My partner and I adopted Pebble Honey-Chicken (formerly Martin) from SCAR of MV in early October of 2020. He was a tiny bundle of zeal, confidence, and cuddles. He loved to explore, do backflips for toys and treats, and made fast friends with our household's other cat. No one could have predicted that after only 2 months, his energy levels and appetite would plummet and his breathing would become labored. We took him to the vet right away, and after blood tests, x-rays, valium, and 100ccs of fluid drained from his lungs, he was diagnosed with FIP. We were told that it was terminal, with no cure, and he had weeks to live. It was devastating. In those two months, Pebble had already changed our lives, and it was crushing to imagine life without him.

Our vet did however, encourage us to look into a treatment that had not yet been approved by the FDA, but was available online and had gone through a clinical trial with miraculous results. It seemed absurd, but it was our only option, so we decided to give it a shot. Within 24 hours, he was already running, jumping, and playing again! His breathing was steady, and as his appetite returned, he quickly gained back the weight he had lost. We fundraised almost $3500 through art raffles and print sales to cover his medication and vet bills.

He is now 61/84 days through his treatment, and is doing better than ever. His bloodwork and x-rays have been flawless! He is one of the first cats our vet has ever seen fight and survive FIP. He wasn't supposed to make it to Christmas, but now we get to celebrate his first birthday in a few months, and hopefully many more to come! He's still putting on weight, being mischievous, snuggling, playing fetch, and learning tricks - now, just with a hint of teenage angst. :-)  He is the best, funniest, smartest, strongest, bravest cat in the world and we are so lucky to have him in our lives. He has taught us so much and brought along so much joy. We are so grateful for our amazing vet, without whom we wouldn't have found hope and treatment for Pebble, and of course Kym/SCAR of MV, who is the reason he is in our lives at all. Thank you so much from us and Pebble!