These Kittens Cheated Death and Need Your Help

Brad and Janet are two of six kittens that were rescued from a backyard in Queens in late September. At their first vet visit a day later, they were visibly sick and tested positive for panleukopenia, which left untreated, is deadly.  I made the decision to admit them and gave the staff permission to do whatever they needed to in order to keep them alive.

Feline Panleukopenia  is the leading cause of death in cats as the virus causes damage to the cells that line the intestines. It also attacks the bone marrow and lymph nodes, resulting in shortages of all types of white blood cells and of red blood cells.

Thankfully they were already at an animal hospital with the capacity for 24 hour services and they were immediately started on supportive care that would go on for 7 days until they finally beat this insidious virus.  At this same time we were also closely monitoring their 4 other siblings in their foster homes to make sure they didn't show signs of the virus, as it is highly contagious. At the end of the week, Brad and Janet were finally discharged and their siblings Frankie, Columbia, Rocky and Riff Raff were all given a clean bill of health.

(The photo you see here is from their 3rd day in the hospital, when we finally started to have some hope that they would make it. )

As an independent, self-funded rescuer, I do not have the financial means to afford a week-long hospital stay for two kittens, but it was never an option to not fight for these kittens. Every day I have to make decisions that put the well-being of cats and kittens first and really appreciate some support from this amazing community.  The total hospital bill was $4,700 and I have already paid the deposit and have $2K to go.  With your help, I will not only be able to pay off the rest of this bill, I will also be able to free up more funds to rescue other cats and kittens in need. Thank you so much for compassion and generosity!