When Melon came into our lives three weeks ago, she was a greasy, sad bag of bones with infected eyes. Within one day she ran a fever of 105.3 and panted all night. We gave her antibiotics, subq fluids, and patted her down with rubbing alcohol to keep her cool. I honestly didn't think she was going to last the night. Thankfully, the fever came down and her appetite went up. I noticed though her breathing was never 'normal'. At rest, her chest heaves up and down. There is a small wheeze, and from time to time she coughs. When she plays, after a few minutes she will fall over onto the side of her belly to catch her breath. Over the course of two weeks, Melon has had four vet visits, bloodwork, two X-rays, eye exams (basically Feline Oculus Rift), ultrasounds, abdomen tapping, and every dewormer and antibiotic we have access to. Several vets pointed to the the dire and devestating FIP (feline intestinal peritonitis) diagnosis which gave me my own gastrointestinal distress. What is unusual for FIP cats, is an appetite, and let me tell you, this kitten almost DOUBLED her weight in one week. When we first held her, every bone in her body sharply poked out. Now she is a ball of PUDGE. She actively searches for food and eats several cans of food a day.

The belliest of bellies

Today we finally found some answers to our little Pudge mystery. Here is everything we know now:

1. Her breathing issues are mostly in her nasal cavity. She has either a deformity or scar tissue from a past infection that is severely limited her ability to breath. There is surgery to fix this, but she will need to wait until she is about six months older.
2. Her heart is enlarged, but appears to be functioning ok right now. Before any surgery can be done, Melon needs a cardiologist to see if she will be able to safely undergo anesthesia.
3. Her lungs have some congestion. This might just be scarring from previous infections, but just in case, we are treating her for two weeks with the strongest of strong antibiotics.
4. Her eyelids are underdeveloped (aka agenesis), and surgery can help this. First we need to address the issues above. For now, we give her gel twice a day to lubricate her eyeball and prevent scarring from her fur.
5. Her large and rotund belly appears to be a red herring. We thought it was worms or FIP, but it's more likely she is a Fatty McFatfat. Her underdeveloped body has a lot of catching up to do since she isn't malnourished anymore. She went a little crazy eating her weight in wet meatz I guess...Melon needs to grow into her belly.
6. She is older than we thought - probably 4-6 months. Her growth was most likely stunted due to malnurishment and infections as a little one, so she appears to be 10-12 weeks or so. SO THIS IS HOW YOU KEEP KITTENS TO STAY KITTENS FOREVER!

LOOK HOW MUCH I ATE MA!

SO WHAT NEXT FOR THE BALLER?

Miss Melon is a very special kitty who is going to need a very special someone who can care for her and monitor her needs. The surgeries she needs can't happen for another six months or so. They will be very expensive. Eye surgery alone is $1000-$3500. We have five cats already, and I think Melon would thrive better in a space all her own with another kitten buddy. She LOVES to play, but she is quick to wear out. My adult cats hiss and bat at her, and I'm sure that is a stress that she just doesn't need in her condition. We are actively looking for a new foster home that can give her even more attention and a safe space for her to heal and grow in. I would love to h

BUT SARAH, WHY CAN'T YOU JUST KEEP HER?

She can stay for now, but kitten season is just around the bend. When bottle babies need fosters, we are the go-to nipple heroes that our rescue calls! Melon is much easier to foster, in spite of her special needs, than a litter of bottle babies. She poops in a box and EVERYTHING. I love her to pieces, but I don't think it's feasible to continue fostering Melon without having to shut the door on other needy kittens.

WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP?

Many of you have helped already above and beyond with with donations of money, food, litter, and of course, her favorite box to sit in. Melon's high class lifestyle has racked up a bill upwards of $500 in one week. We still have some time to watch and wait before we can make decisions about surgery, so I can't ask for a specific amount of money via YouCare, GoFundMe, or other various sites. If you want to donate money now, please follow the 'donate' link at www.sarahdonner.com. Put #TeamMelon in the subject/notes of your donation, and it will go directly towards her vet bills. If you want to donate supplies, follow the 'donate' link at www.sarahdonner.com and click on the Amazon wish list. Melon loves the Blue Buffalo kitten wet food. We here at CatLady Records HQ send you heartfelt thank yous for all your love, kitty pics, wet meatz, likes, comments, tweets, thoughts, and prayers.