In November, we welcomed three little kittens to the centre who were just 6 weeks old and had been found abandoned in a bin without their mum. After an initial check over, Keith, Errol and George went to stay with one of our experienced kitten fosterers, to get the best level of care and attention possible.

Over the next few weeks, it became clear that something wasn’t quite right with these beautiful boys as they were very sick and struggling to gain weight. Our vet team worked round the clock to work out what was making the boys so poorly, carrying out tests and doing what they could to treat any possible infections or parasites they might be carrying. Although there were a few good days where it looked like they were improving, nothing seemed to be having a lasting impact, and then the unthinkable happened. We found ourselves saying goodbye to little George as he passed over the rainbow bridge, leaving his foster mum and everyone here heartbroken but even more determined to find a way to help Errol and Keith.

After several rounds of samples and tests, we confirmed that the boys had Giardia, Feline Coronavirus and Feline Parvo Virus. These are all nasty illnesses, but Parvo in particular is extremely serious and can often be fatal.

For the past two weeks we have been treating them at the centre and thankfully, their most recent parvo test on 16th January was negative! However, we’re not out of the woods yet as Errol is now positive for FIP, another life threatening condition which Keith is also at risk of developing it.

We are still doing all we can to help get these boys back to full health, and as we’re sure you can imagine all this ongoing treatment has been extremely expensive for us. We have sent several samples off to labs, carried out many tests and ordered in lots of different medications – the latest of which costs £17 per tablet! On top of this, we have also had to order in lots of PPE and stacks of a specific disinfectant as the Parvo Virus is resistant to most cleaning agents. Once back to full health, the boys will then also need their routine vet treatment and castrate operations before they are able to be rehomed too.

Please help us to raise more funds to continue helping these incredible kittens. The fact they have made it through such difficulties already is remarkable and we’re doing all we can to help them overcome this latest illness so they can go on to live the happy lives they deserve.