28/08/2026
💔 THE UGLY SIDE OF RESCUE — A HEARTBREAKING FIP UPDATE 💔
We have something extremely heartbreaking to share about an entire litter of kittens in our care. This is one of those posts that is incredibly difficult to write, but we believe in being as open and honest as possible about what happens behind the scenes in rescue.
We took these sweet babies into our care when they were only 10 days old. We watched them grow, cared for them around the clock, and did everything we could to give them a chance at life. Unfortunately, over the past few weeks, we began noticing some very concerning changes.
One by one, the kittens started developing fluid buildup in their abdomens and/or chest cavities. This can be a major warning sign of FIP (feline infectious peritonitis), particularly when combined with other symptoms we were seeing.
FIP is caused by a mutation of feline coronavirus within an individual cat. While feline coronavirus itself is extremely common and often causes little or no illness, in some cats it can mutate and lead to FIP. FIP can cause severe inflammation throughout the body and can affect the abdomen, chest, eyes, brain and nervous system.
We had cameras monitoring these babies 24/7, and we began noticing neurological changes on top of the fluid accumulation. We were watching them constantly, looking for even the smallest changes and trying desperately to understand what was happening.
💔 Two of the kittens passed away on their own.
For the other 4 kitten's, the progression and findings became so severe that, at only six weeks old, we had to make the heartbreaking decision to humanely euthanize. This is never a decision we make lightly. It is one of the hardest parts of rescue — knowing when continuing treatment may mean prolonging suffering rather than giving an animal a meaningful chance at recovery.
And then there was mama.
Mama is an extremely shy, protective girl. She is not what we would describe as a friendly, easy-to-handle cat, and handling her causes her a tremendous amount of stress. We also began seeing concerning findings in her, including fluid around/in the lungs, raising the possibility that she could be affected as well.
We had planned to spay mama once her kittens were old enough and everything was stable. Unfortunately, things did not go according to that plan.
We know there are now treatments available for FIP, and we did look into every possibility for mama. But FIP treatment can require intensive, consistent care, frequent handling, monitoring, medications, and veterinary follow-up. Given her extreme fear and inability to tolerate handling, we also had to consider what treatment would realistically look like for her and whether putting her through that process would cause an overwhelming amount of fear and distress.
We listened to our veterinarians, considered the options available to us, and tried to make the most responsible and humane decisions we could for every animal involved.
Sometimes rescue means fighting with everything you have.
And sometimes, despite everything you do, you lose.
💔 This is the part of rescue people don't always see.
The happy adoption pictures are the beautiful part. The kittens finding families, the animals getting second chances, the before-and-after stories — those are the moments that keep us going.
But there is also this.
The 24/7 monitoring.
The sleepless nights.
The emergency vet conversations.
The constant questioning of whether you're doing enough.
The heartbreak of watching a baby decline.
And the impossible decisions no one ever wants to make.
We want everyone to know that these kittens were completely isolated from our other cats from the very beginning. Because of that, we are not concerned about our currently adoptable cats being exposed through this litter.
This is also one of the reasons we are extremely careful about placing very young kittens for adoption. At this age, things can change incredibly quickly. A kitten can appear okay one day and become critically ill shortly after. There are no guarantees, especially with babies who are only weeks old.
We wish we could save every single one.
We wish love and round-the-clock care were always enough.
But sometimes, rescue is making the most compassionate decision you can with the information you have, even when it completely breaks your heart.
Please keep this mama and the babies in your thoughts. 💔🐾
And please remember — behind every rescue organization are people who are doing their absolute best to save lives, even when the outcome isn't the one we prayed for.
This is the ugly side of rescue. And we will continue to be honest about it. ❤️🩹
