These two babies are Bebop and Donnie (Bebop is on top, with the black spot next to her nose). They are nine-month-old Cornish Rex. I met them when they were six weeks old, and just figuring out what they were. Now they’re learning how to be cats. Or at least…they’re supposed to be.
Because you see, a raw pet food company decided not to notify the public as soon as some of their batches of food tested positive for HPAI (highly pathogenic avian influenza). They didn’t want to start a panic, or taint their company name. If Wild Coast Raw had informed owners as soon as they knew, several kitties would still be alive, and Bebop would not now be at risk.
Bebop was hospitalized last night by her owner, @kikidoodle, when she began to display signs of pneumonia. The progression of bird flu in cats seems to be “fever, elevated breathing, pneumonia, death,” and so Kiki is desperately trying to get ahead of things in Bebop while she still has her best chance.
Kiki has already lost two cats, and a third remains in ICU for oxygen supplementation and constant monitoring.
It costs between $2,000 and $4000 a day to keep a cat in full veterinary ICU. I can absolutely attest to the validity of this GoFundMe: I know Kiki, and I know her cats. This is terrible. This is every pet-owner’s nightmare, playing out in real time slow-motion.
@kikidoodle has discontinued the raw feeding, and is now trying to get the word out about what happened. Wild Coast Raw is actively trying to suppress the situation, which means some pet owners may not have heard about what’s happening. This food could still be in someone’s freezer, waiting to be fed.
Please, if you’re seeing this. Please, do not feed your cats raw food, or allow someone you love to feed their cats raw food. Their lives may depend on it.
amhrancas 