ruled out any other possible diagnosis..There is still a slight chance it could be some cancer or something they could not find, but what is mutually suspected is that this is probably what is called "wet abdominal FIP with some neurological effects", this is typicially a quick, fatal diagnosis however there are some alternatives we have decided to pursue.
The alternative treatment option is used in other countries with a high success rate and there is a lot of professional support for it here despite it not currently being US regulated for this life saving use. It is expensive.. especially on top of the nearly 5 grand at dove lewis. The alternative treatment costs $70-80$ per vial - which is used one vial a day for 84 days... that comes out to just under another $5000.. (HE IS OUR BABY, I love him like I birthed him and have cried like a mother all week but now we have some potential hope!)
With such a high rate of success and the fact that it can stop this abdominal fluid - we decided to at least try it as long as he is comfortable. The side effects are very minimal and while medication sucks to give or get, he could truly start to feel better very soon. You pay as you go with the treatment so if for any reason we need to stop, or if it doesnt work we are not bound to the bill of a complete series of injections. 
We have professionals and people who have been experienced with saving their own cats with this stuff and they're willing to guide us through this process. Freddie is putting up the fight for his life and still shows so many signs of positivity and love - despite being tired, medicated and so unwell - he has spent some waking hours watching bird videos, he has his appetite back, using the bathroom again, purring and willing to keep hope in his sails while we wait for these meds and diagnosis to arrive.
We cannot stress enough how grateful we are for your energy, contributions, and love. The people who get it, really get it. I now know sooooooooo much about this terrible disease and will forever do my part to help people through this same process if ever need be, as well as helping in this support group. Seeing some real miracle stories in there and even with him in this way, there IS hope.
It is worth it to stay as positive as possible and not leave his little side. He was brought to the ER laid the heck out on Deaths Doorstep but I do believe that they've got him at least into a condition where he can wait with us for his life saving meds.
If you have questions about what he experienced leading up to this, during, or current, anything feel free to reach out - as I will likely share all of that anyways. This is super tough and not the only family pain I am going through right now, however it is one that we might be able to save, we must.
As well as pet parents- to such sweet fur babies- we are both full-time students and doing what we can to stay afloat with so many moving parts in life. This wouldn't ever be a convenient diagnosis but it sure would be easier to navigate if we were both out of school just working fulltime and without already having debt. This total cost of nearly $10,000 will more than certainly change a lot of our life plans, and goals, it does cause some struggles. We are willing to accept whatever it means, even if it is dang financially scary, because he has been all that we could have hoped for and more. He is not just a cat, he is our baby, and deserves many years of greeting you at my door with cuddles and love. The help you have put in to this means more than I can even express...
Every single dime that is contributed towards help in his bills is not only saving his life with what was done at Dove and this new treatment giving him a real chance - but also saving us hours, days,weeks, and years worth of added debt and interest, stress and worrying about how to foot the entirety of this - when that type of stress already exists in so many forms.
Thank you for helping un-burden our family a bit.. We always do what we can to help others and it is truly a blessing to see it coming back around in this critical time. We are forever grateful.
Too sick to play but keeping a paw on it for good measure.
He is truly my emotional support animal. He is our dog Chloe's best friend. Our weird little rockstar reincarnate... he always brings light into the room.
We are staying positive with the hope these treatments can save him. It just has to work, he is my soul bond, he WANTS to live, I can see it. I can see him hanging on for this even when it hurts.
Pray that it arrives quickly without issues!!!!
Thank you for keeping your candles lit, your hopes high, blasting Queen, all of your good energy, he feels it, we feel it. I refuse to see anything but a winner who is still going to win despite the typical odds here.
I will let you know what happens every step through this.
Here are a few shots of Freddie before his sickness, in his element... just for good spirits!
Envision him living his best life again please and thak you!!!
"we are the champions my friends, and we'll keep on fighting til the end"
So much love from Freddie and family.
Thank you for helping us keep the hope, thank you for giving Freddie and us a chance of a long life together.
