This little lady is Teena. She is 6 months old and had a rough start to life. She was found limping on the streets of Florida and was taken to the local shelter by a good samaritan. Teena had incurable nerve damage to her left arm and had to have her limb amputated to avoid getting abrasions, sores, and infections because she was using her forearm to walk.
I've only owned dogs my whole life, but the day I met Teena, I fell in love with her. My parents yelled at me about bringing another animal home, especially a cat (they were also dog people), but I couldn't give her up. Now, she is the household favorite pet... go figure. Even better yet, my dog, Nala, fell in love with her too.
Unfortunately, Teena's hardships did not end after I adopted her. Recently, she was diagnosed with Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP). FIP is a viral disease that results from a rare mutation in the feline coronavirus. Most strains of feline coronavirus occur in the gastrointestinal tract and do not cause significant disease. About 10 percent of cats infected with feline coronavirus can have a mutation in the virus, which infects the white blood cells and spreads throughout the body, resulting in FIP. Once a cat develops clinical disease, it is usually progressive and fatal without therapy. Until recently, FIP was considered non-treatable, but a recently identified drug has shown successful, and anecdotally curative treatment. Of course, this doesn't come without a price tag. Diagnostics have cost over $1,000 already, but this medication will cost another $2,000-$3,000.
Teena has mild clinical signs of FIP and without treatment, I don't know how much time she has left...
Though I wish I could easily afford treatment, I recently graduated, have not started working yet, and am running low on my remaining student loans. Any contribution at all would be greatly appreciated to save my little girl's life.
