I feel it is only fair that when I am asking for your help, for you to have the entire story.
Years ago, when Jaxon was very little, and just learning his animals, he asked me for a kitten. For many reasons, we needed to wait, but we dreamed and imagined, drew pictures and made up stories—we even named him Enzo McFlufferton. About 3 years ago, I started researching to find the perfect kitten to bring into our family. A kitten that was both cuddly and playful, and my personal preference… fluffy!
When I read about Siberian Forest cats, it all came together. “The cat for dog people”. I struggled for awhile trying to find a reputable breeder in our area, and finally found one in Pennsylvania but they were still so expensive so I had to save and save some more. And then when I put down the deposit to get on the waiting list, I had to wait and wait and wait some more. At the end of September, it was finally our turn to pick! I scrolled through the photos of available kittens and when I saw his little face I knew he was our Enzo McFlufferton.
The second week in October, we took a drive to Pennsylvania to pick him up. He was so tiny! Instantly he filled our lives with joy. Jaxon was over the moon, his tiny human dreams had finally come true! My boyfriend, Robbie, added his middle name ‘Ferrari’ soon after we found him and rightfully so, he had some serious zoomies and we call it “going full Ferrari”. He also has his McFlufferton mode when he does nothing but purr and snuggle and make biscuits. Then Enzo mode where he is a little explorer, following each of us around the house when we leave the room… dude has some serious FOMO.
The SATURDAY before Thanksgiving, all of that changed rather suddenly. He was no longer going full Ferrari or following us around or snuggling. Just sleeping, so very tired. He would let out the tiniest meows when we touched him. Initially I thought he was constipated or gassy, but after monitoring his intakes and outputs all day SUNDAY, I realized that wasn’t it.
MONDAY he seemed like he was getting worse, in more pain and crying louder when touched, flicking his tail, breathing a little faster.. and I started to get really worried that he might have either ate something that was stuck in his tummy or that he hurt himself. I called the emergency vet that evening but there was no availability until 2-3am. With Jaxon having school the next morning, that wasn’t going to work.
TUESDAY, I dropped Jax off at school and took Enzo to the vet. They completed an exam, X-ray and blood work. Enzo had a 105F fever, anemia, high white blood cells and globulins, and the X-ray showed fluid in his chest which was causing him to breathe fast and labored. They weren’t 100% sure if it was inside (pneumonia) or outside (pleural effusion) his lungs and considered tapping his chest to find out. I decided to wait for the radiologist to review the X-ray first, and we were sent home with antibiotics hoping to see some improvement by the next morning.
WEDNESDAY morning, the vet called me to tell me that the X-ray results were returned overnight and showed that there was fluid in his chest outside of his lungs and also in his abdomen. She recommended I bring him in to have the fluid drained and tested for Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP), which has no FDA approved treatment and is 100% fatal. I was devastated. Jax was on his holiday break from school, so I called his dad to see if he could hang out with him for a bit while I took Enzo back in for the procedure and dropped him off. Enzo’s temp had gone down to about 104F but he was breathing even faster than he was the day before. Around an hour later, about 35cc of yellow, sticky, syrup was removed from Enzo’s tiny little chest and they confirmed the FIP diagnosis.
FIP is a terrible, and somewhat rare, kind of autoimmune reaction to the kitty Covid virus that weaponizes their white blood cells against them. Professionally, she could only recommend that we put him down. There was nothing more she could do for him there. Otherwise, the fluid would just continue to build up and he would essentially slowly drown from the inside over the next couple of weeks.
But personally, she told me that there was hope in a non-FDA approved treatment that can only be accessed through a Facebook group called FIP Warriors. And that if I could afford it ($$$), it may be possible to save his life. I told her I was interested and she prescribed him a steroid and pain medication, knowing that the treatment is 84 days long and painful. I immediately connected with the group and provided his story to the moderator that greeted me. She connected me to an admin and I provided Enzo’s lab values, X-ray, history of symptoms, pictures and videos. They confirmed his diagnosis and connected me with someone in our area who was also treating their cat and had medication to spare to get him started on treatment immediately. I picked up Jaxon, and we drove an hour to a home in Alexandria to pick up his first week of treatment and supplies. That night, after his antibiotics, anti inflammatory, first dose of steroids and waiting for his pain med to kick in, he received his first FIP treatment.
THURSDAY, Thanksgiving, after sleeping through the night, he was up sitting with Jax purring (Jax is trying to record the sound on his tablet) and walking around and played with his favorite catnip mouse for the first time in 5 days. He no longer had to use all of his energy just to breathe. The treatment was working. It was absolutely magic. But now that he was feeling a little more himself, Thursday, Friday and Saturday’s treatment did not go well. This medication b u r n s, he was screaming, bit my boyfriend, bit me, and when we got through it he would walk around the room screaming in pain, and that was WITH the pain medication. It was horrifying to watch and listen to. That night, we decided there was no way we could go through this for 80 more days.. my boyfriend would not always be available and he hated holding him down, and there was no way Jax at 8 years old would be able to help… so we talked to admin about switching the route of treatment early for him. It is a little more expensive, but it will be a far less traumatizing experience for everyone. Especially Enzo and Jax. Admin concurred and Sunday night I was in the driveway of another family going through this who had oral treatments on hand. He has taken them well the last three nights, and things seem to be going much better.
We only have enough at the moment medication for the next 3 days. We will be ordering more tomorrow. The treatment itself is 84 days long, followed by 84 days of observation, with vet visits monthly for lab work and as long as there is no relapse—he will be considered CURED. Treatment is based on his weight, and he will keep on growing, over the next 6 months it is estimated to cost around $3000. As of today, Enzo has 77 days left of treatment. Any assistance anyone can bless our family with to help save Enzo Ferrari McFlufferton, and my son’s tiny human dream, is very much appreciated.
With love, and Happy Holidays, from our family to yours🎄♥️ RB&j
Updated December 5th, 2023
Thank you to everyone who is supporting our sweet Enzo ♥️
A donation of $12 provides Enzo with one day of treatment.
Estimated Days of Treatment Left:
-72
Estimated Treatment Complete:
- February 15th, 2024
Estimated Cured Date:
- May 15th, 2024
