Trying to save our Alf

My name's Alex and this is my beautiful cat, Alf who we rescued some years ago from Team Cat Rescue in Sutton Coldfield after living most of his younger life as a stray. He is very affectionate and so very loved by me, my partner and our children.

Alf's not been well for the last week or two and has spent the last couple of days in a specialist animal hospital some way away from home, having various tests done to get to the bottom of the problem.

Today, Alf has been diagnosed with a condition called Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP), which has affected his spinal cord and brain, causing fluid to build up inside his central nervous system, causing him to lose control of his legs and movement. The virus is progressive and without treatment he will likely continue to deteriorate quickly and die.

Alf is insured but unfortunately the vast majority of his insurance cover has been spent on getting a diagnosis for him. Treatment for this virus (infusions of remdesivir and GS-441524 tablets) is available and is highly effective with around an 80% success rate, however it is incredibly expensive and treatment costs are well beyond our insurance limits meaning we will have to pay out of pocket to get treatment to save his life.

Although I have fundraised before, I have never set up a GoFundMe until today and I'm doing so out of desperation. We can't fathom having to watch Alf die or be euthanised because of this virus, when there is such an effective treatment available that could very well see him back to health and chasing butterflies in the garden once more, that we just can't afford to pay for.

We have a small amount of insurance allowance left to allow us to possibly start his treatment ASAP, but not enough to continue it. We have a small amount of money saved that we will spend on this too, but certainly won't be able to fund all the treatment. And for this I have decided to make this page in the hope that some kind hearted cat lovers somewhere might please be able to help us to help Alf have a chance at living a happy life again.

If you would like to help by making any donation, Alf and all of us will be eternally thankful. I will post regular updates when I have news.

Thank you for reading XX

P.S If you have a pet and have them insured, please get the highest insurance cover amount for them you can realistically afford. We had 7k for Alf MRI alone can cost £3500-£5000 and costs spiral so quickly, even just for diagnosis. It's been an eye opening journey so far and I just wanted to share this with other animal lovers who may not have ever had to use their insurance. Get the best cover you can afford for your pets X